Chisholm's Power Surge and Historic Bats Lead Yankees to Sweep Over Brewers

Jazz Chisholm Jr. celebrated his second home run of the game in the seventh inning with a raised bat and a confident stance, savoring the moment as he helped cap off a historic weekend for the Yankees. With the power of their new “Torpedo” bats, Chisholm and his teammates are hitting home runs at a record-breaking rate. The Bombers launched four more homers on Sunday, leading to a 12-3 victory over the Brewers and completing a three-game sweep at Yankee Stadium.

“I love my bat, you know what I mean?” said Chisholm, who hit a two-run shot in the third and a three-run blast in the seventh. “I think you can tell; it’s working pretty well for me.”

Aaron Judge kept his hot streak going, hitting a first-inning homer off right-hander Aaron Civale. Judge became the first player in franchise history to hit four home runs in the team’s first three games. The only player with more home runs in a team’s first three games is Adrian González, who hit five for the Dodgers in 2015. 

Tired of facing Judge, the Brewers walked him in each of his next three plate appearances. Twice, Chisholm capitalized on the opportunities, hitting two more home runs. 

“Seeing people pitch around him just to face me, it gets me a little hyped up,” said Chisholm, who now has six career multi-homer games, three of which have come since being acquired by the Yankees last July.

Ben Rice also homered for the Yankees, marking his first of the season. With two homers on Opening Day and a franchise-record nine on Saturday, the Yankees’ 15 home runs through the first three games tied the 2006 Tigers for the most by a team in that span.

“It’s just a lot of good at-bats, guys staying aggressive in their zones,” said Judge. “Besides the home runs, I’ve been seeing a lot of good at-bats. Getting guys over, some good sac flies, some good situational hitting. It’s a lot of stuff that helps you win ballgames.”

Yankees manager Aaron Boone added, “Most of the guys are in a pretty good place with their swings. They’ve done a really good job of executing the game plan and taking tough at-bats. You’re not always going to have days like this, obviously, but I like the approach and the frame of mind every day.”

Marcus Stroman pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing three runs before turning the game over to the bullpen, which limited the Brewers to just one hit the rest of the way. But the day and the series were defined by the Yankees' potent offense, which has scored 36 runs in the first three games of the season. This marks just the third time in Major League history that a team has scored that many in its first three games, joining the 1954 Cubs (41) and 1978 Brewers (40).

“I think we’re all in awe, watching the balls fly out of the stadium at the rate they currently are,” said Stroman. “You see the potential of this group of guys. It’s incredible, one through nine; even the guys on the bench. When we’re hot and we’re clicking, it shows you how truly special we can be.”

Of the Yankees’ four homers on Sunday, only Chisholm used a “Torpedo” bat, a unique model that shifts the barrel a few inches closer to the hands. Chisholm was intrigued when he saw teammates Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells using the bat during Spring Training. After borrowing Volpe’s bat and belting a double and a homer, Chisholm became a believer in its effectiveness.

“You probably don’t have more [barrels] to work with, but it feels like it,” Chisholm said. “It gives you that extra confidence in your head to be able to go out there and hit anything.”

Chisholm’s stellar performance has also strengthened his belief in the Yankees’ potential for the upcoming season. 

“We fire torpedoes all around, you feel me?” said Chisholm. “We hit the ball around the park, we play defense, we’ve got speed. We do it all over. Here, it’s about scoring runs and winning games. Our goal, obviously it’s not a realistic goal, but it’s to win 162 [games]. You go out there to win every game, so that’s our mindset.”