The Yankees kicked off the 2025 season like they were shot out of a cannon. Scratch that—more like they brought the cannon and started launching baseballs into orbit like it was their full-time job. And honestly? It was glorious.
From the jump, Yankee bats weren’t just hot—they were volcanic. I lost count of the home runs somewhere between my third slice of pizza and the fifth souvenir ball flying into the seats. It was a festival of dingers, and nobody was enjoying it more than... Russell Wilson? I loved what Wilson tweeted a few weeks back.
By the way, Wilson is now fully living his best New York sports life being with the football Giants. He took to Twitter during the homer-fest and posted:
“So sweet! The Great Bambino is smiling!”
Now that is elite-level fan energy. Wilson is out here referencing Babe Ruth like he’s quoting scripture. The man is in it. And honestly? Same. The Bambino might actually be smiling, somewhere up in baseball heaven, puffing a cigar and watching Aaron Judge go full Paul Bunyan with the bat.
Because let’s talk about Judge for a second. The guy isn’t playing baseball; he’s putting on a power-hitting clinic. Six home runs in his first seven games—including a grand slam—because when you’re Aaron Judge, you don’t “go deep,” you go galactic.
And he’s doing it his way.
While some Yankees players have been experimenting with the so-called "torpedo bats" (which sound more like something out of Star Wars than the MLB rulebook), Judge wants no part of that.
“I’m not hopping on the bat trend,” he said, casually after launching another moonshot.
And to drive the point home—literally—he went out the next day and crushed another homer in his very first at-bat. Four homers in the Yankees’ first three games. No Yankee has ever done that before. Not even Ruth. Not even Reggie. Not even Alfonso Soriano in his "I’ll hit the first pitch I see into the East River" days. I kid, I kid.
The numbers are absurd. Judge is batting .379 with six home runs and 17 RBIs through just seven games. This after putting up a ridiculous .322 average with 58 homers and 144 RBIs last season, on his way to winning his second AL MVP in three years.
At this point, Judge isn’t chasing Ruth—he’s walking right alongside him. Fun fact: both hit 321 home runs in their first 1,000 games with the Yankees. That’s not a stat, that’s folklore. Judge is becoming a living legend, and if you’re watching this era of Yankee baseball, you are witnessing something genuinely special.
If you know me, you know how much I LOVED being a part of this series on Babe Ruth and the Called Shot. Check it out! https://t.co/qMVX2Mn88P
— Brian Brenberg (@BrianBrenberg) April 3, 2025
Speaking of Ruth, there’s a must-watch FOX documentary out now about The Called Shot and it is hosted by one of our favorite BYB contributors, Mike O'Hara!
Apparently, Babe Ruth calling his shot has been debated since the 1932 World Series when Babe Ruth (supposedly) pointed to the stands before blasting a home run off the Cubs. It’s baseball’s version of Bigfoot, but with pinstripes and hot dogs.
I caught David Wells talking about it during one of the shows on FOX—still one of the most entertaining voices in the game—and he swears Ruth did it. “No doubt in my mind,” he said.
Technically? Ruth was probably pointing at the Cubs dugout with some good ol’ fashioned Bronx attitude, not the bleachers. But who cares? Bill Dickey, Ruth’s teammate, once told the Washington Post:
“So we just made an agreement not to bother straightening out the facts.”
Translation: the truth is boring. The myth is better.
Back in 1992, the Babe Ruth Museum asked fans if they believed in the Called Shot. 85% said yes. That tells you everything you need to know about baseball fans—we’re romantics with great taste in legends.
For what it’s worth, I don’t think Ruth literally called his shot. I think he taunted, then obliterated. But hey, semantics. Ball left the park either way.
Fast forward to 2025, and while Babe Ruth may be a myth, Aaron Judge is pure reality.
Now let’s clear up two things:
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Torpedo bats? Fake news. Despite what Dave Portnoy might be yelling from a rooftop somewhere, Judge isn’t using anything fishy.
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Judge’s power? 100% certified real.
“What I’ve done the past couple of seasons speaks for itself,” Judge told MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch.
And he's right. What he's doing is absurd. He's already rewriting the history books—and he’s doing it while carrying the most legendary franchise in sports. The Yankees are launching bombs like it’s 1927 all over again, and Judge is the one swinging the sledgehammer.
Yes, the pitching needs some work (and yes, I’d like to see someone other than Anthony Volpe field a routine grounder cleanly). But when this offense is clicking, it's like watching The Avengers assemble every night—with Aaron Judge playing the role of Thor, hammer and all.
So, here's to Yankee bombs, Babe Ruth smiles, and Russell Wilson fully leaning into his inner baseball nerd. It’s all just... fun. And in a sport built on drama, nostalgia, and raw power, fun is the secret sauce.
Now if we could just get a little better defense and a manager who doesn’t treat the bullpen like a game of spin-the-bottle, we’d be set.
But hey, Ruth didn’t need perfection. He just needed a bat—and a little belief.
So do we.
