Five Teams in Trouble and LaTroy Hawkins on Race and Relieving (Ep. 68)

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann check in on the season’s high home run rate (01:30), talk about whether bullpens have gotten too big (03:30), and debate the fates of five teams that are off to rough starts this season (10:30). Then they bring on longtime big league pitcher LaTroy Hawkins to discuss data about the declining number of African American players (24:00) and the underrepresentation of black pitchers and catchers (31:30), as well as his thoughts on underrated major league cities (40:00), the keys to aging gracefully as an athlete (41:15), and the evolution of reliever usage (44:30). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices