He also ordered the controversial torpedo bat Harper, saying it's not a violation of MLB regulations, so he doesn't use the bat to stop the spread

Apr 01, 2025

Philadelphia Phillies Bryce Harper hits a home run in the seventh inning of the opening game against the Washington Nationals on the 28th (Korea time). Harper reportedly ordered a torpedo bat. AP Yonhap News

New York Yankees Jazz Chizome Jr. hit three home runs using torpedo bats in the opening three consecutive games last weekend. AP Yonhap News

Extraordinary attention is being paid to the bats of New York Yankees hitters who are hitting home runs intensively at the beginning of the season. It is also called 'Torpedo Bat'.

Some Yankees hitters take to the plate with torpedo-like bats at the start of the season. It is different from a regular bat with a bulging tip. The center of the bat where the ball is often hit is bulging. It looks like a torpedo. Not all Yankees batters use this bat.

MLB.com said on the 1st (Korea time) 'The Major League is reacting to the new torpedo batIn the article titled ' Aaron Judge, who hit four home runs last weekend, still uses the traditional bat. However, the torpedo bat used by Anthony Wolfie, Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisom Jr. clearly played a role in the Yankees' historic start to the season.

The Yankees hit 15 home runs during a sweep of their opening three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers last weekend. It is the most tie in the first three games of the season in Major League history. In particular, in the second game, he hit nine home runs, including Judge's three home runs, setting a club record in this category. In Game 3 on the 31st, four home runs were hit, including Judge's two-run homer to the left in the bottom of the first inning.

Wolfie, Bellinger and Chisom Jr. hit two, one and three home runs, respectively, in the three-game series.

Cody Bellinger also uses a torpedo bat to hit a solo home run in the first inning against Milwaukee on the 30th (Korea time). UPI Yonhap News

Anthony Wolfie is facing Milwaukee with a torpedo bat on the 30th (Korea time). AP Yonhap News

According to MLB.com , "'A torpedo bat is defined as a non-traditional barrel located closer to the batter's hand.'" The bat is designed to be heavier by adding more wood to the part where the batter is more likely to hit the ball. Each batter is promoting a different bat, and he explained that he is used to maximizing the potential impact on any swing.

When abnormal home run figures came out, MLB collected Yankees batters' bats on the 31st and started inspecting them. In response to the result, MLB stated that "the bat used by some Yankees players does not violate Major League Baseball regulations and the rules regarding bat manufacturers. MLB Rule 3.02 announced that the bat should not exceed 2.61 inches (6.63 cm) in diameter and 42 inches (106.68 cm) in length.

In other words, torpedo bats do not violate MLB regulations. The bat was reportedly devised by Aaron Linhart, a former Yankees power analyst who moved to the Miami Marlins feed coordinator last winter. "I think Linhart is a really serious, hard-working guy with the bat," Volpi said of him.

Aaron Judge is using his bat. AP Yonhap News

I'm also curious about the reactions of hitters from other teams who heard the news.

For now, some of the Philadelphia Phillies hitters are known to have ordered torpedo bats. Philadelphia Regional Magazine 'Main Line Today'Ben Silver ordered torpedo bats from Bryce Harper, Alec Bohm, Bryson Statt and Brandon Marsh (bat manufacturer) Victor's, according to sources' he said.

San Diego Padres Xander Bogaerts "At first I thought (the torpedo bat) was a joke. Everyone knows how to edit pictures these days. But I saw Jazz Chizome hit a home run. It's something I've never seen or heard before. I think they edited the picture. Because I've never seen anything like it before..." he said, giving the bat a suspicious look. In other words, the shape of the bat has changed, resulting in a home run.

Manny Machado from the same team "I don't know which bat it is. If it's a bat that hits so many home runs, please send me a few. The manufacturer that makes the bat can send some to this huge petco park anywhere, he said with a pleasant response.

San Diego Padres Manny Machado hits a timely double in the seventh inning against the Atlanta Braves on the 28th (Korea time). AFP Yonhap News

Baltimore Orioles batting coach Cody Ash, on the other hand, `If it's the bat part that hits the ball, it puts more weight on the sweet spot. It's not just for the Yankees. I think a lot of teams do that with the bat. However, Yankees hitters may have done so with the bat more proportionally"But go around the clubhouse of 30 teams If you look at it, you can definitely see one or two batters who have a bat made to fit their swing." It means the torpedo bat is not that special.

Tampa Bay Rays junior Caminero reportedly played as a pinch hitter with a torpedo bat in the game on the 31st and had an infield hit. Caminero said he would continue to use the bat this season.

MLB.com said it seems pretty reasonable for other teams to think about unifying themselves with torpedo bats when Yankees hit especially many home runs, but it's not a uniform approach for some teams.

While the torpedo bat issue is expected to heat up the Major League for the time being, the response of LA Dodgers Shohei Ohtani, last year's NL home run king, is expected soon.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.