Yankees Make History with New Torpedo Bats
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Yankees captured headlines on Saturday when they achieved a franchise-record by hitting nine home runs that collectively spanned 3,695 feet.
The team utilized a distinct type of bat known as a torpedo, which features wood shifted lower down the barrel and is shaped somewhat like a bowling pin. Players including Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger, Austin Wells, Anthony Volpe, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. all homered during New York’s 20-9 victory against the Milwaukee Brewers.
On Sunday, the Yankees hit four additional home runs in a 12-3 win, bringing their total for the first three games to 15 — a record tie with the 2006 Detroit Tigers for the most in MLB history.
Manager Aaron Boone emphasized the team’s focus on improvement, stating, “We’re trying to win on the margins, and that shows up in so many different ways.”
Under MLB regulations, the bat specifications are relatively straightforward, requiring it to be a solid wood, smooth, round stick not exceeding 2.61 inches in diameter and 42 inches in length. The guidelines also permit a cupped indentation of certain dimensions, and any experimental models require MLB approval.
Former Yankees infielder Kevin Smith noted that Aaron Leanhardt, a previous front-office staff member now with the Miami Marlins, designed the torpedo barrel to enhance the bat’s sweet spot. Smith remarked, “Your just misses could be clips, your clips could be flares, and your flares could be barrels. It’s all about those fractions of an inch on the barrel.”
Bellinger, who first encountered the torpedo shape concept last season but didn’t use it in games, discussed how the bat felt better during spring training compared to a previously used model. Other players like Volpe and Chisholm expressed confidence in the benefits of the torpedo bat, emphasizing the advantages of a larger hitting surface. Meanwhile, Aaron Judge, who has excelled with a traditional bat design, saw no need to change something that has proven successful for him.
Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy noted the lengths players go to gain a competitive edge and expressed support for innovations that enhance the offensive aspects of the game.
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