By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Bronx Bombers and their so-called “torpedo bats” have sparked intrigue across Major League Baseball, as the New York Yankees swept their opening series against the Milwaukee Brewers in a hot start to the season.
The Yankees scored an astonishing 36 runs across the three-game series at home, closing it out on Sunday with a 12-3 win after their stunning 20-9 win on Saturday, in which they homered on the first three pitches they faced.
Eagle-eyed viewers quickly noticed the Yankees had another tool in their arsenal, a bat where the barrel sits closer to the hitters’ hands that quickly became known as the “torpedo bats.”
Outfielder Cody Bellinger, who hit one of nine home runs in Saturday’s game, believes about five players on the team are using the bat, according to Fox Sports.
Third baseman Jazz Chisholm, who has three homers so far this year, is also reported to use the bat.
Local broadcaster YES Network added to the intrigue on Saturday when they reported that the bats – which do not violate MLB rules – were the product of the Yankees’ analytics team.
“We’re trying to win on the margins and that shows up in so many different ways,” manager Aaron Boone told reporters ahead of Sunday’s game.
“We have a big organization that are invested in a lot of different things where we’re trying to be better in every possible way. The reality is it’s all within Major League standards.”
There is no rule forbidding other teams from using torpedo bats and Tampa Bay Times beat writer Marc Topkin reported that Rays infielder Junior Caminero used one in Sunday’s 6-4 win over the Colorado Rockies, along with slugger Yandy Diaz.
Boone said the bats were a sign of a game that has evolved since his own playing days.
“It’s 2025 so it’s different and we can account for things a lot better,” he said. “When I played I probably used six, seven, eight different model bats throughout my career, within a season I used a different shape bat for a lefty, a different one for a righty.
“Those things aren’t new they’re just more people pouring in to try to optimize guys as best we can.”
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Kim Coghill)
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