APRIL 3, 2025 | SPORTS | By Miles Katzen (Staff Writer)
Last Thursday, March 27, was opening day for Major League Baseball. Fans worldwide were glued to their TVs as all 30 teams began their first of 162 games. Though the season has just begun, major narratives have begun, and the stage has been set for the next six months of regular season baseball.
Last year’s World Series teams, the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, both got off to hot starts, winning all three games of their season-opening series against the Milwaukee Brewers and the Detroit Tigers, respectively.
The Dodgers kicked off the MLB season with two showcase games in Tokyo on March 18 and 19 against the Chicago Cubs before the regular season had begun, winning both games and adding three more wins to start the season 5-0. Powered by offseason additions of Japanese ace Roki Sasaki and two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, as well as returning superstars Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts, the Dodgers have looked the part of World Series favorites in the early runnings of the season.
Perhaps the most interesting series of the weekend, though, was the Yankees hosting the Brewers in the Bronx, NY. The Yankees would take all three games 4-2, 20-9 and 12-3 – hitting 15 home runs along the way and tying an all-time MLB record for home runs in the first three games of a season. Two days later in a 7-5 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, they set the record for home runs in the first four games of the season with a total of 18.
This level of offense is unprecedented, especially for a team that just lost star right fielder Juan Soto to crosstown rival, the New York Mets. Fans quickly noticed something different about the Yankees in the first series of the year – their bats. Four of the Yankees’ nine starters used bats that looked peculiar to many fans. Called “torpedo” bats, these bats shift much of the weight towards the bat’s handle, resulting in a strange bowling-pin-like appearance.
The new bats, combined with the massive offensive showing, led to an outpouring of criticism from fans, claiming the new bats provided an unfair advantage to the Yankees’ hitters. The league was quick to respond, clarifying that the bats were, in fact, legal. They had existed for multiple years, but had never been widely adopted. Players around the league have been using them, but the Yankees’ use brought them to the forefront of MLB fans’ minds.
One of the two other remaining undefeated teams in MLB is the San Diego Padres. They hosted the Braves in a four-game set, taking two of the four games by a one-run margin and winning the other two handily. The Braves have been one of the best teams in MLB, so this sweep by the Padres is significant for a team that may present the greatest threat to the Dodgers in the National League.
The Padres are somewhat handcuffed financially following the death of their owner and subsequent legal disputes about financial control of the team. Starter Nick Pivetta represented their only major addition over the offseason, but their core of position players Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr., alongside pitchers Dylan Cease and Michael King, look to compete as one of MLB’s best teams.
Around the league, the Philadelphia Phillies and Miami Marlins (both 3-1) sit atop a stacked National League East division, with the Mets and Braves looking to rebound. The National League Central is led by the St. Louis Cardinals (3-0) in what looks to be a hotly contested division between them, the Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs, and Cincinnati Reds. The Dodgers (5-0) lead the National League West with the Padres (4-0) hot on their heels. The Yankees currently lead the American League East (3-0), though the Red Sox and Orioles look to challenge them for the division again this year. The Cleveland Guardians (2-1) lead the American League Central, and the American League West is led by the Texas Rangers (3-1).