The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic’s MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox.
The first big controversy of the year: the Yankees’ new bats. Plus: Let’s speedrun everything that happened during opening weekend, and Ken has Mets-Astros notes. I’m Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal. Welcome to The Windup!
Wait, What?: Yankees blast 9 HR in 1 game with new bats
Nobody wants to give up three home runs on the first three pitches of the game. And until this weekend, nobody had (the Diamondbacks allowed the Dodgers to do it on four pitches last year). Unfortunately for the Brewers’ Nestor Cortes Jr., it happened against the team that traded him this offseason, which adds an entire new dimension to the humiliation.
Cortes eventually gave up five homers in two innings Saturday against the Yankees, allowing eight earned runs. Then reliever Connor Thomas also allowed eight earnies in two innings of work. Seven different Yankees homered, and Aaron Judge had his third career three-homer game (including a grand slam). By the time it was over, New York had a 20-9 win on the strength of nine home runs — a franchise record (the MLB record is 10, set by the Blue Jays in 1987).
But that’s not the end of the story. As Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay explained on the broadcast, the team’s analytics department has branched out into the bat design world. They’re calling it a “torpedo” barrel, and the idea is to put more of the wood near the label to maximize contact where it happens the most. The Yankees have been using them since spring training, but any time a broadcaster draws attention to it during a nine-homer outburst … yeah, sorry — secret’s out. (Judge does not use the new bat, by the way.)
It should surprise nobody that less than a day after the homer-fest, Brendan Kuty had a full story on the MIT physicist and former Yankees staffer (and current Marlins field coordinator) Aaron Leanhardt, who was central to the invention.
So far, the bats are still legal, according to the league. My guess? Either the rest of the league will have these bats in their hands by Friday, or MLB will deem them illegal in very short order. Update: Davis Schneider of the Blue Jays has one. Oh — and Junior Caminero of the Rays. Wow, OK yeah, these are gonna be everywhere.
More torpedo bats: Brewers believe the Yankees’ bats were fair: “It ain’t the wand; it’s the magician.”
Ken’s Notebook: Cam Smith’s emotional call-up, plus more broadcast tidbits
Leftover notes from Saturday’s broadcast of Mets-Astros on Fox:
Griffin Canning: Both the Mets pitcher and former Angels teammate Patrick Sandoval attracted considerable attention as free agents. The Angels are not considered particularly advanced when it comes to pitching, so teams figured they could help both improve. The Mets beat out the Blue Jays and Guardians for Canning after the Braves non-tendered him.
Canning said the Mets aren’t trying to change him. What they want out of him is what he wants out of himself — “getting back to who I am.” That’s someone who pitches backwards, leaning on his slider and changeup.
Last season, Canning threw 37 percent four-seam fastballs. Opponents whacked his heater for a .536 slugging percentage, the approximate equivalent of José Ramírez’s season mark. On Saturday, Canning threw 52 percent sliders, more than double his rate last season, and 26 percent fastballs. His adjusted usage led to improved results, as he allowed only two runs in 5 2/3 innings.
Jose Altuve: The idea of him playing outfield is not something that sprung up suddenly. As initially reported by Sports Illustrated’s Stephanie Apstein, the Astros discussed moving Altuve off second base as far back as 2017, when Jeff Luhnow was GM.
A change in positions again was discussed after Altuve had throwing issues in the 2020 ALCS against the Rays. A year later, when Carlos Correa was a free agent, Altuve volunteered to play center field so Correa could stay at short, with Jeremy Peña, then a prospect, possibly moving to second. And Altuve also told the front office at other times he was willing to play outfield if it would help them make other moves to improve the club.
Cam Smith and his mom: Astros manager Joe Espada said it wasn’t easy convincing Smith’s mom, Stephanie Hocza, to come to the Astros’ clubhouse and personally break the news to Cam that he had made the team.
Hocza told Espada she didn’t think she had the strength to do it; didn’t think she could get the words out of her mouth. Espada told her, “Well, ma’am, this moment is built for you. You raised a great kid. Find a way to get the words out.” She did, producing one of the best moments of the young season.
Roundups: Biggest storylines from Opening Weekend
I do pay attention in spring training. But when the stats don’t count and the lineup cards are muddled with two dozen names destined for Double A, it’s more like a rehearsal than the real thing. Once the curtain lifts for Opening Day, it always takes me a weekend to get adjusted to just *how much is happening all the time* in this sport. Here are a few major plotlines from the weekend:
Padres trounce Braves: After an offseason in which the Braves loaded up for bear and the Padres looked more like they were enduring a bear market, San Diego came out of the gates swinging, sweeping the four-game series in San Diego. Elsewhere in the NL East, the Phillies are 2-1, thanks in part to an 11-strikeout team debut for starter Jesús Luzardo, but the early leader — as we all predicted — is the Marlins, who have ridden three walk-off wins to a 3-1 record.
Rays/Rockies make all sorts of history: I was already invested in Rays/Rockies, because HEY, MINOR-LEAGUE PARK, that’s gonna be fun once it gets Fully Florida Scorching. But it didn’t even take a full game for that investment to pay off: In the opener Friday, Kameron Misner became the first player to make his first career home run an Opening Day walk-off. Of course Jayson Stark has more on that. Then on Saturday, Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela allowed nine hits, struck out zero … and allowed zero runs. The last time that happened in under five innings was all the way back in 1922, according to MLB.com’s Thomas Harding.
Roki Sasaki still a “work in progress”: That’s the phrase we’ve heard about him since before he signed. After Saturday’s outing against the Tigers (1 2/3 innings, 2 runs, 3 hits, 4 walks, 2 strikeouts), Sasaki’s line after two starts looks like this: 4 2/3 innings, 3 runs, 4 hits, 9 walks, 5 strikeouts. And so far? It doesn’t matter. The Dodgers are still 5-0.
Rafael Devers adjusting to DH: It was one of the biggest storylines of the spring: After the Red Sox signed last year’s AL Gold Glove winner Alex Bregman, would they bump incumbent third baseman and face of the franchise Rafael Devers to a full-time DH role? Devers initially recoiled, saying he would not be doing that. Then he recanted, saying he would play wherever the team asked. After four games, Devers’ initial foray into DHing has not gone well. He’s 0-for-16 with two walks and 12 strikeouts.
Aging Aces update: Justin Verlander looked just fine in his Giants debut, striking out five and allowing two runs over five innings. Max Scherzer left his Blue Jays debut after three innings, with right lat soreness and inflammation in his right thumb, landing him on the 15-day IL. Meanwhile, Jacob deGrom looked sharp in his season debut, going five shutout innings while allowing two hits and two walks, striking out six.
Willson Contreras ate some tape off his bat handle: That’s the whole update.
Still undefeated/unvictorious: Yankees (3-0), Cardinals (3-0), Padres (4-0), Dodgers (5-0). Still unvictorious: Brewers (0-3), Twins (0-3), Braves (0-4), Tigers (0-3).
Handshakes and High Fives
Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson appears to have his groove back after a rough 2024. Cody Stavenhagen tells us how it happened. Speaking of Cody … I love his ability to find the whole backstory. In this case, it’s Jackson Jobe and how he honed his pitches in a barn.
He already has one of the coolest names in the sport. Now Cleveland’s Jhonkensy Noel has a chance to be the Guardians’ next big power bat.
We know Francisco Lindor is good. It’s just that in April and May with the Mets, he … hasn’t been. He’s hoping this year can be the year that all turns around.
MLB.TV hears your complaints about the Opening Day streaming failure. To make everything right, they’re asking you to buy some Fanatics gear. At a discount, at least. Problem solved, yeah?
If you have a spare million bucks, you could have spent it on this Shohei Ohtani card, but it’s too late now.
Keith Law has a new missive on potential 2025 draft picks.
Most-clicked in our last newsletter: Miguel Rojas’ response to Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s pointed comments about Marlins culture.
📫 Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic’s other newsletters.
(Top photo: Brad Penner / Imagn Images)
