Yankees' new torpedo bats fuel record-breaking start amid 15-homer weekend barrage

In its fleeting rise to prominence, the torpedo bat has left a lasting mark on Major League Baseball. Over the weekend, the New York Yankees wielded the uniquely engineered bat—crafted by an MIT-trained scholar—to dismantle the overmatched Milwaukee Brewers.

The Bronx Bombers made history during their season-opening stretch, matching an AL/NL record with 15 homers in their first three games and equaling a franchise-best 13 in a two-game span. They launched four more in Sunday's commanding 12-3 victory, just a day after erupting for nine in a power-packed performance.

The invention is credited to Aaron Leanhardt, a former Yankees analyst who recently took on the role of field coordinator with the Marlins this winter.

Here's some of the quick reaction from around the baseball world:

Torpedo bats are specially designed with redistributed weight, shifting more mass from the barrel toward the hitter's hands. This adjustment tailors the bat's sweet spot to align with where contact is most frequently made. Its unique shape—resembling a torpedo or, less intimidatingly, a bowling pin—sets it apart.

And the Yankees are crushing with them.

Of the 15 home runs the Yankees launched during their record-tying three-game start, nine came off the bats of five players using torpedo models. That included six of their franchise-best nine homers in Saturday’s 20-9 demolition of the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Yankees’ torpedo bats appear to be here to stay. Despite some concerns among fans about their legality, these bats don't break any MLB regulations. The league mandates that bats must be smooth and round, with a diameter no greater than 2.61 inches and a length not exceeding 42 inches. Thus, the Yankees' modification of the bat’s wood distribution remains within the rules — and the innovation is gaining traction across the league.

Torpedo bats have appeared in the majors before, but the Yankees' power surge has suddenly made them a hot topic across baseball. In fact, several players across the league have been swinging these bats for a while, and by now, they're hardly a secret.

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The 'Torpedo' Yankees will open their interleague series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday, April 1, at Yankee Stadium. Are we going to see another blast at the Yankee Stadium?

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