Are the New York Yankees exploiting a loophole in the system? That’s the question fans are asking after the team introduced “experimental” bats, which shifted the weight from the barrel to other parts of the bat. The revelation came during the Yankees’ dominant 20-9 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, where they hit an astonishing nine home runs.

Three of those homers came off the first three pitches of the game against former Yankee Nestor Cortes, with a fourth later in the first inning. During the broadcast, YES Network’s Michael Kay explained that the Yankees had modified bats for certain players by concentrating more wood in the label, allowing the hardest part of the bat to make contact with the ball.

“See Chisholm’s bat?” Kay said to his co-commentator. “The Yankees’ analytics team studied Anthony Volpe and found that he consistently hit balls on the label rather than the barrel. So, they had bats made where more of the wood is moved to the label, so the stronger part of the bat makes contact with the ball. It also helps you wait longer before swinging.”

Jazz Chisholm Jr.

MLB regulations allow weight distribution throughout the bat as long as the thickest part of the barrel doesn’t exceed 2.61 inches in width. Bats must be made from a single, continuous piece of wood and can’t exceed 42 inches in length. While teams can modify bats, they must receive approval from the league before they’re used in games.

Naturally, fans were highly skeptical.

“So instead of developing players who can hit with ANY bat, they’re spending money to exploit the system and hope they don’t get caught. Pathetic,” one fan commented.

Even some Yankees supporters had doubts.

“As a Yankees fan, I don’t know how this is legal,” one tweeted.

While it’s unlikely the Yankees violated any rules, and it would be clear if they had, the situation certainly raises eyebrows. You have to wonder if other teams will follow suit.