Category: MLB

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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(This article was written with the assistance of Castmagic, an AI tool, and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy. Please reach out to us if you notice any mistakes.)

On the latest episode of "Baseball Bar-B-Cast," hosts Jordan Shusterman and Jake Mintz delved into the recent struggles of Roki Sasaki, the talented pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

On Saturday against the Detroit Tigers, Sasaki had a tough outing in which he managed to secure only five outs before he was pulled from the game. The hosts noted his visible frustration and possible tears in the dugout.

"[Sasaki] was awful. Worse than he looked in Japan," Mintz said. "The fastball command was abysmal. He was missing arm-side with the heater, particularly to lefties. Just couldn't figure it out. And he was clearly frazzled throughout the entire outing."

For Mintz, it boils down to one thing: "He's not ready for this right now."

The podcast discussion revolved around the Dodgers' strategy in developing Sasaki, given the high expectations for him after his move from Japan. Mintz and Shusterman debated the pros and cons of keeping him in the major leagues versus sending him to Triple-A to work on his command in a less pressurized environment. 

As Mintz put it, "The Dodgers can afford for Roki to figure this out at the big-league level. That is part of what they pitched to him. They're so talented, so deep that he can go out there and throw up stinkers and work on stuff and effectively use a big-league game as a minor-league development experience. And they can still win.

"But is that what's best for his development right now? I'm not sure."

While the Dodgers' deep and talented roster affords them the flexibility to let Sasaki to develop at the highest level, there's a valid argument to give him an opportunity to refine his skills and build confidence in Oklahoma City, away from the bright lights of L.A., which could, in turn, be more beneficial for his long-term development.

What's more, as Shusterman pointed out, the Dodgers have so many other options that their rotation is not reliant on Sasaki at this point in time.

"They did not need to fast-track Roki in this way," he said. "They didn't. Not only because they can obviously win without him, but literally they have so many other pitchers that are more than good enough to fill in his spot."

While Mintz made the argument that the only way Sasaki is going to learn to pitch in the big leagues is to continue pitching in the big leagues, Shusterman disagreed. 

"I don't know if just continuing to roll that out in the big leagues is actively helping," he said. "And I think that there is a version where five starts in Oklahoma City, in front of fewer people, against worse hitters, where he can actually work on things, will put him in a position to come back and be more prepared to succeed. But either way, he does not look like a pitcher that is being put in a position to succeed. That is the simplest way to put it."

After pitching first in the Tokyo Series and then on opening weekend at home, Sasaki could certainly use an easy outing, but his next scheduled start is against the Phillies. Pitching in a notoriously tough environment such as Philly will no doubt add an additional challenge that will further test Sasaki's resilience and adaptability.

"You could say, 'Why are you babying this guy?'" Shusterman pondered. "But he's a baby! He's not making $300 million. He's making the minimum, and he's 23. ... And yes, he is one of the most talented players to ever come from Japan, but if you don't think he's a finished product, if you clearly know that he has stuff to work on, why are we pretending like he's already your No. 2 starter? That's what I don't get that."

Keep an eye on Sasaki, as his journey will continue to be one to watch — not only because of his immense talent but also to see how the Dodgers manage his development moving forward.

To listen to the full episode and more, tune in to "Baseball-Bar-B-Cast" on Apple, Spotify or YouTube.

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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Dominic Smith is back with the Bombers.

The Yankees announced on Monday afternoon that they have re-signed the first baseman/outfielder to a minor league contract.

Smith, originally a first-round pick by the Mets, played with the Yankees this spring, putting up strong numbers in Grapefruit League action. In 13 games, Smith slashed .297/.289/.568 with three home runs and 12 RBI.

While it seemed like Smith may have a chance to make the team, he ended up exercising the opt out in his contract, hoping another club would sign him to a major league contract.

But Smith is now back with the Yankees organization, and he could be an option to be called up if the Yankees need another left-handed hitting option on the 26-man roster.

In 693 career big league games, Smith has 64 home runs and 259 RBI, posting an OPS of .716.

(This article was written with the assistance of Castmagic, an AI tool, and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy. Please reach out to us if you notice any mistakes.)

The New York Yankees captivated baseball fans over the weekend by defeating the Milwaukee Brewers with an astounding display of power, setting a single-game franchise record with nine home runs on Saturday and tying the MLB record with 15 in their first three games. But the buzz wasn’t solely about the team’s historic blast count. As highlighted by Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman in the latest episode of "Baseball Bar-B-Cast," attention quickly zoomed in on the unusually shaped bats that some Yankees players wielded — dubbed "torpedo bats."

These bats boast a distinct design with a bulbous, wider barrel reminiscent of a bowling pin, spurring many fans into debate about their legality and potential benefits. As Mintz explained, “These bats appear larger but within regulation. They redistribute weight and adjust the sweet spot, possibly aiding in better contact.”

The narrative quickly went viral, with some attributing the Yankees’ explosive performance to these torpedo bats. However, Shusterman was quick to point out the context: "Are these bats really magic, or were the Brewers’ pitchers just really bad?”

Aaron Judge, it should be noted, didn't use a torpedo bat, while teammates including Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt did. "I think my track record speaks for itself," Judge said after his own incredible, four-homer weekend at the plate.

Also, it wasn't just Yankees using these bats over the weekend. As the hosts pointed out, Francisco Lindor of the Mets, Ryan Jeffers of the Twins and Junior Caminero of the Rays all used the bats this weekend.

As Mintz said, "Even though the Yankees were getting all the hype, it does appear that this is more than just a Bronx situation."

Shusterman further speculated on whether these bats might represent a small shift away from pitching dominance in MLB. Pitchers have enjoyed a technological and tactical edge over hitters in recent years, leading to increased strikeouts and fewer balls in play. Could these uniquely designed bats help restore balance? Maybe, but both hosts advised caution.

“If a bat just helps players hit the ball more often and effectively, that’s a good thing for baseball,” Shusterman said. Yet, he added, “These aren’t turning every ball into a home run. It’s not the bat. It’s bigger than that.”

The Yankees might have ignited this latest trend, but Mintz suggested that other teams will likely experiment with such designs, if they aren't doing so already.

"It does sound like around the league this is something that other teams have already been experimenting with. But it seems like the Yankees were the first team to break through and give it a try, in terms of the players that are at the major-league level and willing to give it a shot," he said. “If the Yankees can get players to buy in to these changes, other teams won’t be far behind."

As the league moves forward, fans and analysts will be keenly watching whether these torpedo bats become a standard tool for MLB hitters or remain a quirky sidebar from the Yankees’ early season success.

To listen to the full episode and more, tune in to "Baseball-Bar-B-Cast" on Apple, Spotify or YouTube.

Braves' Jurickson Profar gets 80-game ban for PED violation originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar has been suspended for 80 games without pay for performance-enhancing drug use.

Major League Baseball announced Monday that Profar tested positive for Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG) in violation of the league’s joint drug prevention and treatment program.

The suspension of Profar is effective immediately. Barring postponed games, Profar would be eligible to return June 29 against Philadelphia and would lose $5,806,440 of his $12 million salary. He is also ineligible for the postseason.

Profar called it the “most difficult day of my baseball career” and said he would never knowingly cheat.

“This is especially painful for me because anyone who knows me and has seen me play knows I am deeply passionate about the game,” he said in a statement. “There is nothing I love more than competing with my teammates and being a fan favorite. I want to apologize to the entire Braves organization, my teammates and the fans.

“It is because of my deep love and respect for this game that I would never knowingly do anything to cheat it. I have been tested my entire career, including eight times last season alone, and have never tested positive. I would never willingly take a banned substance, but I take full responsibility and accept MLB’s decision.”

The 32-year-old Profar was an All-Star and won a Silver Slugger last season when he batted .280 and set career highs with 24 homers and 85 RBIs for San Diego. He then signed a three-year, $42 million contract with the Braves in the offseason.

Profar is the fourth player who has been suspended this year for violating the performance-enhancing substance policy, with the others coming under the minor league program and the program for minor leaguers assigned outside the United States and Canada.

Two players were suspended last year under the major league drug program.

Noelvi Marté, a 22-year-old infielder who was considered Cincinnati’s top prospect, missed the first 80 games following a positive test for boldenone.

Toronto infielder Orelvis Martínez was suspended for 80 games on June 23 following a positive test for the performance-enhancing drug clomiphene, an announcement made two days after his major league debut.

Phillies explode for 3 late homers to send 45,000 home happy in Game 1 at The Bank originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

It took two hours from first pitch, but with the weather cooperating and with just under 45,000 fans on hand for the home opener, the Phillies did not disappoint.

They trailed by a run entering the bottom of the seventh inning but again exploded vs. the opponent’s bullpen, scoring four in the seventh and two in the eighth of a 6-1 win.

Rockies starter German Marquez gained strength and confidence as the game progressed but departed after six scoreless innings with three lefties due up in the span of four batters in the seventh. Just like Opening Day, the Phillies quickly made the opposing bullpen pay.

Bryson Stott hit a lefty-on-lefty double off of Scott Alexander with two outs to bring up Brandon Marsh and manager Rob Thomson pinch-hit with Trea Turner. Turner was out of the lineup for a third straight game after feeling his back lock up pregame Saturday but he took grounders Monday afternoon and should return to the lineup Wednesday.

Though he didn’t start the home opener, Turner’s one plate appearance was extremely important, prolonging the seventh inning for Edmundo Sosa to hit a go-ahead two-run double and Kyle Schwarber to hit an absolute bomb off the ivy wall past center field.

In the eighth, Max Kepler and Nick Castellanos went back-to-back.

“It shows the depth of the lineup,” Schwarber said. “We always preach that it’s not gonna be one person, two people, three people. It takes a village to go where we need to go.”

The Phillies have hit .386 with 12 extra-base hits in 57 at-bats against relievers compared to .224 with five extra-base hits in 85 at-bats vs. starters.

“Going into my fourth year here, if we don’t score runs and we get into that bullpen, you feel like you’re one swing away,” Schwarber said.

Thomson’s enjoyed the late offense but quipped that he’d “like to get to a starter here pretty quick, getting a little anxious coming down to the end.”

Schwarber and Sosa are both off to scalding starts. Schwarber is 6-for-17 with three homers and six RBI. Sosa is 6-for-11 with three doubles and has multiple hits in each game he’s played. It certainly wasn’t ideal for Turner to miss a couple games so early, but it also afforded Sosa more at-bats than he would have otherwise received and a chance to find a groove at the plate.

“You saw it last year, too, when Trea went down,” Thomson said. “When Sosa gets a chance to get some consistent at-bats, he shows what he can do.

“He’s extremely important. You’re gonna have injuries over the course of the year and he can fill in almost anywhere. When he gets a chance to play, he plays well.”

Castellanos is also seeing the ball well. He singled and homered Monday after walking four times over the weekend in D.C., his most walks in any series as a Phillie.

The home opener was a pitchers’ duel for five innings with both Cristopher Sanchez and Marquez throwing up zeroes. The run Sanchez allowed came on a solo homer by catcher Hunter Goodman in the top of the sixth. One of Sanchez’ strengths is avoiding homers; the first he allowed last season came vs. the 111th hitter he faced.

Sanchez pitched well aside from that one at-bat and only added to the offseason hype by averaging 96.5 mph with his fastball, two full mph faster than last year. It probably won’t be a one-day fluke, either. He averaged 96.5 in the spring too after adding 20 pounds of muscle to his 6-foot-6 frame. It took him a few innings Monday to find his bread-and-butter changeup but he had it working from the third inning-on, striking out five of six batters at one point.

Jose Alvarado, who also had an electric spring, struck out the side in the eighth after the Phillies took their three-run lead. Alvarado threw 16 sinkers and they averaged 100.0 mph on the dot.

Jordan Romano pitched a scoreless ninth to rebound from a two-run outing on Opening Day.

The Phillies pick back up on Wednesday against the Rockies, who they’ve beaten in 11 of the last 12 meetings at Citizens Bank Park. Zack Wheeler will be on the mound for that one. Good luck to Bud Black’s bats.

The Yankees’ torpedo bats have been the talk of Major League Baseball over the first weekend of the season, and for good reason.

The Yankees slugged an all-time record-tying 15 home runs in their three-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers, with players like Jazz Chisholm Jr., Anthony Volpe, Cody Bellinger, and Paul Goldschmidt all going yard while using the newly designed lumber.

But with the Yankees’ early success in using these bats have come detractors, including Brewers’ reliever Trevor Megill, who called the bats “something used in slow-pitch softball.”

On Monday morning, Chisholm, who homered three times in the first three games, fired back via social media.

“Okay explanation the barrel is bigger and within mlb regulation!,” Chisholm posted on X. “For the idiots that say it’s moved to the label you’re an idiot! Nobody is trying to get jammed you just move the wood from the parts you don’t use to the parts you do! You’re welcome no more stress for y’all !”

Like many hitters in the Yankees’ lineup, Chisholm is off to a tremendous start, slashing .417/.500/1.167 through three games with three home runs and six RBI, all while using a torpedo-style bat.

The torpedo bats, designed by Aaron Leanhardt, a former member of the Yankees analytics department who now works for the Miami Marlins, take wood away from parts of the bat, like the handle, to create and elongated barrel with more mass.

The bats came into the national spotlight on Saturday, when the Yankees blasted nine home runs and put 20 runs on the board in a win over the Brewers.

As Chisholm said, the bats have been deemed legal by MLB officials, and we’ve already seen other players around the league, like Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers, using them as well.

And with all of the early success the Bombers have had at the dish, it’s fair to expect that a large number of players around baseball will at least test out using these new bats. In fact, Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic reports that "several" Baltimore Orioles players are using them, though none of the bats look "quite as jarring" as the ones Chisholm is using.

As Evan Phillips stood in front of his locker before the Dodgers’ home opener Thursday, answering questions about the team’s upcoming World Series celebration that night and the gold jersey they would wear to mark the occasion, his new neighbor in the Dodgers clubhouse interjected from one stall over.

“What’d you say to Tanner before the game?” first-year Dodgers reliever Tanner Scott, a longtime personal friend of Phillips’ in the game, implored his new teammate to share with a reporter.

Phillips laughed.

“I was surprised they gave 66 over here a little bit of gold on his jersey,” Phillips joked, referring to Scott’s uniform number — and the fact he wasn't part of the club's title-winning roster last year.

“That’s some bull, right?” Scott responded with a playful shake of his head.

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

“It’s just foreshadowing," Phillips insisted, "what’s to come for him."

Such was life for new Dodgers players this past weekend, with a group of six offseason acquisitions populating the team’s opening day roster.

All series long, they were present for the nightly pregame ceremonies honoring last year’s World Series. They wore the same gold-accented uniforms, and the same 2024 title sleeve patches, as the rest of their reigning-champion teammates.

But for them, the proceedings provided a different kind of perspective.

They weren’t in any of the scoreboard highlight reels honoring last year’s team. They didn’t have the same emotional attachment to watching a World Series banner get raised in center field. And when the team’s championship rings were presented to players and coaches Friday, they all stayed back in the dugout, serving as mere spectators while being reminded of what their previous teams failed to accomplish last season.

“There’s a lot of people in that room who enjoyed it,” manager Dave Roberts said of his clubhouse’s reaction to the weekend-long celebration. “And also, there’s new guys that didn’t partake. And I want them to want that next year.”

Read more:Nancy Bea Hefley, Dodgers organist who entertained fans for 27 years, dies at 89

So too, of course, do the new players themselves — almost all of whom offered the same reason for wanting to sign with the Dodgers this offseason.

“I went to a World Series as a rookie. Now I'm almost 10 years removed from that, and I want to go back,” veteran outfielder Michael Conforto, a member of the New York Mets’ 2015 pennant winner, said at the club’s preseason fan fest event after signing a one-year, $17-million deal in December.

“I wanted to go to a team that's going to compete. That was the first thing that I told my agent, that it has to be a team that's competitive. So I think it was a no-brainer when the Dodgers called. … We want to win games and have a chance to get a ring.”

Scott echoed similar sentiments at his introductory press conference in January, fresh off inking a four-year, $72-million contract.

“They’re not a fun team to face,” he said then, just months removed from being eliminated by the Dodgers in the playoffs as a member of the San Diego Padres. “We’re ready to win another one. And I’ll be a part of this one.”

Veteran reliever Kirby Yates, signed to a one-year, $13-million deal a week after Scott, referenced the same championship aspirations when he was introduced at Dodger Stadium for the first time.

“The older you get," said Yates, who has appeared in just one playoff game over his 11-year MLB career, "that starts being more important."

For Yates, a spectacle like this weekend’s was nothing new.

In 2022, he watched the Atlanta Braves receive their World Series rings after signing with the club in the wake of their 2021 championship. Last season, he went through it again as the newly signed closer of the Texas Rangers’ defending-title squad.

"This is my third time signing with the reigning World Series champions," he said. "I'm looking forward to finally trying to make that run and be able to pitch in the postseason."

Last year's Rangers celebration, Yates recalled this weekend, was a bittersweet experience — the 38-year-old right-hander still reeling at the time from the 104-win Braves’ division series knockout the prior October.

“I think everybody on that Atlanta team felt like we had a really good chance of winning that World Series, and it didn’t happen,” Yates said. “So watching that ring ceremony ... you’re excited for [your new team] and you’re happy for them. But on a personal level, you want your chance to win one, too.”

This weekend, however, Yates had a more auspicious feeling during the Dodgers' World Series festivities.

Here, he saw a team uniquely poised to repeat as champions; one that already had a star-studded core, then aggressively pursued additional depth and talent during a half-billion-dollar offseason spending spree.

Yates’ signing itself, after all, represented one of their most luxurious splurges — likely to effectively cost more than double its $13 million price tag when accounting for luxury tax penalties and the Dodgers’ need to cut former reliever Ryan Brasier and his $4-million salary in a corresponding move.

“The idea was to have as many good pitchers and as many good players as they possibly could have,” Yates said, “to basically help [distribute] the load for the entire season, including October.”

Having been part of two previous failed title defenses, Yates’ hope is that such roster construction will allow the Dodgers to overcome what he believes to be the biggest obstacle for any defending champion: health.

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“Playing that long into October, it takes its toll on everybody’s body,” Yates said. “But I think the difference here, and what they’ve done, is how many people they’ve added; the depth that you have to be able to make that run.”

The Dodgers, meanwhile, are hoping the hunger of their new additions will serve as a different kind of catalyst in their 2025 quest.

None of their new players — from Yates to Scott to Conforto to Blake Snell — has won a World Series. And this weekend, they had the feeling of a title dangled in front of them, getting a fleeting preview of how a long-sought championship might taste.

“I don’t think any of the new guys really need any more motivation to go out and win,” Yates said. “But watching how cool that is, watching everybody go get their rings, yeah, you definitely want your chance to be a part of that.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.