The Dodgers are off to a strong start, sweeping the Tigers with a thrilling walk-off from Mookie Betts. While Teoscar Hernández’s lineup shift paid off, Roki Sasaki struggled in his outing, raising early questions about his adaptation to MLB. Meanwhile, the Yankees have the baseball world buzzing—not just because of their explosive offense, but because of the game-changing ‘torpedo’ bats that fueled their record-breaking weekend.
Dodgers Stay Hot, Sasaki Struggles
The Dodgers capped off their sweep of the Tigers in dramatic fashion, with Betts delivering a walk-off hit that sent Dodger Stadium into a frenzy. The team’s offense clicked, and Dave Roberts’ decision to move Teoscar Hernández up in the lineup proved wise, as he delivered clutch hits throughout the series. However, not everything went smoothly for the Dodgers.
Roki Sasaki, the highly anticipated Japanese pitching sensation, had a rough outing. While he showed flashes of brilliance, his command was shaky, and he struggled to put hitters away. Sasaki is still adjusting to the major leagues, and the Dodgers remain confident that he’ll settle in, but his performance left room for improvement.
Yankees’ ‘Torpedo’ Bats Take Over Baseball
While the Dodgers celebrated, the Yankees stole headlines with their jaw-dropping offensive display. Over the weekend, they crushed 13 home runs, tying a Major League record for most in the first three games of a season. Nine of those bombs came in a single game—a stunning 20-9 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.
The secret behind this offensive explosion? The ‘torpedo’ bat, a radical new design developed by physicist-turned-baseball-analyst Aaron Leanhardt. Hired by the Yankees in 2018, Leanhardt used his expertise in physics and engineering to create a bat with a bulkier sweet spot closer to where hitters make contact. The result? A bat that looks like a torpedo and hits like one too.
Not Everyone Is On Board—Yet
Not every Yankee has adopted the new bat. Aaron Judge, one of the game’s most feared sluggers, is sticking with his traditional model, despite launching four home runs over the weekend. “What I did the past couple of seasons speaks for itself,” Judge told reporters. “Why change something if it’s working?”
Giancarlo Stanton, an early adopter of the torpedo bat last season, has faced injury setbacks and hasn’t directly blamed the new bat—but questions remain. Meanwhile, other Yankees, including Jazz Chisholm Jr., Cody Bellinger, and Paul Goldschmidt, have embraced the innovation, taking full advantage of its power potential.
What’s Next for MLB?
With the Yankees’ record-breaking start, teams across the league are paying attention. Brewers pitchers admitted they were caught off guard by the torpedo bats, and Padres star Manny Machado joked, “They should send a few over here if they’re going to be hitting homers like that.”
Baseball purists may resist the change, but analytics-driven teams will be eager to test the bat’s effectiveness. If it continues to produce at this rate, it won’t be long before other teams start making the switch.
For now, the Dodgers celebrate their early dominance, the Yankees enjoy their power surge, and the rest of baseball watches in awe. The 2025 season is off to a wild start.
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