ESPN recently spoke to Bobby Hillerich, vice president of production at Hillerich & Bradsby which makes Louisville Slugger bats, about the surge of torpedo bats this season. He admitted that all 30 MLB teams had requested the bats by the middle of this week, after the Yankees' nine home run game last Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers.

MIT physicist Aaron Leanhardt has been credited with creating the torpedo bats. Leanhardt previously served as a hitting analyst with the Yankees before he joined the Miami Marlins as a field coordinator in the offseason.

Torpedo bats drew attention over the weekend when the New York Yankees hit a team-record nine homers in one game.

Baseball bat manufacturers had little evidence to suggest a spike in sales was just around the corner when Major League Baseball’s newest season opened last week.

ARLINGTON - Joc Pederson became the first Ranger to deploy a torpedo bat. Result: Initial failure to launch. Pederson, a self-described bat lover, got a few bats on Friday from the Sam Bat and Tucci companies, gave them a whirl in batting practice and took it into the game against Tampa Bay.

About one week into the MLB season and all anyone wants to talk about is the 'Torpedo Bat.' Here's a look at what it is and how it's made.

The new bats caused excitement when New York Yankees hitters clobbered home runs with them opening weekend, and that has some Portland players eager to give the torpedo bat some swings.

Now back to the torpedo bat. It's designed so that the wider part of the bat IS the sweet spot. Since it’s wider, it's easier to hit the ball. Since that part is the sweet spot, it gives the ball a higher speed. Higher speed means the ball will travel farther. Adios pelota!