'I caught Anthony Volpe's torpedo bat in the stands - but Yankees wouldn't let me keep it'

Baseball fans may go an entire lifetime without ever catching a foul ball or home run at a game.

The odds of getting your hands on a bat, meanwhile, are slim to none.

Yet lifelong Yankees fan Kevin Girardi seemingly hit the jackpot on Sunday after not only acquiring an authentic MLB used bat, but the torpedo bat - a piece of equipment thats taken on a life of its own this season.

While leading off in the bottom of the second during New Yorks 5-4 loss to the San Francisco Giants , Anthony Volpe - one of several Yankees currently using the torpedo bat - swung out of his shoes at an 86 mph changeup from pitcher Logan Webb .

The star shortstop lost hold of his bat on the follow-through, sending the torpedo rocketing through the air and into the stands along the third base line.

In a matter of moments, the bat narrowly sailed over the protective netting and landed in the waiting arms of Girardi.

It didnt take long for the Madison, Connecticut native to realize what fell into his lap.

I kind of blacked out when it got real close to me but somehow ended up in my hands.

And then I just remember the first thing going through my head is, it's a torpedo, Girardi exclusively told Mirror U.S.

Sports .

Any other bat flying into the stands is still pretty cool, but this is the one bat that people have talked about.

Over the last several weeks, the torpedo bats have become a topic of discussion amongst fans, pundits and players.

Following the Yankees historic season-opening homestand - during which the Bronx Bombers tied the AL/NL record with 15 home runs in their first three games to begin a campaign - the bats have spread rampant across the league and are completely legal according to the rulebook .

Volpes torpedo bat, in particular, features more wood around the label of his bat rather than on the barrel - an adjustment that was made once the Yankees analytics department discovered that he hits more balls closer to his hands.

As Volpes bat came shooting towards him at an alarming speed, Girardi quickly understood where the torpedo - the brainchild of Aaron Leanhardt , a former MIT physicist - gets its name.

You see the torpedo flying in end over end, and the first thing you're thinking is, oh, somebody may get hit by that, he said.

I'm just glad nobody got hurt.

There were kids in the section right by me.

Unfortunately for Girardi, it wouldn't be long before hed have to part ways with the in-game souvenir.

Upon making a call down to the bullpen, security members informed him that Volpe would like back his bat, which emerged unscathed from its brief flight.

Girardi didnt leave Yankee Stadium empty-handed, however, as he got to meet Volpe outside of the clubhouse an hour after the game and receive a replacement signed bat in exchange for the torpedo.

Obviously, I thought about trying to keep it as a cool souvenir, but at the end of the day, I didn't want to mess with any of Volpe's hot start, he said.

They said Volpe will come say hi to you after the game, give you a replacement one.

So I said, That sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

Let him get his bat back, hopefully get hot again and keep the Yankees rolling.

He's a great guy for taking the time after the game, came and said hi to me and my family, Girardi added of Volpe, who finished Sundays game 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.

It wasn't his best day at the plate, so I think that takes a lot of character for him to still take the extra minute after the game and come sign a bat for me, which he really didn't have to do.

Though Girardi wouldve loved to keep the torpedo bat for himself, he understands why Volpe wanted it returned to him.

I know the Yankees got to keep their secrets locked up there, he joked.

They don't want any torpedoes out in the free market..

This article has been shared from the original article on themirror, here is the link to the original article:

https://www.themirror.com/sport/baseball/yankees-fan-anthony-volpe-bat-1094536