Yanks Torpedo Milwaukee Again. NY 12 Brewers 3

March 31, 2025 paperbacklou 2025 0

The Yankee Torpedo bats were all the rage on Twitter after the Yanks blasted the Brewers again, 12-3 on a cool and overcast Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

Aaron Judge — using a standard bat not a Torpedo bat — began the Yankee scoring with a MISSILE into the left-field stands to give NY a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the 1st, and then was intentionally walked the rest of the afternoon.

That incentivized the man behind him — Jazz Chisholm Jr. — who — using a Torpedo bat — hit 2 homers — a 2-run blast in the 3rd to make it 5-1 NY, and a 2-run blast in the 7th to make it 12-3 NY.

In between that, Ben Rice ripped a homer in the 2nd, and the Yanks used small ball to produce all their other runs.

But the talk of the day were the Torpedo bats — designed by Aaron Leanhardt, a former member of the Yankees analytics department who has a PhD from MIT and previously worked for NASA and taught physics at Michigan University. He noticed how Anthony Volpe hit the ball off the label of the bat most of the time — so designed a bat where the wood by the label is thicker. The bat is legal, and is used by many players around the Majors. But it started in NY with Volpe, and now Volpe, Chisholm, Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt, and Austin Wells are said to use it. Leanhardt is no longer with the Yankees; he now works for the Miami Marlins.

“We fired Torpedo’s all around the park you kidding me?” said Jazz Chisholm afterwards. “No pun intended; no pun intended. We hit the ball around the park; we play defense, we got speed; we do it all. Over here it’s about scoring runs and winning games. Our goal — obviously it’s not a realistic goal — but our goal is to win 162. We go out there to win every game; that’s our mindset and that’s how we’ll keep going.”

NY improves to 3-0. Milwaukee drops to 0-3.

1. The Torpedo Bats

Michael Kay first divulged the Yankee Torpedo bats on Saturday’s tv broadcast — explaining that the Yankees’ analytics department designed a bat to help Anthony Volpe, who hits the ball off the label a lot.

But some on Twitter were accusing the Yanks and anyone else who uses the bat of cheating — such as Dave Portnoy, El Presidente of Barstool Sports.

The Torpedo Bat is legal — as Joe Pompliano stated on Twitter, “There seems to be a lot of confusion about the Yankees new torpedo-style bats, but they are perfectly legal. MLB bats must be made from one piece of solid wood, be no more than 2.61 inches in diameter at their thickest part, and not exceed 42 inches in length. No problems here.”

Other players around baseball have also been using the Torpedo Bat — including Juan Soto of the Mets. But after the Yankees fuselage of runs over the weekend against the Brewers, other teams like the Atlanta Braves, are placing orders.

“I Love my bat,” said Chish0lm afterwards about his Torpedo Bat. “It doesn’t feel like a different bat. I started using it the last week and a half of Spring. I just never looked back after that. It still felt like my bat. Feels good; hit the ball off the barrel; feel comfortable in the box. I don’t know what else to tell you. I don’t know the science of it — I just play baseball.” It gives you a feeling that you have more to work with. You probably don’t have more to work with but it feels like it. It gives you that extra confidence in your head to go up and hit anything.”

“I used Volpe’s bat and I hit a double,” added Chisholm on when he first used the bat. “Then the next game I had it, and I hit a homer. And I said you know what, that’s my new bat.”

Here is Aaron Leanhardt being interviewed about the creation of the Torpedo Bat on the Monday after this game:

2. Judge BLAST Using Regular Bat

Marcus Stroman started for NY and allowed a run in the top of the 1st off a single, a walk, and a 2-out RBI single by Frelick.

But the Yanks got it right back in the bottom of the 1st against Aaron Civale, when Paul Goldschmidt led off the game for the Yanks with a walk, and a batter later Aaron Judge — using his normal bat — absolutely TORPEDOED one 410 feet into the left field stands. This after he hit 3 homers the day before. Milwaukee would walk him the rest of the afternoon.

When asked after the game why he doesn’t use a Torpedo Bat, Judge said “What I’ve done the past couple of seasons speaks for itself.”

3. Rice BLAST

Ben Rice, using a Torpedo Bat, blasted one into the right field upper deck in the bottom of the 2nd and it was 3-1 Yanks.

4. Chisholm Takes Exception

Milwaukee intentionally walked Judge in the 3rd, and Jazz Chisholm, batting behind him, took it personally — using a Torpedo Bat to rip a homer 346 feet to right for a 5-1 Yankee lead.

“I got a little taste of it last year, said Chisholm about batting behind Judge. “But now I really feel it — seeing people pitch around him just to face me, it makes me a little more hyped up you know?”

5. Stroman Pitched Well

Stroman allowed a 2-run homer to old friend Jake Bauers in the top of the 4th to make it a 5-3 game.

Stroman got some help from Anthony Volpe at the start of the 5th — Volpe with a tremendous pickup of a scorcher to his right — turning it into the 1st out.

Stroman got the next batter and with 2 outs was “this close” to be in line for the win — but allowed a single to leftfielder Jackson Chourio, and with Christian Yelich due up, Boone relieved him for Tim Hill.

Hill struck out Yellich swinging — and would get the win.

Boone said afterwards the intention was for Stroman to throw 80 pitches, and with Stroman at 81 pitches and the tough lefty Yelich coming up in a 5-3 game, the move was to the pen for the lefty Hill.

6. Yank Small Ball Puts them Up 7-3 in 6th

Hill pitched a shoutout 6th to keep it a 5-3 game, and then in the bottom of the 6th the Yanks created some breathing room against reliever Tyler Alexander.

The Brewers semi-intentionally walked Judge to lead off the inning and paid the price. Chisholm singled to right, and then hit a long fly out to center that moved both runners over.

Reliever Jared Koenig came in, and threw a wild pitch scoring Judge and it was 6-3 NY. Austin Wells grounded out to 1st to score Chisholm and it was 7-3 NY.

Small Ball.

7. Chisholm’s 2nd HR Makes It 12-3

The Yanks torpedoed the game open in the bottom of the 7th against reliever Joel Payamps. Ben Rice led off with a single to right, Oswaldo Cabrera also singled to right, and Paul Goldschmidt singled to center for an 8-3 Yankee lead.

Cody Bellinger followed with a sac fly to make it 9-3.

Aaron Judge was semi-intentionally walked again — and again Jazz Chisholm took it personally — torpedoing a homer 342 feet into the short porch for a 12-3 Yankee lead.

8. Hill, Leiter, Cruz, Yarbrough Finish Up

After Hill pitched the shutout 6th, Mark Leiter Jr. pitched a shutout 7th, Fernando Cruz pitched a shutout 8th, and Ryan Yarbrough in his first appearance as a Yankee — pitched a shutout 9th for the old ballgame.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401694948

 

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