The New York Yankees are off to a historically prolific start to the season, so prolific it's causing controversy over their bats.
A number of Yankees are using a newly created bat with a barrel that is thicker and wider than a standard baseball bat, designed by a former physics professor and MIT graduate.
In the second game of the season, what turned into a 20-9 victory against the Milwaukee Brewers, the first three Yankees up (Aaron Judge, Paul Goldschmidt, and Cody Bellinger) hit first-pitch home runs, the first three of nine home runs the Yankees hit in the game.
New York hit 15 home runs in the first three games of the season, tying the Major League record for home runs in that span.
What is the torpedo bat?
The torpedo bat is a creation of Aaron Leanhardt, a former physics professor who was working as an analyst for the Yankees until a recent move to the Miami Marlins. The bat debuted last season.
The bat's barrel is thicker and wider than a standard baseball bat with the goal being to bring more wood and mass to the part of the bat that makes most contact with the ball. The bats are the same weight as standard bats (31 or 32 ounces), so making the barrel larger is compensated by making the rest of the bat smaller. An analogy to the bat is a bowling pin shape.
Is the torpedo bat legal?
Major League Baseball confirmed Sunday that the bats do not violate Major League rules. Rule 3.02 states that bats cannot be more than 2.61 inches in diameter and 42 inches in length.
Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton used the bat to great effect last year in the postseason, and it spread to his teammates this year. Players on other teams have used the bat, but the Yankees use it the most and set records doing it.
“The concept makes so much sense. I know I’m bought in,” said Yankee shortstop Anthony Volpe, who started using the bat in spring training. “The bigger you can have the barrel where you hit the ball, it makes sense to me.”
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: New York Yankees make waves, set records with 'torpedo bats'
