Baseball

What. In. The. Actual. Hell.

The Miami Marlins CROSSED THE LINE in a stupid Twitter spat with the Tampa Bay Rays ... saying, "YOU'RE LITERALLY THE ANIMAL THAT KILLED STEVE IRWIN."

Dude. Really?!!?!?

So, why the hell would a Major League Baseball team invoke the name of a global treasure who was tragically killed by a real-life stingray in 2006???

Here's the backstory ...

The Marlins played the Rays on Saturday -- and even though Miami lost, they posted a highlight showing right fielder Brian Anderson GUNNING a guy out at the plate in the 8th inning.

The Tampa Bay Rays social media team responded to the tweet saying, "Show the final out." Quality burn.

Miami responded -- taking a shot at Tampa Bay over possible plans for the Rays to become a 2-city team, splitting time between TB and Montreal.

Tampa Bay responded by essentially pointing to the score board ... prompting Miami to send the most savage tweet in MLB history.

"yOU'RE LITERALLY THE ANIMAL THAT KILLED STEVE IRWIN LOG OFF."

Tampa Bay -- which won both games of their 2-game series with Miami -- fired back, "You're literally the team that just got swept, log off."

Of course, Irwin -- aka "The Crocodile Hunter" -- was killed at age 44 when he was pierced in the heart by a stingray barb while filming an underwater documentary.

He left behind a wife and 2 children.

You stay classy, Miami.

Ex-MLB pitcher Tyrell Jenkins -- a 1st round draft pick in 2010 -- threw crazy haymakers in a huge brawl during a softball game in Texas this week ... and TMZ Sports has the video.

27-year-old Jenkins was a high school superstar who was recruited to play baseball and football at Baylor ... but signed a $1.3 mil contract with the STL Cardinals instead.

He made his MLB debut in 2016 for the Braves ... and kicked around with a few teams before moving back home to coach youth baseball. He's now heavily involved in adult softball.

Fast-forward to Wednesday ... when things got intense between Jenkins' Kekambas and the opposing team, Big Pimpins, in their USA Softball District 25 game when trash talk escalated into an all-out fight.

We're told gloves were thrown, a Big Pimpins player yelled "we're ready to go when you are" ... and the fight broke out within seconds.

You can see 6'4" Jenkins -- in a red shirt -- in the middle of the brawl. It's insane.

We actually spoke with Jenkins who tells us he got involved to defend his teammate ... and only threw punches after an opponent tried to hit him in the head from behind (which was not captured in our video).

Our softball sources tell us Jenkins, along with 3 other players, received a 1-year suspension from the league for their roles in the brawl.

Two other players got 2 years suspensions.

We're told law enforcement was NOT called to the scene ... and the incident was handled internally.

Jenkins has been a MONSTER in Texas softball scene (which is insanely competitive) ... dude hits bombs.

Johnny Damon is sending a huge warning signal to the AL's top dogs ... telling TMZ Sports if the Yankees and Astros let Boston climb into the postseason -- the Sox might just win it all!!!

We got Johnny out in NYC this week and had to ask some baseball questions ... and that's when the 2-time All-Star told us teams NEED to be afraid of the Red Sox's potential.

"If they can somehow get above Tampa and make the playoffs, they're going to be scary," Damon says.

And, if you think Johnny is just blowin' smoke because he's a Sox legend ... he ain't -- he tells us he's still got some bitterness toward the way he left the team after the 2005 season.

"Boston and I, it was a little like a divorce," he says.

Johnny tells us the Red Sox are legit this year ... and if they had actually signed a closer in the offseason, he thinks they'd be much closer to the Yankees in the AL East standings right now.

Still, Damon says he thinks the Astros are the favorite for now ... saying when he watched Justin Verlander pitch earlier this week -- he didn't seem hittable!!!

The creators of the Philadelphia Phillies' famous mascot, the Phanatic, are threatening to take it away from the MLB team ... and now, the Phillies are fighting like hell to keep it.

It's all spelled in a new lawsuit obtained by TMZ Sports ... where the Phillies say back in 1978,  then Exec VP Bill Giles had a vision for a "green, fat, furry, big-nosed" mascot -- and they worked with a design firm called Harrison/Erickson Incorporated to make the Phanatic.

The MLB team says everything went smoothly with the negotiations ... it paid the firm for its work and the character was an immediate success.

In fact, the Phillies say the mascot became SO popular ... they had to renegotiate with Harrison/Erickson in 1984 to keep the mascot "forever" -- paying the company $215,000.

But now, the Phillies say Harrison/Erickson have gone back on that agreement -- arguing the deal wasn't REALLY a forever contract -- and just hit them with a letter threatening to terminate the arrangement.

The Phillies say in the letter, Harrison/Erickson would not allow them to use the Phanatic after June 15, 2020 if they don't renegotiate ... and are even threatening to make the mascot a free agent if the Phils don't fork over cash!!!

Could you imagine the New York Yankees Phanatic?

But, the team is now suing in federal court to try to stop that from happening, claiming Harrison/Erickson has NO legal rights to terminate the "forever" agreement it signed in 1984.

The team also says it owns the rights to the Phanatic just as much as -- if not more than -- Harrison/Erickson ... and wants a judge to intervene.

The Phillies want legal docs stating Harrison/Erickson can't pull the mascot ... and also want any other team that attempts to use it to be punished for it.

Four men who unfurled a Trump 2020 banner at the Orioles game in Baltimore on Thursday were escorted out of the stadium while fans chanted, "Take it down" -- and it was all captured on video.

It all went down in the 8th inning of the Orioles vs. Blue Jays game ... after most of the fans had left Camden Yards because the Blue Jays were beating the hell out of the home team.

The men displayed the "Keep America Great" banner from an upper deck railing behind home plate -- and it hung for about 10 minutes before stadium officials took action.

You can see cops order the men to pull their sign up, which they do -- while basking in the boos from other pissed off fans.

FYI, the Orioles have an anti-banner policy at the stadium ... prohibiting fans from displaying ANY signs during the game -- especially if the team feels the signs are in "bad taste."

The men were eventually escorted out of the stadium -- but they didn't seem to care at all. In fact, it looks like they LOVED the attention.

Of course, Baltimore and President Trump have been in the news all week long ... POTUS called the city a "rodent-infested mess" and opinions from both party lines have gushed in ever since.

Trump supporters like Johnny Damon have said the President ain't wrong, telling TMZ Sports that toward the end of his baseball career, he found the city to be "scarier."

Johnny Damon is going to bat for Donald Trump ... saying toward the end of his baseball career -- he and his teammates were straight-up scared to go out on the town in Baltimore.

Of course, Trump has found himself in hot water this week for comments he made about the Maryland city -- ones in which he called Baltimore a "rodent-infested mess."

Damon says he thinks Trump's choices of words were a little harsh ... but he tells TMZ Sports he agrees with 45 -- saying back when he played in the MLB, he didn't love hitting the road there.

"He's not wrong," Damon says ... "Baltimore was one of the best places to visit when I broke into the league in '95. And, at the end, we didn't really, like, enjoy going back."

Damon -- who's been an outspoken Trump supporter for years -- added, "Towards the end, it started getting a little scarier."

Johnny says Trump's comments will actually HELP the city .. telling us he thinks the criticism should lead to a change in the area.

"I think Baltimore is a great town, and this is raising awareness and hopefully they can go in and spend the hard tax-paying dollars to actually make a difference."

For his part, Trump had a similar sentiment on the situation, saying at the White House earlier this week, "Those people are living in hell in Baltimore. They're largely African-American -- you have a large African-American population -- and they really appreciate what I'm doing and they've let me know it."

MLB just suspended 8 people for that insane bench-clearing brawl in Cincinnati ... including Reds pitcher Amir Garrett, who basically tried to fight the entire Pittsburgh Pirates team.

Garrett was hit with an 8-GAME suspension for running over to the Pirates dugout Tuesday night and singlehandedly trying to fight ... well, everyone.

Yasiel Puig -- who was on the Reds at the time of the incident -- got 3 GAMES for bull-charging over to the brawl and trying to fight everyone.

During the game, Puig was traded to the Cleveland Indians ... so he'll serve his suspension with them.

Here's how the rest of the suspensions shook out ...

-- Pirates pitcher Keone Kela got 10 GAMES for intentionally throwing a 97 MPH fastball at Derek Dietrich's head in the 7th inning.

-- Reds pitcher Jared Hughes got 3 GAMES for throwing at a Pirates player in reponse to Kela throwing at Dietrich.

-- Pirates infielder Jose Osuna got 5 GAMES for "aggressive and inappropriate actions" during the fight ... which is a fancy way of saying, "5 for fighting."

-- Pirates pitcher Kyle Crick got 3 GAMES for fighting

-- Reds manager David Bell got 6 GAMES for a combination of things including allowing his pitcher to intentionally throw at an opposing batter, escalating the brawl and returning to the field after he was ejected

-- Pirates manager Clint Hurdle got 2 GAMES for allowing his pitcher to throw at opposing batters multiple times.

Everyone on the MLB's naughty list also received undisclosed fines -- along with several other players involved in the brawl including Pirates pitcher Trevor Williams and Reds 1B Joey Votto.

MLB exec Joe Torre issued a scathing statement ripping everyone involved in the fight ... and it sounds like a really disappointed parent:

"The incidents between these two Clubs remain a source of concern, and it’s reflected by the level of discipline we are handing down today," Torre said.

"Everyone on the field should be aware of the example they are setting for fans, particularly young people. I firmly expect these two managers and all others to hold their players accountable for appropriate conduct and to guide them in the right direction."

Good news for the 2019 New York Yankees ... Mariano Rivera says THIS is the year the Bronx Bombers are going back to the World Series!

"I believe this is the year that we going back," Rivera said at Cipriani in NYC ... "Definitely we NEED to win this World Series."

Of course, the last time the Yanks won the World Series, it was 2009 ... and Rivera was the Yankees closer, playing alongside stars like Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada.

In fact, a bunch of Mariano's teammates from that squad came out for Rivera's Hall of Fame induction speech in Cooperstown earlier this month.

Jeter got a private jet to fly out along with Posada -- and Rivera tells TMZ Sports it meant the world to have those guys in the house for his induction.

"Having them there means a lot to me," Mariano said ... "As soon as I let them know, they were on board."

Joe Torre also made it out to the induction -- and Mariano says his former manager will always have a special place in his heart.

"Mr. Torre was one of the key pieces of the puzzle that was able to keep us together," Rivera said.

"For me, he was a blessing, a father figure, a brother, a mentor ... I mean, so many things. It was a blessing to me."

NY Yankees stud Cameron Maybin will make his return from the injured list without his DUI case looming over his head ... TMZ Sports has learned the OF just cut a deal to close the case.

Maybin was arrested back on March 1 in Scottsdale during spring training with the SF Giants after cops pulled him over for drunk driving at around 2:25 AM.

Maybin bombed field sobriety tests ... ultimately blowing a .127.

In police footage of the arrest, obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see Cameron crying and apologizing for the incident.

Maybin -- who was cut by the Giants shortly after the arrest -- was eventually hit with several charges, including DUI, speeding and unsafe lane change.

He faced up to a year behind bars if he was convicted.

But, court records show Maybin cut a deal with prosecutors this month ... and in exchange for a guilty plea on one of his DUI counts -- officials dismissed the rest of the charges against the MLB player.

Unclear what Maybin's punishment will be for the guilty plea ... we're working on it.

It's good news for Maybin -- he's been a stud since landing with the Yankees back in April, and he's expected to be a key contributor for the team when he returns from the injured list soon.

As for the injury, the 32-year-old is still out with a left calf strain. Yanks manager Aaron Boone told reporters Monday that Maybin could return to the lineup as early as next week.

Did Felipe Vazquez just drop a huge hint on where he'd prefer to be traded if the Pirates deal him this week???

Sure seems like it ... 'cause when we got the superstar closer out in NYC -- he told us he's a BIG fan of New York and Chicago!!!

Felipe -- who's got 21 saves this season with a 1.87 ERA -- is one of the best players being shopped around ahead of Wednesday's MLB trade deadline.

Felipe tells us he isn't focusing on his possible departure from Pittsburgh, saying, "I'm not worried about that stuff, whatever happens is going to happen whether I like it or not."

But, when we asked what his favorite cities to be in off the diamond are ... he told us straight-up, New York and Chicago!!!

Of course, both the Yankees AND the Cubs are reportedly interested in adding an arm to their bullpen this week ... and could possibly have Vazquez in their trade sights.

But hey, maybe he just likes the restaurants ...

So, could this help facilitate a trade with the Buccos????

Sorry, Mets fans ... David Wright will NOT be the next manager in NY -- so says the Mets legend himself, who tells TMZ Sports being a coach is something he has NO interest in!!!

"Zero chance," Wright says.

Of course, the Mets have had a rough year -- they're 49-55 and 12.5 games out of 1st in the NL East -- and many in New York are calling for Mickey Callaway's head.

And, with former players likes Rocco Baldelli, Alex Cora, Aaron Boone and Craig Counsell crushing it as new MLB managers -- people want Wright to be the new guy in NY.

But, the ex-Mets captain tells us that just ain't happenin' ... saying when we got him in NYC on Thursday, "That's a tough job."

Wright -- who, by the way, was SUPER nice to Mets fans outside the team's hotel -- said there's also no chance of him being a hitting coach down the road too.

David's currently got a front office role with the Mets ... and seems he's just fine doing that right now.

We also talked to Wright about the odds of Pete Alonso becoming the next Mets captain ... and we had to get his opinion on the MLB possibly juicing baseballs.

David Ortiz has been released from the hospital where he's been recuperating from a nearly fatal gunshot wound he suffered in the Dominican Republic.

Big Papi was reportedly discharged Friday from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and was sent home with his family. According to ESPN, the former Red Sox slugger will continue his rehabilitation at his house, where he'll be monitored by full-time nurses.

He'll also have his personal doctor regularly check in on him as he continues to heal.

This is great news for Ortiz, who was shot in the lower back at point-blank range. He went into emergency surgery there on the island nation, and was eventually transported to the Boston area hospital where he remained in the critical condition for a while.

He was taken out of the ICU late last month and was listed as being in good condition. Looks like that trend has continued ... now, he's out of the hospital and seemingly on his way to a full recovery.

As we reported ... doctors found the bullet that struck Ortiz had pierced his liver, his small and large intestines -- he even had to have his gall bladder removed during surgery.

MVP candidate Josh Bell looked legit sad when talking about Troy Tulowitzki's retirement this week ... telling TMZ Sports the MLB is going to "sorely miss" the former superstar shortstop.

"He was really fun to watch," the Pittsburgh Pirates 1st baseman said.

34-year-old Tulo -- who signed with the NY Yankees this offseason -- finally had enough of rehabbin' from injuries, and decided to hang up his spikes Thursday.

The sudden retirement crushed seamheads everywhere -- the 5-time All-Star was one of the best shortstops of this generation when he was healthy ... hitting .290 in his 13-year career.

Bell told us when we got him out in NYC before his game against the Mets on Friday that it was sad to see the career come to a close ... saying, "He's going to be sorely missed."

For his part, Tulo seemed at peace with his decision, saying, "I will forever be grateful for every day that I've had to live out my dream. It has been an absolute honor."

Tulowitzki is set to join the Texas Longhorns as an assistant coach for his next career.

MLB legend Sandy Koufax is joining Jackie Robinson ... as the only Dodgers to get a statue at Dodger Stadium.

The team has confirmed they will be unveiling the statue for the 2020 season -- honoring one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. The statue will be a part of the $100 million renovation to the stadium.

In fact, the Dodgers will be moving the Jackie Robinson statue from the Reserve Level to the new entertainment plaza to be placed next to the Koufax piece, according to Sports Net L.A. reporter Alanna Rizzo.

Unclear what the statue will look like ... the Dodgers are expected to address the media about it later Tuesday.

Koufax -- famously dubbed "the Left Arm of God" -- won 3 Cy Young awards and 4 World Series titles during his career with the Blue Crew.

Tyler Skaggs' wife, Carli, gave a heartfelt tribute to the late MLB pitcher on Monday ... delivering an emotional speech at his private funeral.

"I made a last-minute decision to speak. I didn't think I'd be able to. But, Tyler has given me some strength today," Carli said in front of Skaggs' family, friends and L.A. Angels teammates.

"Tyler, my most handsome husband and love of my life. You showed me what real love is. And, as badly as I'm hurting, I consider myself blessed to have been loved by you."

The service in Skaggs' native Santa Monica featured 14 different speakers -- including Angels pitcher Andrew Heaney and Skaggs' former teammate Garrett Richards -- as well as several family members.

"When I look back at our life together, I have no regrets," Carli added. "We said 'I love you' every hour. We never missed an opportunity to say how fortunate we are to have found our true love."

"6 years later, we never got tired of being together, and looked forward to those sacred off days. I'm grateful we never took our love for granted. Always showing the utmost respect for each other."

Carli reminisced about the first time they met ... as well as their "breakfast traditions, dinner at Benihana, daily jacuzzi, and late night runs to In-N-Out."

"You are my forever soulmate, lover, confidante and best friend. You are my rock and I know you are by my side helping me to move forward one step at a time."

Skaggs died in his team hotel room in the Dallas area on July 1 during a road trip to Texas to play the Rangers. A cause of death has not been released.

He was 27 years old.

"I will love you til my last breath until we are together again. Miss you, babe."

Charlie Blackmon appears to have ZERO issues with the idea that DJ LeMahieu could beat out Mike Trout for the AL MVP ... telling TMZ Sports the Yankees 2nd baseman deserves it!

"He's always been a really good player," the Rockies superstar says ... "I guess everybody knows about it now."

LeMahieu has been crushing it for the Bronx Bombers in his first season in NY ... he's batting .333 with 71 runs scored and 68 RBIs.

In fact, DJ's been so good lately ... MVP talk has seriously kicked up for the guy -- and Blackmon seems to have no issue with that.

Charlie tells us it ain't just DJ's bat that's impressive -- the All-Star outfielder says he's noticed the guy's unreal defense in the middle of the diamond too.

"He's doing everything well," Charlie says.

Of course, DJ's got some pretty stiff competition for the AL MVP -- Trout's hitting .300 with 32 home runs and 79 RBI out in L.A.

But, the Yankees are the best team in baseball ... so should DJ get the nod over Mike???