Baseball

White Sox phenom Eloy Jimenez says he's downright afraid to return to the Dominican Republic after David Ortiz's shooting Sunday ... telling reporters, "Now, you cannot trust nobody there."

Eloy -- Chicago's star who grew up in the D.R. -- told a group of reporters at his locker Tuesday he couldn't believe it when he heard Big Papi was shot in the back in his home country.

In fact, Eloy says he's legitimately worried to return home now, saying, "When you see one of the best players -- one of the best Dominicans we had -- get shot like that, it's scary for everybody right now."

22-year-old Jimenez says he's grateful Ortiz survived the shooting ... and says the Red Sox legend has done a TON for kids growing up in the D.R.

"He does a lot for Dominicans," Eloy says ... "He represents a lot. And, for me, it's so sad."

The New York Yankees contract that paid Mickey Mantle a shockingly low amount of money back in 1957 can be all yours ... if you've got a big pile of cash to buy it!!!

TMZ Sports has learned the deal that Mantle himself signed back in '57 is hitting the SCP Auctions block -- and is expected to fetch over $40,000.

It's interesting ... because Mantle -- who had just hit for the Triple Crown in 1956 with 52 home runs, 130 RBI and a .353 batting average (it was one of the greatest offensive seasons ever) -- was only scheduled to make $60k.

If that seems staggeringly low ... it's 'cause it is -- for a similar season in 2014, Giancarlo Stanton inked a 13-year, $325 MILLION deal ($25 mil a year)!!!

Of course, the Yanks got much more than they bargained for after Mantle signed on the dotted line ... he went on to win the MVP for a second consecutive season in 1957.

As for the contract itself, it's an awesome piece of history ... it's got The Mick's signature AND Hall of Famer Lee MacPhail's on it as well.

Bidding closes in two weeks ... good luck!!!

Deadpool, Batman, Spider-Man and Jesus all walk onto a plane ...

No, this ain't the start of the next 'Avengers' movie ... it's the Pittsburgh Pirates' epic costume party on Thursday!!!

The Buccos beat the snot out of the Braves in Pittsburgh in the morning ... and to celebrate -- they threw on their best outfits and hit the airport for their road trip to Milwaukee.

The guys really went all out ... MVP candidate Josh Bell made a hell of a Batman, shortstop Cole Tucker really loved his Frozone costume -- and pitcher Richard Rodriguez dressed up as Jesus.

A bunch of the starting pitchers -- including ace Chris Archer -- went with Ninja Turtles ... and catcher Elias Diaz was a stunning plus-sized Power Ranger.

The winner of the day (besides the Pirates, who are now just 4 games back of the Cubs in the NL Central) ... outfielder Gregory Polanco -- who had an Avatar costume complete with a tail!!!!

In a crazy turn of events, Tom Brady says he hates the "Tom Terrific" nickname ... and only filed for the trademark to preemptively block people from using Tom Seaver's signature moniker to praise him.

In other words, TB12 wants everyone freaking out over him filing to lock the trademark to CHILL OUT ... 'cause he's never gonna use it and he wasn't trying to erase Seaver from existence.

The Patriots superstar explained his reasoning with reporters on Thursday ... saying he did it to prevent exactly what ended up happening.

“It’s unfortunate. I was actually trying to do something because I didn’t like the nickname and I wanted to make sure no one used it because some people wanted to use it," Brady said.

"I was trying to keep people from using it, and then it got spun around into something different than what it was. Good lesson learned, and I’ll try to do things a little different in the future.”

Of course, fans went nuts when the news broke earlier this week ... thinking TB12 was trying to steal the nickname Seaver made famous back when he was pitching for the Mets in the '60s and '70s.

In fact, politicians from both sides of the aisle --Rep. Peter King [R] and Rep. Tom Suozzi [D] -- came together earlier this week to condemn Brady for the move.

But Brady explained, "I don’t like the nickname. I don’t like when people probably give me many nice compliments, certainly that. It wasn’t spmething I was trying to do out of any disrespect or ill-manner or anything like that.”

MLB hitters now have something interesting to look at while Mike Clevinger is pumping fastballs their way -- a sick tat of Jimi Hendrix's face on the stud pitcher's finger!

The Cleveland Indians superstar just got Hendrix's mug inked on his left hand's pointer finger Tuesday ... and the art is pretty awesome.

It's an image of Hendrix's stoic face ... and it's placed so strategically -- it pops out of Mike's glove when he's on the mound!!

Clevinger has yet to say why he got the piece done, but he did post Hendrix's famous "If 6 Was 9" lyrics with photos of the ink, saying, "let me live my life the way I want to."

Of course, batters will have to wait a few more weeks to get an up-close look at the tat ... Clevinger's still a month or so away from returning from a back injury.

"The best way to describe Joe DiMaggio is ... he was a penis with a man hanging from it."

That's Pete Rose talking about his encounter with a real-life one-eyed monster ... Joltin' Joe's tremendous dong.

Rose was on 'Mike's On' with Mike Francesa when he was asked about his friendship with the Yankees legend ... and that's when Rose talked about the time he saw Joe's shlong.

Basically, Pete says he and Joe went to Vietnam to visit U.S. military personnel back in the day and they were based in a part of the jungle where there was no real plumbing.

So, when Joe decided he needed a rinse, he needed Pete to load up a fresh bucket of water into a makeshift mobile shower to help Joe get the job done.

That's when Pete says he saw it ... a wiener so big, he still remembers it to this day.

In fact, Pete says Joe's baby-maker was so massive, the guy needed THREE shower shoes -- 2 for his feet and one to keep his man junk from touching the floor.

Pete Rose is NOT the best player missing from baseball's Hall of Fame ... so says The Hit King himself, who tells TMZ Sports a Chicago White Sox legend is!!

"Joe Jackson," Rose says.

Pete made the revelation to us out in NYC on Tuesday morning -- surprisingly not saying his own name. So, we had to ask ... why?

"Well," Rose responded ... "Do you know who he is?!"

For those unfamiliar, Shoeless was a stud outfielder back in the early 1900s ... batting a career .356 while helping the Sox win the 1917 World Series.

Of course, Jackson famously was involved in the Black Sox Scandal -- where Chicago players allegedly accepted money to throw the 1919 World Series -- and he's been banned from the Hall ever since.

Tony La Russa says the Red Sox had a good visit to Donald Trump's White House last month ... telling TMZ Sports they made the trip to show support for their country.

"The flag, anthem, White House," La Russa says ... "Anything that represents our government, we support."

Of course, some of Boston's biggest names decided not to go to 1600 Penn Ave. for political reasons ... guys like Mookie Betts and David Price, as well as manager Alex Cora, skipped it.

But, La Russa -- who's now the Sox's vice president -- says the guys that did go enjoyed it, saying, "Anything that represents the United States is a good experience."

Kyler Murray congratulated the guys who had their names called in the MLB Draft by posting a pic of himself in an Oakland Athletics uniform .... and killed all the fun by clarifying he's not playing baseball.

The A's drafted Murray with the 9th overall pick in the 2018 draft ... but after winning the Heisman and going to the Arizona Cardinals with the top pick in the NFL Draft, he decided to put baseball on hold.

Murray posted the pic Monday night in his A's threads ... but made it clear he's not having second thoughts on choosing the NFL.

It's probably a smart decision financially, considering he inked a $35 million deal with the Cards ... but there were people like Joe Theismann who said he shoulda stayed on the diamond.

"Congrats to everyone who got drafted today! #JustAPic #History #NoNeedForTheSpeculation #AllLuv," Murray said.

Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias just caught a major break in his domestic violence case -- 'cause he won't be prosecuted if he takes care of some business.

The L.A. City Attorney's Office tells TMZ Sports ... Urias will NOT be charged with domestic violence, but only if he completes certain requirements first. We're told he needs to participate in an informal hearing before the City Attorney, which brings in both parties to talk things out.

Urias also must not commit any acts of violence against anyone, while also being required to complete a 52-week DV counseling program in person. If Urias doesn't keep his nose clean for a year, the City Attorney's Office reserves the right to prosecute him on this case.

As we reported ... Urias was arrested last month in L.A. after witnesses saw him getting into an argument with a woman, allegedly shoving her around. When cops arrived, the woman denied anything physical had taken place.

Some boycotted, others didn't -- so, how did the Boston Red Sox players get along AFTER that controversial May 9 trip to Trump's White House?

... according to star outfielder J.D. Martinez, everyone handled it VERY well and haven't let politics destroy their clubhouse.

Remember, Martinez DID go to 1600 Penn a few weeks ago -- despite stars like David Price, Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr. and manager Alex Cora opting to stay away to protest POTUS.

Martinez says the trip was "amazing" -- and claimed Donald gave the squad an "awesome" private tour of the Lincoln Bedroom, just as he promised.

The Sox won 3 out of their next 4 games after the White House visit -- and Trump took some credit for the hot streak.

But, things have cooled off ... Boston's 10-8 since the D.C. trip.

Red Sox stud Michael Chavis is worried for the Cubs star who hit a child with a foul ball earlier this week ... telling TMZ Sports his ex-teammate was messed up for WEEKS after doing the same thing.

As we previously reported ... Chicago utility man Albert Almora Jr. hit a screaming line drive into foul territory in a game earlier this week -- and the ball connected squarely with a 4-year-old girl.

Almora Jr. was visibly upset -- even crying into his baseball mitt ... and when we got Chavis out in NYC on Friday before the Red Sox took on the Yanks -- he said he's concerned for Albert's immediate future.

And, why? Chavis says he had a minor league teammate who ripped a foul ball into a fan a few years ago in similar fashion ... and the guy took a while to recover from it.

"Honestly, for the next couple weeks, he was kind of like flustered," Chavis tells us ... "Scared to pull the ball and stuff like that."

Almora Jr. hasn't played in a game since the incident Wednesday night ... but there's hope he won't be bothered by the accident -- after all, the little girl he hit is reportedly doing fine.

As for Chavis ... he also spoke with us about how pumped he is for his first-ever trip to new Yankees Stadium.

Dennis Eckersley -- one of the greatest MLB closers EVER -- says baseball HAS to extend the netting around its stadiums ... or else more fans are going to get seriously hurt.

Of course, one young fan at a Houston Astros game Wednesday night nearly suffered that fate after getting struck by a line drive ... but it appears the child is going to be OKAY.

Eckersley clearly feels that's way too close for comfort either way ... and now he's calling for ALL major league squads to extend the netting in their stadiums from foul pole to foul pole.

"It looks ugly," Eckersley told us out in NYC on Thursday afternoon ... "but ya gotta do it."

For their part, the MLB says it's considering all options ... telling TMZ Sports in a statement Thursday morning, "Clubs have significantly expanded netting and their inventory of protected seats in recent years."

Reggie Jackson says Bill Buckner was not only a great guy, but a great baseball player -- and it sucks he had to spend years dealing with the blowback from that infamous World Series error.

Reggie and Bill played during the same era in the '70s and '80s and you can tell by the clip, Reggie really liked the guy.

Of course, Bill passed away Monday after a battle with dementia. He was 69.

But, Reggie says he feels terrible that Bill had to deal with such a ridiculous amount of harassment after letting that ground ball go through his legs in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series.

The error haunted the former Red Sox star for the rest of his career -- and the rest of his life -- and things got so bad, he eventually moved out of Massachusetts to get away from the constant torment.

Reggie tells us ... he wishes people would celebrate the rest of Buckner's career -- because he ultimately finished with close to 3,000 hits (the official number is 2,715).

"Just a great human being, super guy," Jackson tells us ... "Sorry really what happened with him in his career. It's a shame that he's marked for that."

Major League Baseball says the injury to the little girl struck by a foul ball at the Houston Astros game is "extremely upsetting" ... and insists the league is focused on finding more ways to protect the fans.

The little girl was in the stands at Minute Maid Park in Houston when Cubs star Albert Almora Jr. ripped a line drive foul ball down the 3rd baseline that struck the child directly.

The girl was rushed to a nearby hospital where she was treated for injuries -- but she's reportedly doing okay.

Almora Jr. was visibly shaken after the incident and appeared to be crying. He was consoled by his teammates and later vowed to get in touch with the girl's family to offer his prayers and any other assistance he could provide.

Now, the MLB is also weighing in ... telling TMZ Sports, "The events at last night’s game were extremely upsetting. We send our best wishes to the child and family involved."

A spokesperson added, "Clubs have significantly expanded netting and their inventory of protected seats in recent years. With last night’s event in mind, we will continue our efforts on this important issue."

Move over Robert Kraft, here's another crazy story about a celebrity massage gone wrong.

Houston Astros' star shortstop, Carlos Correa, says he'll be out for the next 4 to 6 weeks ... BECAUSE HIS MASSEUSE BROKE HIS RIB DURING A MASSAGE!!

Yes. He's serious!!

Correa -- who's making $5 MILLION this season -- announced the injury moment ago and he's pointing the finger squarely at the person in charge of his rubdown.

"I sustained the rib fracture during a massage at my home on Tuesday," the 24-year-old said in a statement.

"To sustain an injury in such an unusual way makes it even more frustrating. However, I will work hard to get back on the field as quickly as possible to help our team achieve our goal of winning another championship."

"I'm extremely disappointed about not being on the field with my teammates."

FYI ... Correa has made over $12 MILLION from the Astros since they drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick back in 2012 -- so, not exactly a great look for the guy.

What's even worse? 24-year-old Carlos was killin' it for Houston when he was healthy this season ... batting .295 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs.