Watch: Yankees Slugger Aaron Judge Doesn’t Need Torpedo Bat to Hit Home Run

The New York Yankees’ new bats may be the talk of baseball, but at least one superstar doesn’t need them.

Matthew Postins | Mar 30, 2025

Mar 29, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) hits a solo home run in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

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New York Yankees

The New York Yankees had an incredible offensive day on Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers. So did slugger Aaron Judge.

While the Yankees slammed nine home runs in a 20-9 victory, Judge hit three of them. By the end of the game, he was 4-for-6 with eight RBI and four runs scored. The three home runs he hit were his first three home runs of the season.

He needed just one at-bat on Sunday to get his fourth home run of the season.

Facing Milwaukee starter Aaron Civale, Judge came up in the bottom of the first inning and slammed a two-run home run that helped give New York a 2-1 lead in the final game of the series in the Bronx.

AARON JUDGE SMASHES A 2-RUN BLAST! 🚀#YANKSonYES pic.twitter.com/q81q5u6f8M
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) March 30, 2025

The Yankees became the talk of the game on Sunday after that enormous performance against the Brewers. The nine home runs were a franchise record. But, several of the Yankees also used “torpedo” bats. Per MLB.com, the significant change is that the barrel rests in a non-traditional location, closer to the hitter’s hands.

Yankees hitters like Jazz Chisholm, Cody Bellinger and Anthony Vople were all using the bats during that game.

But Judge wasn’t. He continues to use the same bat model he’s used for years. Why? He was asked that before Sunday’s game.

"What I did the past couple of seasons speaks for itself. Why try to change something if you have something that’s working?” per The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner on X (formerly Twitter).

The bats being used are perfectly legal. But it’s safe to say what the 32-year-old slugger is doing with his traditional bat is working.

After his outburst on Saturday, he was slugging .545/.545/1.818 for the season and had driven in 11 runs.

He also has a track record that Bellinger, Chisholm and Volpe can’t match.

He’s a two-time American League MVP, a six-time AL All-Star, a four-time AL Silver Slugger and was named AL rookie of the year when he debuted in 2016. He’s also been named the Major League player of the year and won the Roberto Clemente Award for his work off the field.

For his career, he has slashed .288/.406/.607 with 318 home runs and 725 RBI. He holds the AL record for most home runs in a season with 62, set in 2022. His career slugging percentage of .607 currently leads MLB all-time, per baseball-reference.com.

Perhaps the takeaway here is that some hitters are so good they transcend the equipment they use.

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