Dr. Meredith Wills was born on a Major League Baseball Opening Day, but it was not a run-of-the-mill Opening Day: It was the day Henry Aaron tied Babe Ruth’s home run record. Her father, who grew up watching Aaron play, went out and bought his newborn daughter a baseball bat.

“He was absolutely convinced that I was going to be something in the game,” says Dr. Wills.

The elder Wills’ vision was prescient. Dr. Wills has been busy over the past several years researching and solving the mysteries within a seemingly simple but beloved object: the baseball. The impact of Dr. Wills’ research is changing the game of baseball and what we know about MLB operations.

Keelin Billue is hosting this new South Side Sox podcast called “Explain It Like I’m 5 (ELI5),” which is focused on simplifying complicated topics in baseball with the experts who understand the issues best.

Listen to or watch Episode 1: “The baseball: a semi-chaotic system” to learn about Dr. Wills and the following topics:

Learn more about Dr. Wills and the articles she mentioned in this episode:

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