Dave Portnoy didn’t hold back in a fiery rant about the New York Yankees’ controversial new “torpedo bats” following their overwhelming 20-9 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.
Known for his bold opinions, the Barstool Sports founder took to social media to share his thoughts, wearing a Boston Red Sox hat, as he dove into the controversy surrounding the Yankees’ latest equipment.
The Yankees made waves by using the new torpedo bats during the game, which allowed them to hit an impressive nine home runs, setting a team record.
But the MLB fanbase quickly voiced their concerns, calling the new bats into question.
Portnoy, never one to shy away from stirring the pot, shared his thoughts on why he believed the bats were a blatant attempt to cheat.
The Torpedo Bat Controversy
Portnoy explained that the Yankees’ decision to employ these new bats was the result of an MIT physicist tweaking the design.
According to Portnoy, the Yankees essentially “messed with the wood” in a way that moved the sweet spot of the bat closer to the handle, allowing hitters to still achieve home runs even if they made poor contact.
He sarcastically pointed out that the idea behind these bats was to help players like Anthony Volpe, who had struggled with getting jammed and “sawed off” on regular bats.
“How do we make him not suck? Let’s just make this bat called a torpedo bat,” Portnoy said, mocking the idea that the Yankees had created a workaround for their hitters’ struggles.
Portnoy’s Take on MLB’s Future with Torpedo Bats
Portnoy wasn’t alone in criticizing the new bats. He claimed that, while the torpedo bats might be seen as cheating, it was only a matter of time before every MLB team would adopt them, turning the sport into a home run derby with high-scoring games.
He argued that the bats would completely change the nature of the game, making it all about contact and power, even for players who otherwise struggled.
“Should it be legal? No. Is it cheating? Yeah, it is,” Portnoy stated.
He also added that using the new bats made it easier for players to hit home runs, even if they weren’t performing well in other aspects of their game.
“That just makes someone who stinks better,” he quipped.
According to Portnoy, the change was the result of “some geek from MIT ruining 100 years of baseball.”
He warned that if MLB didn’t step in and outlaw the torpedo bats, every team would soon be using them, and the sport would change forever.
Brewers Pitcher Trevor Megill Also Voices Concern
Portnoy wasn’t the only one expressing frustration. Brewers pitcher Trevor Megill also criticized the torpedo bats after the game.
He described them as “terrible” and said he’d never seen anything like them in his career.
He compared the design to something used in slow-pitch softball, suggesting that the bats seemed more suited for a casual game than the professional sport of baseball.
Despite his concerns, Megill admitted that the idea of concentrating the mass in one spot could be “genius,” though he ultimately called it “bush league” and a move that could only be overlooked by the Yankees.
As the debate over the torpedo bats continues to grow, it seems likely that this controversy will be far from over.
Whether or not MLB takes action to regulate or ban these new bats remains to be seen, but for now, it’s clear that the Yankees’ latest innovation has stirred up a lot of emotions within the baseball community.