It takes something big to be called “viral” in the baseball world. This time it’s not stolen signs, pitch clocks, or anything else. It is rather a bat! The Yankees torpedo bat, which is a bowling pin-shaped piece of lumber, has sparked huge debate across the league.
It all became the rage when the Yankees went on a run rampage with it. They had blasted nine home runs in a single game. They were just one shy of forming an all-time record. Everyone from Cody Bellinger, Jazz Chisholm, Paul Goldschmidt, Anthony Volpe, and Austin Wells used it. And this raised eyebrows.
Everyone wondered if the Yankees found a loophole. Are they getting an unfair advantage? Well, naturally, even the rest of the league decided to give it a go. But impressed? Not everyone is impressed, not Alex Bregman at least.
The new Boston Red Sox star also took the bat to the test in Baltimore. And while some players are really raving about the bat, he was pretty level-headed about it. “I don’t really think it’s the bat. It’s not like anybody using it (is going to hit homers). It’s the guy,” Bregman told The Boston Globe. And it’s something that echoes what Aaron Judge had told.
Mar 30, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman (2) prior to the game against the New York Yankees at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports
So unlike Aaron Judge’s other New York Yankees teammates who have used the bats, Judge, meanwhile, isn’t into the bats. “Why try to change something if you’ve got something that’s working? Why add a new factor?” And he is not wrong. The New York Yankee captain is doing pretty good without the torpedo bats. He has already hit four home runs this season without a torpedo bat. So, he doesn’t need to change. And even Mookie Betts from the Los Angeles Dodgers said the same.
Max Muncy, too, who had called for the bats, was not sold on the result he got with the bat. So maybe it is true what Bregman is saying—it’s not the bat—it’s the guy.
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