New York Yankees 'Torpedo' bats cause controversy after 15 home runs in first 3 games: 'That means you stink!'



The New York Yankees are setting a bat trend that has some critics claiming their new wood has an unfair advantage.

The new (and legal) "Torpedo" bats, as described by Major League Baseball, have an untraditional barrel that rests closer to the hitter's hands. They have more wood, are heavier, and allegedly have increased wood concentration in the area where the batter is likely to hit the ball.

A New York baseball fan has garnered over nine million views with a post on X that showcased the bats and said the Yankees hired a physicist to procure its design.

"Yes, the Yankees have a literal genius MIT Physicist, Lenny (who is the man), on payroll," the fan wrote. "He invented the 'Torpedo' barrel. It brings more wood - and mass - to where you most often make contact as a hitter. The idea is to increase the number of 'barrels' and decrease misses."

The MLB even cited the post in an article, seemingly confirming the bat's origins.

The controversy is spiraling after the Yankees hit nine home runs in one game on Saturday, including three from star slugger Aaron Judge. The team leads the majors with 15 dingers in just three games, with the Los Angeles Dodgers in second with 12 home runs, but with five games played.

However, not only has Judge declined to use one of the new bats, not everyone around the league is convinced by the new design.

San Diego Padres outfielder Brandon Lockridge, who spent time with the Yankees across several seasons, also said he had tried the "Torpedo" bat in a previous spring training but did not like it.

"I don't think using those bats is causing all the home runs," Lockridge said about the Yankees.

Other Yankees players have explained their bat choices to ESPN, as well.

Baltimore Orioles hitting coach Cody Asche also downplayed claims that the new bats were causing the uptick in home runs.

"Where you hit the ball, put some more mass in the sweet spot — I think that’s not something that’s unique to the Yankees," Asche said. "I think a lot of teams are doing that around the league," he added.

'How do we make him not suck?'

Barstool Sports owner Dave Portnoy said the bats, first used in the MLB in 2024, are a form of "cheating" and are meant for players with slow bat speeds.

"The Yankees hired a MIT physicist to basically take wood from the other part of the bats, like you know, the handle label, and put it in the sweet spot, making the sweet spot bigger. They did this because [Yankees shortstop] Anthony Volpe sucks, and he kept getting jammed and sawed off," Portnoy said in a video Sunday night.

"[The Yankees] were like, 'How do we make him not suck? Let's just make this, this bat called a 'Torpedo' bat, where basically if you swing and you make contact on the handle, it gets sawed off, it's a home run,'" Portnoy added. "They studied Anthony Volpe, and they found out he gets jammed on every single pitch. That means you stink. You shouldn't alter the bats to make it better."

The Barstool CEO's video, and comments that the bat should be banned, garnered a response from Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr.

"This is a high school baller talking," Chisholm laughed in response to Portnoy's consistent touting of his high school baseball prowess.

— (@)  
 

Chisholm did eventually provide an explanation hours later, admitting the "barrel is bigger" but is still within regulation.

"Nobody is trying to get jammed you just move the wood from the parts you don't use to the parts you do! You're welcome no more stress for y'all," the 27-year-old stated.

— (@)  
 

While the recent success of the Yankees — who fans love to hate — may not be specifically attributed to the "Torpedo" bats, the Atlanta Braves have reportedly bought into the hype and ordered some of their own.

ESPN MLB insider Buster Olney said during a broadcast for the Padres and the Braves that the latter had "put in an order."

"[Braves catcher] Drake Baldwin actually told me that he used one of these in the Arizona Fall League last year. He said, 'It looks weird, but if the Yankees are gonna keep hitting like that, everyone's gonna want to do it,'" Olney added.

Olney noted a similar point about the Yankees' Volpe and stated the shortstop makes his contact closer to the bat handle, adding credence to Portnoy's claims, albeit without accusing anyone of cheating or sucking.

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Keith Olbermann says House Democrats should 'get baseball bats' in fight against upcoming GOP majority and 'stop rolling over'



Outspoken left-winger Keith Olbermann said Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives should "stop rolling over" as they prepare to fight next year's Republican majority in the congressional chamber, Fox News reported.

In fact, Olbermann said Democrats ought to pull out "baseball bats" to get the job done, the cable network said.

What are the details?

Fox News said Olbermann guested on the "Fast Politics with Molly Jong-Fast" podcast last week and raised concerns about Republicans in 2023 using committees against the Democrats — and said that Democrats should fight "dirty" in response.

"I wish the Democrats would play that game to 10% of the levels that Republicans do. … Until the Democrats stop rolling over for this and saying, ‘We’re not going to dirty our hands, when they go high, we go low.’ When they go low, we get baseball bats," Olbermann said, according to the cable network. "That should be the next. Let’s get Obama out here saying when they go low, we get baseball bats. I think that would solve this completely."

More from Fox News:

This was in reference to former first lady Michelle Obama’s viral comments at the 2016 Democratic National Convention where she advised Democratic supporters "when they go low, we go high."

Michelle Obama’s motto was widely praised at the time, however some Democratic figures have pushed back against the comment since 2016. In 2018, former Attorney General Eric Holder rejected the call for civility during a campaign event.

"It is time for us, as Democrats, to be as tough as they are, to be as dedicated as they are, to be as committed as they are," Holder told the crowd at the time. "Michelle always says — Michelle Obama, I love her, you know, she and my wife like, really tight, which always scares me and Barack — but Michelle says, you know, 'When they go low, we go high.' No, no. When they go low, we kick 'em!"

Days later the former first lady pushed back against Holder's statements: "Fear is not ... a proper motivator. Hope wins out, and if you think about how you want your kids to be raised, how you want them to think about life and their opportunities, do you want them afraid of their neighbors? Do you want them angry? Do you want them vengeful?"

Anything else?

Fox News said Olbermann during the podcast also criticized Twitter CEO Elon Musk, who briefly banned Olbermann and several journalists from the social media platform.

He suggested that Musk’s brain, and that of former President Donald Trump, "do not work in the traditional fashion," the cable network said.

"It's clear from the public record that … his perceptions of reality are a little bit different than the average person to begin with, and then you throw in everything else that’s going on, and I think this is really about him enjoying this role," Olbermann said, according to Fox News, adding, "I don’t know where you begin where it becomes decreasingly irrelevant to try to psychoanalyze or simply diagnose whatever it is that’s wrong with Donald Trump or Elon Musk, but clearly in both cases, it’s clear that their brains do not work in the traditional fashion ..."