Author: MLB Baseball News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games

Some of Freddie Freeman’s most productive moments as a Dodger have come in matchups against his old team, the Atlanta Braves.

When the Dodgers announced their lineup for Monday’s series opener against Atlanta at Dodger Stadium, however, the 35-year-old first baseman was not part of it.

Turns out, after hitting a home run and an RBI double in the Dodgers’ victory against the Detroit Tigers on Saturday, Freeman slipped while stepping into his shower at home later that night, according to manager Dave Roberts, aggravating the right ankle he badly sprained at the end of last season and had surgically repaired.

"He had a little mishap in the shower,” Roberts said. “It swelled up a little bit. Not able to play tonight."

Read more:'You want your chance to win one.' New Dodgers feel World Series hunger during celebrations

Freeman is considered day to day, and will be re-evaluated Tuesday.

Monday will already mark the third game Freeman has missed this season. During the team’s season-opening trip to Tokyo, he was held out of both games against the Chicago Cubs after feeling discomfort in his left ribs — in the same area he battled his other postseason injury last year, broken rib cartilage — during pregame batting practice on opening day.

While Freeman was able to return from that issue once the team returned home, his ankle had still been less than 100% even before Saturday’s shower incident. It’s part of the reason why the team decided to exercise caution with Freeman on Monday; even though the former Braves star has hit .299 with 12 RBIs in 20 games against his old team since signing with the Dodgers in 2022, and was in a “good spot” with his swing coming out of Saturday’s game, as Roberts acknowledged.

“He feels that he could go out there and play,” Roberts added. “But just the upside-downside, doing the math, just let him recoup today, and we'll see how he is tomorrow."

With Freeman out of the lineup, Kiké Hernández was slated to start at first base. It marked Hernández's first game since the Tokyo Series because of a stomach illness that sidelined him for the team’s sweep of the Tigers last weekend.

Torpedoes incoming

Dodgers players and coaches were just as surprised as the rest of the baseball world upon learning of the bowling-pin-shaped “torpedo” bats that some New York Yankees players were using last weekend, when they mashed a whopping 15 home runs in a three-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers.

But by Monday, intrigue in the new bat design was high among the team, with several players noting they already had orders for their own torpedo bats on the way.

“I mean, it sounds interesting,” co-hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc said. “I think guys will try it. I mean, how do you not, right? You see those kinds of outcomes, of course.”

Read more:Yankees' 'torpedo' bats elicit shock and awe around baseball after a 13-home run weekend

Third baseman Max Muncy is one of the Dodgers hitters planning to experiment with the new design — in which the fattest part of the barrel is moved closer to the handle to increase contact quality on swings that before would have jammed a hitter.

He said he had some coming on an overnight shipment, and was excited to see what he hoped might be a rare “major innovation” in bat design.

“For me, it’s exciting just because there hasn’t been much of this,” Muncy said, noting that outside of the wood types and handle variations, bats have largely remained unchanged over the history of the sport.

“They had 100 different bat models [already], shaped this way, shaped that way,” he added. “But nothing’s ever been as drastic as what this is.”

Muncy nonetheless had questions about the torpedo bats, which were designed by an MIT-educated former physics professor who worked for the Yankees the past several seasons.

In his own swing, Muncy noted, he typically hits the ball closer to the end of the bat; a place where, on the torpedo design, the barrel tapers off.

Read more:Hernández: Dodgers visiting Trump's White House goes against everything they represent

“This might actually be a detriment to me,” he laughed.

Still, he noted that the mere idea of a potentially major technological breakthrough for hitters was welcome news; especially given the advancements pitchers have made over the last decade using technology and biometrics to learn to throw harder.

“If this is something that truly works, I think it’s exciting for the game of baseball, for the offensive side,” he said. “I’m just intrigued by all of it.”

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Mets finally flexed their muscles at the plate on Monday night, as a huge fifth-inning rally lifted them to a 10-4 win over the divison-rival Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park.

Here are some takeaways...

-- Juan Soto produced the Mets' lone hit in Saturday's loss to the Houston Astros, and the superstar slugger naturally arrived in Miami ready to swing. He ripped a 106-mph single in the first inning that ate up Marlins infielder Otto Lopez and rolled into right field. No rally ensued, however.

-- The good news for the Mets is that David Peterson's first inning of the season featured three strikeouts with sharp fastballs and sliders. The bad news is that he sandwiched a mistake pitch in between the outs, as Lopez crushed a sinker to right for a no-doubt solo home run. Peterson allowed just one first-inning run across 21 starts in 2024.

-- The Mets' early struggles with runners in scoring position made the trip to Miami. After a leadoff double from Mark Vientos in the second, Marlins starter Cal Quantrill managed to avoid trouble by inducing a pair of groundouts and a flyout. Peterson also worked out of a second-inning jam that began with two walks and ended with two more punchouts.

-- Due to the birth of his third child, Francisco Lindor was out of the starting lineup, and Starling Marte was called upon to bat leadoff for the first time since 2022. The decision paid off in the third inning, as the veteran outfielder smacked a game-tying solo shot to left-center. Before the game, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said he chose Marte as the DH over lefty Jesse Winker because the right-handed Quantrill is a reverse-splits pitcher.

-- Peterson was bailed out in the fourth with some defensive help. The first highlight play belonged to Soto, who swiftly tracked down a fly slicing down the right field line with a runner on first and nobody out. Moments later, Peterson induced a grounder that turned into a sharp 3-6-3 double play from Pete Alonso and Luisangel Acuña.

-- New York's lineup finally busted out in the fifth. After a leadoff infield single from Acuña, an RBI double to right-center from Jose Siri gave them a 2-1 lead. Then, with the bases loaded and no outs, Alonso provided clutch power against Quantrill with a grand slam to right-center for his first homer of the season.

-- The hit parade didn't end with Alonso's jack, either. With one on and one out, Luis Torrens drilled a ball deep to center that deflected off of Derek Hall's glove and surprisingly landed over the wall for a two-run blast. The Mets brought 11 batters to the plate for a seven-run fifth inning. Suffice to say, it was sight for sore eyes.

-- Brandon Nimmo, the only Met without a hit through five innings, joined the party in the sixth with a two-run homer to center that bumped the lead to 10-1. The run support was more than enough for Peterson, who in spite of allowing another solo shot in the sixth, completed the half-dozen frames with a laudable nine strikeouts. The southpaw gave up five hits and three walks on 89 pitches.

-- The Mets maintained their early bullpen dominance. Huascar Brazobán made his second appearance in relief this season, completing the seventh and eighth innings with a pair of strikeouts across 28 pitches. Danny Young ultimately closed the door in the ninth but gave up a pair of runs. The bullpen's streak without an earned run allowed ended at 12.1 innings.

Game MVPs: Pete Alonso and David Peterson

When the Mets' hopes of scoring in the second inning were dashed, their early season average with runners in scoring position was .083 (2-for-24). Alonso's grand slam couldn't have come at a more opportune time. It broke the game wide open and lifted any tension that players might've been feeling. Peterson's season debut was also worthy of praise -- he struck out nine only once last season.

Highlights

Juan Soto rips a 105.9 mph single 💥 pic.twitter.com/baIBto9hEB

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 31, 2025

David Peterson gets a pair of strikeouts to escape trouble in the 2nd inning.

5 of Peterson's first 6 outs have been strikeouts pic.twitter.com/OUv7xu9QwX

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 31, 2025

Starling Marte launches his first homer of the season! pic.twitter.com/rDbbnCHtzo

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 31, 2025

Juan Soto makes the catch on the run! pic.twitter.com/iOgpPbCqch

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 31, 2025

Jose Siri with his first double and RBI as a Met! pic.twitter.com/BFJsODe3SO

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 31, 2025

PETE ALONSO GRAND SLAM!!!!! pic.twitter.com/a2m1nbv3Y7

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 1, 2025

Luis Torrens' ball hits off of Derek Hill's leaping glove for a homer! pic.twitter.com/j8AdXB62er

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 1, 2025

Brandon Nimmo clubs the Mets' fourth homer of the night! pic.twitter.com/3TURBqPsu7

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 1, 2025

David Peterson with his 9th strikeout of the night! pic.twitter.com/fW6X9tfZ7G

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 1, 2025

Upcoming schedule

The Mets (2-2) will play the middle game of their three-game series in South Florida on Tuesday night, with first pitch scheduled for 6:40 p.m.

Kodai Senga is slated to make his highly anticipated season debut, opposite Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara.

Athletics make unfortunate franchise history in blowout loss to Cubs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Athletics’ 18-3 home-opener loss to the Chicago Cubs was a historic MLB event — in more ways than one.

Playing at Sutter Health Park for the first time, the Athletics suffered a blowout loss the likes of which MLB hasn’t seen in nearly a century.

The Athletics allowed 18 runs to the visiting Chicago Cubs, the most surrendered in a home opener since the St. Louis Browns surrendered 21 to the then-Cleveland Indians on Apr. 14, 1925.

The 18 runs allowed today by the A's are the most by any team in a home opener in 100 years per @sportradar. The Browns allowed 21 to the Indians in 1925

— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) April 1, 2025

It also is the most allowed in a home opener in franchise history, with the Athletics’ previous high being 15 runs allowed, which happened in 2006 against the New York Yankees and in 1922 against the Boston Red Sox.

The Cubs wasted no time jumping on Athletics’ starter Joey Estes, who allowed four runs in the top of the first inning,and finished his first outing of the 2025 MLB season with a loss after surrendering six runs in four innings of work.

There was one positive on the evening, as shortstop Jacob Wilson, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft launched his first MLB home run over the left field wall in the bottom of the third inning.

JACOB WILSON'S FIRST CAREER HOME RUN 🙌 pic.twitter.com/KDTpZ0h0U7

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) April 1, 2025

Wilson’s trip around the bases was one of the few highlights in an otherwise forgettable night for the Athletics.

The good thing about baseball is tomorrow often offers a chance at redemption, something the Athletics will seek as they square off with the Cubs for the second game of their three-game series.

Athletics begin turbulent new era at intimate, fun Sutter Health Park originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — “I’d rather be playing in Oakland.”

Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner, an Oakland native, shared that pregame sentiment with thousands in attendance at Sutter Health Park and many more watching from home as the Athletics officially began a new era at their temporary home on Monday night.

There was a buzz in the air early on at the minor-turned-major league ballpark, which quickly filled with loyal Bay Area and Northern California fans after gates opened at 5 p.m, but it was hard to ignore the elephant in the room. Pun intended.

The temporary relocation from Oakland to the state’s capital, approximately 80 miles northeast of the ballpark the Green and Gold have called home for 57 seasons, is not ideal for anyone. Not the team, and certainly not the fans.

However, that didn’t stop those in attendance from making the best of an unfortunate situation, despite how some, or many, might feel about factors outside their control. That’s Oakland baseball. The fans always will have an undying love for the team on the field, regardless of the situation off it, and the feeling is mutual for the players.

“The butterflies are there, the excitement is there for the home opener, getting out there and competing in front of a group of people who may or may not have seen us play before, so that’s exciting for us,” Athletics designated hitter Brent Rooker told reporters pregame.

“People seem excited. The community seems excited to have us here. The city and the people in it have been very welcoming to us as individuals and us as a group as a whole.”

From the pregame festivities to the player introductions — and at moments throughout an ugly 18-3 blowout loss to the Cubs — the fans in attendance proved they can provide the energy a major league team needs from a home crowd. The small venue, initially was packed, and the berm in right and right-center field appeared to be at capacity throughout the game with families sitting in lawn chairs and sprawled out on blankets.

Scenes in West Sac 🙌 pic.twitter.com/etyZkzv0rQ

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) April 1, 2025

Honoring Rickey 💚💛 pic.twitter.com/wfU6c09LCw

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) April 1, 2025

“Being announced as a player was super cool,” Athletics rookie shortstop Jacob Wilson said postgame. “That was the first one for me, and it was pretty awesome to run out there and see how many people showed up and wanted to support us, so it was a pretty cool night.”

That is, of course, until the game got out of hand and a good chunk of fans started to head for the exits when the Athletics trailed 16-3 in the sixth inning.

“I thought the energy was great,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said postgame. “When we started the game, you could feel the energy. Obviously, it’s tough when you get down in a game like that, but the fans continued to stay behind us. We obviously felt that support.”

The atmosphere was fun and intimate, as most minor league venues across the country are, but on Monday night, there were times when it felt pretty close to a major league experience.

Mostly due to the 12,119 fans in attendance, who outnumbered the crowds of some Athletics home games in recent years at the Coliseum, which, of course, is a comparison stripped of necessary and unfortunate context. The upgrade in stadium peripherals, such as a bigger, brighter scoreboard in center field — minus the brief outage in the top of the first inning — or the louder, crisper sound system certainly improved the overall experience, too.

Oh, not to mention a genuinely cool fireworks/light show display after home runs, which fans saw for the first time after Wilson’s solo shot in the bottom of the third inning — the first home run of his young MLB career.

JACOB WILSON'S FIRST CAREER HOME RUN 🙌 pic.twitter.com/KDTpZ0h0U7

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) April 1, 2025

As far as the field itself, Sutter Health Park — despite its smaller dimensions and the overly hitter-friendly environment it was on Monday night and could be for the next three years — appears to be up to par for Kotsay and his players.

“I didn’t hear any complaints throughout the game,” Kotsay shared. “The lighting was great, the field surface was great, the batter’s eye seemed to be a non-issue. I think they did an amazing job with what they had to work with, giving us a major-league facility.”

There are some elements of Sutter Health Park that are a clear upgrade over the Coliseum, but of course the importance of things like video boards and improved stadium effects pale in comparison to the importance, for fans, of keeping the team “Rooted in Oakland,” and the character and charm of the Athletics’ former stomping grounds.

It’s nowhere near the same, nor will it ever be. And the same will be said for Las Vegas, whenever that time comes.

It would be naive to suggest this is a situation fans can be overly excited about for three years, let alone three months or even three weeks. They know what already has transpired for many years and what is to come in the near future. You would be hard-pressed to find a fan base more knowledgeable about the intricacies of their favorite team’s organization than Athletics fans. There is no pulling the wool over their eyes.

However, if you simply want to enjoy watching the Green and Gold play in Northern California, while you still can, it won’t be hard to enjoy yourself at Sutter Health Park.

The Mets are trading outfielder Alexander Canario to the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team announced on Monday.

The outfielder, who was out of options and did not make the Opening Day roster, had been designated for assignment. New York will get cash considerations from Pittsburgh.

Canario, acquired by the Mets in a February trade for cash considerations with the Chicago Cubs, was competing for the final spot on the roster out of spring training. That spot went to Luisangel Acuña, with the Mets needing the depth on the infield.

The Mets had seven days to work out a trade after he was DFA'd, along with outfielder Jose Azocar.

Canario was solid during the spring – 11 hits in 36 at-bats with two doubles, three home runs, eight RBI, and a 1.030 OPS – but keeping him would have meant New York would have only four infielders on the 26-man roster.

The 24-year-old spent most of the 2024 season with the Cubs' Triple-A affiliate in Iowa, slashing .243/.336/.514 with 18 home runs in just 64 games.

In 21 career games at the big league level over the last two seasons, he has 12 hits in 42 at-bats (.286) with two doubles, a triple, and a home run for eight RBI and a .857 OPS.

What we learned as Athletics rocked by Cubs in Sacramento home opener originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Athletics’ historic first home game on Monday night at Sutter Health Park didn’t go according to plan as they lost 18-3 to the Chicago Cubs. The Green and Gold offered winks of promise early in front of a vociferous, sell-out crowd, but ultimately they couldn’t overcome Chicago’s 21 hits.

Athletics righty Joey Estes allowed four runs in the first inning during his first start of the 2025 MLB season, and ultimately exited after four innings having allowed six runs, three home runs, nine hits and four walks while striking out two. Cubs righty Ben Brown did his job over five frames and allowed three runs with five punch-outs on 75 pitches. Oh, and Carson Kelly was the first Cub to hit for the cycle since 1993, which encapsulated the night.

Back-to-back homers…

FILE UNDER THINGS WE LOVE TO C. 😏 pic.twitter.com/mzCx9Hs1fw

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 1, 2025

There was plenty of enthusiasm, curiosity and baseballs in the air throughout the inaugural West Sacramento matchup. However, the Athletics’ on-field results – especially in the top half of the lineup – didn’t match the energy. 

Here are three takeaways from the Green and Gold’s home-opening loss on their new turf of the next three years. 

New Digs

Many had anticipated seeing how the Athletics (2-3) – and MLB – would fit into a minor-league stadium after the Green and Gold announced on April 4 that they’d spend the 2025 through 2028 seasons at Sutter Health Park. Well, the new diamond definitely played a factor on Day 1, just not in the Athletics’ favor.

The Cubs (3-4) hit four home runs and finished with the aforementioned 21 hits. Kyle Tucker and Kelly had four while Michael Busch and Nico Hoerner finished with three.

The Athletics have scored roughly half of their runs on the long ball since the 2024 season. It wouldn’t be surprising if they’d soon return to form, or somewhat close, in a ballpark where a long ball requires a mere 330 feet in left, 403 in center and 325 in right.

First Bump on the Bump:

Estes, named the team’s fifth starter by fourth-year Athletics manager Mark Kotsay on March 15, stained the rotation’s encouraging first stretch of the season.

The Athletics allowed just eight runs throughout their season-opening four-game series against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park behind, in order, a pair of six-inning shutouts from key free-agent acquisitions Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs; a five-inning, one-run outing from Osvaldo Bido and a scoreless 6 2/3 innings from JP Sears.

In other words, Estes’ outing stung after the Athletics’ first four starters had allowed a combined three runs over their first 23 2/3 innings.

The bullpen had a similarly enticing beginning, too, outside of set-up man José Leclerc offering two homers to lose on Opening Day, but it also struggled mightily Monday against the Cubs. Mitch Spence relieved Estes and allowed three hits and two runs over 2/3 of an inning. He was replaced by Noah Murdock, who proceeded to give up four hits, three walks and six runs.

No. 1 gets No. 1

Top Athletics prospect and starting shortstop Jacob Wilson hit the first Athletics homer at Sutter Health Park and the first of what should be many more for him during his inaugural 162-slate in the majors.

In the third inning, after watching Brown toss a 94-mph four-seam fastball for a ball, Wilson sent a perfectly centered knuckle curve 341 feet left, which marked the first of the Athletics’ three runs.

The homer was the first of Wilson’s MLB career; he hit seven overall with Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas during the 2024 season. He’s more of a contact hitter, but perhaps his 15-pound muscle gain this offseason means there are more home runs to come.

Garrett Crochet, Red Sox agree to massive contract extension: Report originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Red Sox landed their ace this offseason, and they intend to keep him for a long time.

The Red Sox and left-hander Garrett Crochet have agreed to a six-year, $170 million contract extension, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Monday night. Crochet’s new deal begins in 2026 and includes an opt-out in 2030, per Passan.

Boston acquired Crochet from the White Sox this offseason in a blockbuster trade that sent the Red Sox’ No. 4 prospect, catcher Kyle Teel, to Chicago along with prospects Braden Montgomery, Chase Meidroth and Wikelman Gonzalez.

Crochet, who’s in his fifth MLB season, signed a one-year, $3.8 million deal with Boston earlier this offseason to avoid arbitration but would have entered his final year of arbitration next season.

Considering what the Red Sox gave up to acquire the 25-year-old left-hander, keeping him around long-term was a priority, and it appears they’ve accomplished that goal with a deal that will pay him an average of $28.3 million per year.

Crochet is fresh off the best season of his career, posting a 3.58 ERA in 2024 with a 1.068 WHIP and 209 strikeouts in 146 innings in 2024. He started Boston’s 2025 season opener on Thursday, allowing two runs on five hits over five innings with four strikeouts in a 5-2 win.

A baseball card autographed by Shohei Ohtani and featuring a piece of the pants the Dodgers superstar wore while becoming the first MLB player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season has sold for more than $1 million.

The one-of-a-kind Topps Dynasty Black card that features an on-card signature in gold ink by Ohtani and the MLB logo patch from the pants he wore during his record-setting game against the Miami Marlins was sold by Heritage Auctions on Saturday night for $1,067,500. The name of the buyer has not been revealed.

That is by far the most money paid in a public auction for an Ohtani card. The previous record was the $533,140 paid last year for a card from the 2018 Bowman Chrome Rookie Autographs Orange Refractor set. While 25 of those cards exist, that one received a 10 from the Beckett Grading Service.

The record-setting card is one of three different cards from the 50-50 game that Topps used to launch its Dynasty Black series, which features one-of-one autographed cards with pieces of game-used memorabilia from specific, historic moments. One of those Ohtani 50-50 cards — which includes a tag from the batting gloves Ohtani wore while hitting his 50th home run and a laundry tag from the pants he wore during that game — received $173,240 at auction in February.

Read more:Champagne, hugs and T-shirts: Inside the unforgettable night Shohei Ohtani reached 50-50

"Shohei Ohtani is currently the best player in the game, and this 1-of-1 card is tied to a significant historical moment as the first MLB player to join the 50/50 club in 2024," Chris Ivy, director of sports auctions at Heritage, told The Times in an email. "It is also the most desirable of the three 1-of-1 Dynasty black cards because of the logo patch."

Ivy added: "Part of what makes this result remarkable is the fact that it was not a rookie card — they usually are among the most popular in the collecting community — and still set the world record."

Earlier this month, the one-of-one major league rookie debut patch autograph card for Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes sold at auction for $1.11 million.

Read more:Shohei Ohtani's 50th home run ball sells for record $4.4 million. Who gets the money?

Ohtani entered the Sept. 19 game at loanDepot Park with 48 home runs and 49 steals. He wasted no time reaching 50 stolen bases, swiping third base in the first inning, then added No. 51 in the second inning. Then came home run No. 49 in the sixth inning, setting the stage for history to be made in the seventh.

After fouling off the first two pitches and laying off one in the dirt, Ohtani sent a hanging curveball by Marlins reliever Mike Baumann 391 feet and over the left-field wall. That ball was auctioned for $4.392 million, an amount that surpassed any sum paid for a baseball, in October.

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Hicks lives out childhood dream, dominates in hometown for Giants originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

HOUSTON — Jordan Hicks stepped out of the dugout at 6:30 p.m. on Monday and looked around. He had a glove in one hand, a bag of equipment in the other, and a lifetime of memories flooding back into his head. 

Hicks is a Houston native and grew up rooting for Lance Berkman, Craig Biggio and others. He came to about 20 Astros games as a child and has fond memories of experiencing Major League Baseball for the first time at a ballpark that he still refers to by its previous name. As Hicks looked around what is now Daikin Park, he thought back to where he used to sit. 

For the rest of the night, it was his childhood team that was caught looking. 

Hicks struck out six across six one-hit innings in his first big league appearance in Houston, including three straight strikeouts looking in a dominant second inning that signaled his second year in orange and black might take on a much different tone.

Jeremy Pena, Cam Smith and Mauricio Dubón went down looking in succession, all watching 98 or 99 mph sinkers clip the edge of the zone. Patrick Bailey’s golden framing helped a bit, but for the most part this night was about Hicks, who had his best start as a big leaguer as the Giants beat the Astros 7-2.

“That’s a good one to build off in 2025,” Hicks said. “I’ll just stay right there.”

Hicks got off to a strong start in 2024, too, but this was something different. His fastball averaged 98 mph, nearly a full tick higher than his best average in any single game last season, his first as a starter. He hit 100 mph for the first time as a Giant and threw 13 pitches at 99 mph or above, three more than he had all of last season.

Hicks had more than 80 family members and friends in the seats, and that extra adrenaline certainly helped. But this is the Hicks the Giants have expected for months. President of baseball operations Buster Posey made it clear in the offseason and again at the start of camp that he viewed Hicks as a starter. Posey inherited the right-hander’s four-year contract and could have moved him back to the bullpen, especially with the depth the Giants have, but he felt good about Hicks’ offseason. General manager Zack Minasian and manager Bob Melvin did, too.

The second inning alone validated all those offseason hopes, but Hicks kept it going. He repeatedly hit 99 mph in the sixth as he reached his predetermined pitch count. 

“It’s what he did when he was closing, he’s just doing it for a longer period of time now,” Melvin said. “I think that’s one of the things he’s kind of figuring out now. It’s, go as hard as he can for as long as he can. That’s what he’s been successful doing in the past and it’s just [about making] sure you’re conditioned to pitch deeper into games.”

Hicks spent the offseason working out in San Francisco and packed on 15 pounds from the end of last season. The Giants won’t know for several months if that offseason work truly leads to more longevity for a pitcher who slammed into a wall last summer, but they’re confident that Hicks can give the rotation 150 or so innings this time around.

Hicks started with six that were spectacular, leading the Giants to a third win in four games on this trip. He said he’s right where he hoped to be at the start of the season, and he’s eager to build off Monday’s performance. 

It was a perfect return to his hometown. Well, almost perfect. 

Hicks always imagined himself pitching on this mound, he just thought it would have a different name. For more than two decades, it did. 

“I’ve never even thrown out of the bullpen here, so it was really nice to have all of the family come out and for them to experience it,” he said. “I was more excited when it was still Minute Maid Park, but now they changed to Daikin, so I guess we’ve just got to live with it. But I grew up coming here and it was special to be on the field where I used to watch all the old ball games. It was a pretty special moment.”

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What's a torpedo bat? The history of the Yankees' controversial new baseball bats originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Bronx Bombers now have torpedoes in their arsenal.

The New York Yankees officially launched the “torpedo bat” era over the weekend — with multiple players using a modified baseball bat during the team’s historic offensive onslaught in its opening series of the 2025 season.

The wood of the bat is shifted from the barrel towards the batter’s hands to create a custom sweet spot where contact is most frequently made. The reconfiguration gives the bat the shape of a torpedo — or a bowling pin, which doesn’t sound nearly as menacing or apropos.

Because the Yankees hit bombs with them.

Nine of their MLB record-tying 15 home runs hit in their first three games were used by five players using torpedo bats, including six of a franchise-record nine homers in Saturday’s 20-9 rout over the Milwaukee Brewers. 

“I think the advantage is that you’re more likely to make a reasonable contact,” Dave Savage, a physics teacher in Oregon, told NBC Local. “So…you’ve increased your chances. And then the closer you can get to dead center of that sweet spot where the bat is the largest, most massive, that is going to be your largest exchange of momentum.”

It wasn’t the first time torpedo bats were used in the major leagues, but the Yankees’ offensive outburst helped put the torpedoes on baseball’s radar.

Some social media users and baseball purists — and at least one opposing player – then returned fire, saying the bats should be outlawed.

The bats, however, are legal under MLB’s rules. And more teams are now looking to add torpedo bats to their own arsenal.

What is a torpedo bat?

Mike Stobe/Getty Images

The torpedo bat is a custom-shaped baseball bat with a modified barrel that’s tailored to maximize the contact tendencies of the batter.

Wood is shifted from the end of the barrel to a location closer to the hands, making the bat widest at the spot where the batter most often makes contact with the ball.

That reshaping and relocation of the sweet spot gives the bat the appearance of a torpedo.

Who invented the torpedo bat?

No, it wasn’t the Yankees’ assistant to the traveling secretary, George Costanza.

Much of the recent credit for the implementation of the torpedo bat has gone to Aaron Leanhardt, a former Yankees front-office staffer who is now the Miami Marlins’ field coordinator.

Leanhardt, a former physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said the idea developed in 2022 while he was working with the Yankees’ minor-league hitting department.

The 48-year-old Leanhardt, who holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in physics from MIT, previously coached baseball in the Atlantic League and at a Montana community college, per The Athletic. He became the Yankees’ major league analyst in 2024, and players within the organization soon began using torpedo bats in regular-season games.  

“Really, it’s just about making the bat as heavy and as fat as possible in the area where you’re trying to do damage on the baseball,” he told The Athletic.

YES Network play-by-play announcer Michael Kay said during Saturday’s broadcast that the Yankees’ analytics department had performed a study on shortstop Anthony Volpe showing he frequently hit the ball on the label of his bat, rather than on the barrel.

So, using Leanhardt’s design, the sweet spot of Volpe’s bat was moved from the barrel to the label.

Who makes the torpedo bat?

The Yankees requested sample models of the torpedo style from some of MLB’s 41 approved bat manufacturers, according to ESPN. The model numbers for the spec bats started with “BP” for bowling pin, a more accurate comp for the bat’s new shape.

“Torpedo sounds kind of cooler,” Leanhardt told ESPN.

Louisville Slugger said four teams have requested torpedo style bats from the company over the past 18 months.

“Teams are analyzing every single at bat by every player, then charting the part of the bat where
each player is making contact with the ball,” the company said Monday in a statement. “Based on the location of the majority of a player’s contact on the barrel, teams are asking us to shift the weight of the barrel and sweet spot to accommodate each hitter.”

What is MLB’s bat rule?

The torpedo bats do not violate MLB’s rules, which state under 3.02: “The bat shall be a smooth, round stick not more than 2.61 inches in diameter at the thickest part and not more than 42 inches in length. The bat shall be one piece of solid wood.”

It goes on to state there may be a cupped indentation up to 1 1/4 inches in depth, 2 inches wide and with at least a 1-inch diameter, and experimental models must be approved by MLB.

When was a torpedo bat first used?

Giancarlo Stanton might be remembered as the player who officially launched MLB’s first torpedo.

Multiple players, including Volpe, experimented with the torpedo bat last season. But it was Stanton who used one to hit seven home runs in 14 postseason games during the Yankees’ run to the 2024 World Series, per ESPN.

Following that success, torpedo bat models were made available to members of the Yankees during spring training.

Five members of the Yankees’ lineup adopted torpedo bats during their 2025 opening series, crushing a combined nine home runs: Jazz Chisholm Jr. (three), Volpe (two), Austin Wells (two), Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger (one), who said he experimented with a torpedo bat during batting practice last season.

Their Yankee teammate and reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge hit four home runs over the first three games of the season, but he did so with a traditional bat.

Which teams use torpedo bats?

The Yankees aren’t the only team using torpedo bats.

Ryan Jeffers of the Minnesota Twins and the Rays’ Junior Caminero and Yandy Díaz used them in Spring Training and during the opening weekend of the regular season, per ESPN. Davis Schneider of the Toronto Blue Jays uses one. MLB.com reported that members of the Baltimore Orioles have experimented with them. As did the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs in spring training, according to the New York Times.

And more torpedos are now on a collision course with the league.

Some pitchers, however, might view the use of torpedo bats in the same way batters once viewed the pitching mound being elevated.

“I think it’s terrible,” Brewers closer Trevor Megill told the New York Post after watching his team surrender 15 home runs to the Yankees. “We’ll see what the data says. I’ve never seen anything like it before. I feel like it’s something used in slow-pitch softball.

“It’s genius: Put the mass all in one spot. It might be bush (league). It might not be. But it’s the Yankees, so they’ll let it slide.”

What we learned as Hicks, Flores fuel Giants' win over Astros originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

HOUSTON — Giants starter Jordan Hicks had to wait seven seasons, 242 appearances and 29 starts to finally appear in his hometown. He pitched in 29 other ballparks before taking the mound at what is now called Daikin Park. It was worth the wait.

In front of nearly 100 family members and friends, the Houston native had the most dominant start of his MLB career, allowing just one hit over six innings and showing eye-popping velocity as the Giants cruised to a 7-2 win over the Houston Astros on Monday. San Francisco is 3-1 and will try to clinch a winning trip on Tuesday behind ace Logan Webb. 

Straight GAS from Hicks to strike out the side 🔥 pic.twitter.com/qycrECBO0i

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 1, 2025

The only hit Hicks allowed was a single by Christian Walker in the first inning, but he followed that by retiring 14 straight. Hicks was sharp for about two months last season before running out of gas. He put on 15 pounds in the offseason, and the Giants believe a big season is ahead. The early returns couldn’t have been more encouraging. 

Here are three things to know from the Giants’ third win of the 2025 MLB season: 

Lighting It Up

It would be easy to attribute Hicks’ velocity bump to the adrenaline that might have come with pitching in his hometown, but this was what the Giants would have expected Monday in any ballpark. Manager Bob Melvin said before the game that the plan for Hicks this year is to “go after it” instead of pacing himself in starts. The Giants don’t mind if he runs into a wall a bit earlier if the results are there, but on Monday they got the best of both worlds.

Hicks was so economical that he needed just 58 pitches to get through five, and despite walking a batter in the sixth, he strolled off at 72 pitches, 73 percent of which were fastballs. He had some dominant starts last April, but this was easily his best velocity as a Giant. 

Hicks averaged 98 mph with his sinker, nearly a full tick up from last season’s best of 97.1 mph, which also came in his first start of the year. He topped out at 100 mph and hit 99 mph on 13 pitches after doing it just 10 total times all of 2024. 

Small Ball

The Giants stole three bases without being caught, repeatedly taking advantage of the fact that Astros starter Ronel Blanco wasn’t holding runners at first. They had just five three-steal games all of last season, but through four games they’re definitely showing that they might finally be willing to force the issue a bit. They’re a perfect 5-for-5 so far on the bases.

It wasn’t just the steals that stood out. In the fifth, Mike Yastrzemski singled, stole second, went to third on Tyler Fitzgerald’s perfect bunt down the third base line, and scored on a sacrifice fly by LaMonte Wade Jr. It was an aggressive send by Matt Williams, but Yastrzemski got in safely with an athletic slide. 

All The Way Back

Wilmer Flores had four homers all of last season, which was cut short by knee discomfort that hampered him all year. He’s healthy once again, and he looks exactly like the player who led the lineup in 2023. 

Flores jumped on an elevated slider from Luis Contreras in the sixth and broke the game open with a soaring three-run shot into the Crawford Boxes in left. He’s tied for the league lead with eight RBI and is tied for second in the NL with three homers.

WILMER FLORES HAS DONE IT AGAIN ‼ pic.twitter.com/JLPW4cCmTx

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 1, 2025

The San Francisco-era franchise record for homers over the first four games is five (by Barry Bonds, of course), and Willie Mays twice had four in his first four games. Flores joined Evan Longoria, Brandon Belt and Kevin Mitchell, all of whom had a season with three homers in their first four games. 

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