Her actual job title Senior Manager, Research and Content at MLB.com undersells the scope of her influence. Langs is an indispensable resource for nearly every writer, reporter and creator at the league-run outlet, providing a seemingly never-ending stream of stats to be incorporated into their stories, videos and tweets. Her Slack is a sight to behold. One second, Langs is contacting the Elias Sports Bureau about something that hasn't happened since the fall of the Ottoman Empire. The next, she's crafting another one-of-a-kind nugget about Shohei Ohtani.
"Definitely a combination of innate and learning by doing and paying attention," she explained. "This job I have is an extension of the questions asked over dinner and while watching games throughout my childhood in my family. I'm just answering them now."
It certainly helps that Langs, aided by the magic of modern technology, can quite literally watch every game at once. And so, from her desk, she sees it all, eyes darting ferociously among screens like a stocktrader on their 10th cup of coffee. When something catches her attention, she strikes like a jungle cat, pivoting instantaneously to the cornucopia of research tools at her disposal. The best stuff, always tinged with genuine positivity, ends up on her Twitter feed for the baseball world to enjoy.
That Langs singlehandedly produces so much compelling, informative content is all the more remarkable considering the difficult circumstances of her day-to-day life. In 2021, Sarah was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The neurodegenerative condition affects motor neurons, nerve cells in the brain and spine that handle muscle control, movement and breathing. ALS is progressive, meaning the symptoms get worse over time. There is no known cure.
She was once a committed long-distance runner who finished multiple half-marathons. Now she gets around via wheelchair. It can be difficult for her to communicate verbally, particularly over the blasting beats of a pregame batting practice playlist. Travel is cumbersome, handshakes are tricky, regular TV appearances are no longer viable. As is the case for most individuals living with ALS, Sarah's mobility and physical strength have gradually diminished, even though her mind is as sharp as ever.
Her diagnosis is, given her passion, all the more unfortunate. A statistical researcher somebody who has dedicated her life to unearthing the unseen, discovering the hidden, solving the perplexing has a disease with no known cure.
Yet ALS has not chipped away at her intellect or spirit or enthusiasm, nor has it limited the ferocity and consistency with which she approaches her work. That, to the people who have worked alongside her, is both remarkable and entirely predictable.
"If you didn't know, you wouldn't know," Gregg Klayman, Langs' longtime boss at MLB.com, recently told me over the phone. "She's better at the job than she's ever been."
And Langs' presence at the stadium she has been at every World Series game since 2023 is not a favor related to her health. She isn't there as some kind of pick-me-up organized by a club's community relations department.
Sarah Langs is there to do her job.
https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/article/on-lou-gehrig-day-as-always-sarah-langs-is-working-161559903.html
"Definitely a combination of innate and learning by doing and paying attention," she explained. "This job I have is an extension of the questions asked over dinner and while watching games throughout my childhood in my family. I'm just answering them now."
It certainly helps that Langs, aided by the magic of modern technology, can quite literally watch every game at once. And so, from her desk, she sees it all, eyes darting ferociously among screens like a stocktrader on their 10th cup of coffee. When something catches her attention, she strikes like a jungle cat, pivoting instantaneously to the cornucopia of research tools at her disposal. The best stuff, always tinged with genuine positivity, ends up on her Twitter feed for the baseball world to enjoy.
That Langs singlehandedly produces so much compelling, informative content is all the more remarkable considering the difficult circumstances of her day-to-day life. In 2021, Sarah was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The neurodegenerative condition affects motor neurons, nerve cells in the brain and spine that handle muscle control, movement and breathing. ALS is progressive, meaning the symptoms get worse over time. There is no known cure.
She was once a committed long-distance runner who finished multiple half-marathons. Now she gets around via wheelchair. It can be difficult for her to communicate verbally, particularly over the blasting beats of a pregame batting practice playlist. Travel is cumbersome, handshakes are tricky, regular TV appearances are no longer viable. As is the case for most individuals living with ALS, Sarah's mobility and physical strength have gradually diminished, even though her mind is as sharp as ever.
Her diagnosis is, given her passion, all the more unfortunate. A statistical researcher somebody who has dedicated her life to unearthing the unseen, discovering the hidden, solving the perplexing has a disease with no known cure.
Yet ALS has not chipped away at her intellect or spirit or enthusiasm, nor has it limited the ferocity and consistency with which she approaches her work. That, to the people who have worked alongside her, is both remarkable and entirely predictable.
"If you didn't know, you wouldn't know," Gregg Klayman, Langs' longtime boss at MLB.com, recently told me over the phone. "She's better at the job than she's ever been."
And Langs' presence at the stadium she has been at every World Series game since 2023 is not a favor related to her health. She isn't there as some kind of pick-me-up organized by a club's community relations department.
Sarah Langs is there to do her job.
https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/article/on-lou-gehrig-day-as-always-sarah-langs-is-working-161559903.html