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5 min readFreddie Freeman's Fall, Paul Skenes's Belly, and Francisco Lindor's Cold War
The most talked-about moment in baseball this week involved no home runs, no strikeouts, and no game-changing hit. In the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium, Freddie Freeman chased a pop-up near the Royals' dugout, misjudged the terrain, and crashed face-first into the concrete floor of the camera well. He popped back up, stayed in the game briefly, and was removed "out of an abundance of caution." But the aftermath was anything but cautious: Dodger fans flooded social media demanding to know why no one from Kansas City had protected their star first baseman from the fall.
The Dugout Crash and the Question of Responsibility
Ben Maller's position on the Freeman incident is clear and contrarian. "What were they supposed to do?" he asks. "Were they supposed to sound the air raid siren and have employees form one of those cheerleading pyramids?" There is no MLB rule requiring the opposing dugout to provide "complementary roadside assistance" when a first baseman goes flying over the railing. No Royals players were even in that part of the dugout—they were likely in the clubhouse. A few support staff were there, and those staffers have now become "defendants in the Court of Dodger social media jail."
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What you'll learn
- 1 (03:06) **Down Goes Freddie: The Freeman Fallout** - Ben introduces the lead story: Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman tumbling into the Royals' dugout during the eighth inning, sparking outrage from Dodger fans.
- 2 (13:41) **The Dad Bod Dilemma: Paul Skenes on the Beach** - Shifting to Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes, who was photographed on a Miami beach with a visible "beer belly" one day after a poor start.
- 3 (20:04) **Lindor's Cold War with the Mets** - Francisco Lindor publicly states his plan to stay with the Mets for the duration of his contract, but Ben sees this as a legally required statement, not an emotionally sincere one.
- 4 (33:12) **Jet Fuel George Returns** - A classic caller, Jet Fuel George, calls in after a six-year absence, now working as a truck driver hauling jet fuel.
- 5 (38:08) **Blind Scott on Trans Athletes in the WNBA** - Caller Blind Scott weighs in on the culture war surrounding transgender athletes, using the WNBA as his example.
- 6 (41:12) **The Red Sox Voodoo Bugalu** - Ben discusses the Boston Red Sox's five-game losing streak since acquiring catcher Adley Rutschman from the Orioles, joking they picked up a "Voodoo Bugalu."
- 7 (42:22) **Instant Trivia: The Bald Head** - Ben poses the trivia question: which player was nicknamed after a Three Stooges character, inspired a buzz cut night at the ballpark, and was mentioned on Seinfeld?
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Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Ben Maller talks about Freddie Freeman getting injured by falling into the Royals dugout on a routine pop-fly, if the Royals should take heat for not protecting him from crashing, if Pirates fans should be worried that Paul Skenes "isn't in shape", Maller to the Third Degree, and more!
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