Torpedo Bats

[Doom]

Everyone is complaining that the Yankees are using a new kind of bat, and "they got 15 home runs in the first three games'".

Do these people know that the Yankees are not the first team to adopt the torpedo bat? The first team to use it was the 2024 Chicago Cubs, a team that finished just barely over .500 (albeit they are the only Chicago sports team to finish with a winning record that year), and several other teams have adopted the same bat, and none of have gotten this "15 home runs in three games" performance. It is almost as if any new sports technology is effective in the hands of someone who is already a good athlete, to begin with and cannot make a mediocre athlete good.

If Major League Baseball determines that the torpedo bat is bad for the game. they will be banned. Until then, nothing is preventing any team that thinks the Yankees have an unfair advantage from adopting the new bat. If the game becomes just a home run derby with no defense, this will get old soon.

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

The Yankees are evil, but this is not evidence of it.

[anawim]

I don't really follow sports, but if they really are more effective, and everyone uses them, then an astrisk should be used for stats form now on. If they have no particular advantage, then it's a non-starter.

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

Bats have changed repeatedly over the years. The wood used has changed; it used to be hickory, then ash, and now they're mostly maple. The size and shape has changed too.

[peregrinator]

Yes - no one was required to use a 42-ounce bat to break Babe Ruth's HR records

[Doom]

By that logic, all stats and all records should have an asterisk.

Some eras in baseball history are known for really strong pitching. Should, say, Bob Gibson, have an asterisk in the Hall of Fame saying "Sure he did well, but this was in an era where pitchers dominated, so it is less impressive."


Today, a pitcher might pitch for as much as 25-30 games a season. In the early days, pitchers such as Cy Young pitched almost every single game the entire season. Cy Young won 511 games and pitched 815 complete games. Today, a pitcher is considered worthy of the Hall of Fame if he wins 300 games.

Do you know why pitchers today don't pitch as often as they did 100 years ago? Because pitchers today have a more rigorous training program, they do strength training and other things to improve their pitching arm, so they need more rest. Should today's pitchers all have an asterisk because guys like Walter Johnson or Cy Young didn't have the benefit of the rigorous training regimen of modern pitchers?

Or how about batters, Babe Ruth was out of shape compared to today's baseball players, and yet he hit 714 home runs. Should Hank Aaron's 755 home runs have an asterisk "Sure, but he worked out, Babe Ruth didn't"?

[peregrinator]

Actually pitchers don't pitch enough, that is why they're getting injured