Baseball

Carlos Carrasco is a BEAAAAAASSSSTTTT ... 'cause just a few months after being diagnosed with cancer -- the Indians star took the mound again, AND THREW 97 MPH!!!!

Cookie hit the injured list back on June 5 after docs told him he had leukemia. He was feeling sluggish ... and nobody with the team knew if he'd be back again this season.

But, Carlos fought like hell the past few weeks to get back on the diamond ... and the dude looked like he hadn't missed a day of throwing when he made his first Minor League rehab start for Double-A Akron on Monday night.

According to MLB.com's Mandy Bell, Carrasco hit 97 MPH with his first pitch of the night ... and followed that up with a few more heaters at 96.

The Indians stud finished with one strikeout, one walk and no hits or runs given up in his one inning of work ... and he left to a huge cheer from the crowd.

"It feels great because those people were behind me the whole way," Carrasco said. "From Day One until now."

Unclear when Carrasco will officially make his return to the Indians' big-league roster ... but manager Terry Francona said he anticipates having Carlos back in the bullpen sooner rather than later.

As for his timeline on a return, Carrasco said, "I'm ready to go."

Mets legend Darryl Strawberry ain't bitter that Pete Alonso is crushing his rookie home run record ... in fact, the dude is fired up for NY's newest superstar!!!

"That's pretty cool, man," Strawberry tells TMZ Sports ... "I'm really happy for him."

Darryl hit 26 bombs as a rookie for the Mets in 1983 ... and no first-year Met had come close to catching that mark since -- until Alonso this season.

But, Pete hasn't just caught that number ... he's destroyed it -- the rookie has 40 home runs this season, only 12 away from the most in MLB history for a rook.

Strawberry tells us he thinks it's awesome, saying out in NYC, "That's pretty cool, man, that after 36 years someone breaks your record. So, I'm really happy for him."

Straw says it ain't just Alonso he's rooting for this year ... he tells us he's still a huge fan of both the Yankees and the Mets' entire squads.

"It's not our fault he's got a 1 inch d**k" -- Lenny Dykstra on Bagel Boss Guy.

Yeah, the trash talking has begun between the ex-MLB superstar and his celebrity boxing opponent ... and Lenny's already aiming below the belt.

"On the 28th of September, you're gonna see a f**king ass kicking," Dykstra told us at the Vivid Cabaret in New York City ... "If I don't beat him, I'll be a ballerina dancer."

What's interesting about this clip ... Lenny says he wants a SECOND fight after Bagel Boss -- and he's calling out his longtime enemy, Mickey Rourke.

Remember, Lenny and Mickey have been BEEFING for years -- ever since Lenny went on Howard Stern back in 2016 and accused Mickey of stiffing him out of a $30,000, suggesting the debt was drug related.

Back then, Mickey threatened physical violence against Dykstra ... telling TMZ Sports, "I would knock the living sh*t out of him the minute that I see him."

Well, Mickey might get his wish ... because Lenny says once he obliterates Bagel Boss Guy, he wants to fight Rourke in a celebrity MMA fight.

"Remember Mickey, I know you," Lenny said ... "You're a f*cking p***y."

Another day, another Yankees meltdown that ended with Brett Gardner and others getting ejected by the umpires. Gotta love those hot August baseball games!!!

This one was pretty wild -- the Yanks were playing the Cleveland Indians Saturday in a close game, which erupted in chaos around the 6th inning ... when Cameron Maybin was called out on a third strike he and his team felt was off the plate.

Manager Aaron Boone felt very strongly about it, in fact ... and was quickly ejected by home-plate umpire Ben May when he started losing it on the field. Over, right? WRONG!!!

Shortly after Boone was tossed, Gardner started banging a bat on the roof of the Yankees' dugout ... which got him ejected as well. Pitcher C.C. Sabathia was pissed too, and he got tossed almost immediately afterward after seemingly challenging the umpire.

Both Gardner and Sabathia had to be held back by their teammates -- luckily, things didn't escalate from there. Even luckier for the Yankees, they ended up winning the game 6-5, despite the ejections.

The umpire face-offs seems to be a regular thing for the boys in pinstripes lately -- Gardner was ejected last week after a case of mistaken identity. And, of course, Boone got ejected -- and subsequently suspended -- last month when he got in an ump's face.

The first strikeout ... the first hit ... the first MLB call-up ... and the first shout-out from Justin Bieber???

These are all apparently life milestones for Cleveland Indians superstar Shane Bieber ... 'cause he told us after the real Biebs mentioned him in a tweet earlier this month -- it was a goal reached!!!

"It was a matter of time, hopefully, if things all went well," Shane told us out in NYC.

If ya missed it ... 24-year-old Shane's had a thing with Justin his whole life -- he tells us he's heard the jokes about sharing the last name with the pop legend since he was little.

In fact, the pitcher even poked fun at the whole situation during MLB Players Weekend last year -- wearing a "Not Justin" jersey!!!

But, the two finally linked up on Aug. 4 ... because after Topps called Shane "Justin" on his baseball card -- Justin responded!!!

"I feel like we have a special connection," Justin wrote.

BOOOM!!!

Shane says the tweet was "definitely surprising" ... and the Indians themselves were so jacked up for the call-out -- they made an offer to the Biebs!!!

"Got an 'I'M JUSTIN' #57 jersey waiting for you at Progressive Field. Swing by and pick it up before your first pitch?"

Before Bryce Harper sent a baseball to another planet in walk-off fashion Thursday night ... he told a heckler to "shut the f**k up" -- and the scene was hilarious!!!

The Philadelphia Phillies superstar has heard constant chirping from fans this year after signing a 13-year, $330 MILLION contract this offseason ... 'cause he hasn't quite performed up to expectations.

So, after he was 0-for-3 to start the Phillies' game against the Cubs ... a fan let him have it on his way back to the dugout.

"$330 million, 0-for-3," the fan said ...

"Shut the f**k up, stupid!" Harper clapped back.

Of course, there's no doubt the fan did exactly that just an inning later ... 'cause in the bottom of the 9th with the bases loaded -- Harper sent a baseball 413 feet to give the Phils a series sweep over the visiting Cubs!!!

It had to feel good for Harper -- who's now officially busted out of his slump with 7 home runs and 15 RBI in the last two weeks.

Begs the question ... what does Miles Teller know that the rest of the baseball world doesn't?!?!

How the hell are the New York Yankees killing EVERYBODY this year???

Aaron Judge tells TMZ Sports there are TWO reasons ... and ya gotta hear them from his mouth for yourself!!!

Of course, the Yanks have the most wins in baseball this season -- they're in a tie with the Dodgers with 81 -- and are cruising to an AL East championship.

Of course, they were a playoff team last season ... but they were nowhere near this good -- a lot of people are considering them the World Series favorite now!

Yasiel Puig just had the best pre-game warm up of his life ... 'cause just a few hours before the Indians game against the Red Sox -- he got sworn in as a U.S. citizen!!!

The MLB superstar had the ceremony Wednesday ... and it didn't take long for him to pridefully post about it on social media.

"Thank you God for this great opportunity to be an American citizen," Puig said ... adding, "ususus."

Puig reportedly unsuccessfully tried to defect to America many times ... and when he did make it in summer 2012, the journey was long and treacherous.

He was taken by small boat to Mexico where he was held hostage by smugglers looking for a big money payout from the future MLB star.

Yasiel was ultimately taken to America ... and now 7 years later, he's a US citizen.

The Indians -- who are set for first pitch against Boston in Cleveland at 10 AM PT -- even shouted out the outfielder after the special moment, writing, "Puig our citizen"

"Congratulations to Yasiel Puig becoming a United States citizen!"

Of course, Indians players have done this often over the past year ... relief pitcher Oliver Perez was sworn in earlier this month, while infielders Carlos Santana and Hanley Ramirez had their ceremonies in April.

Bryce Harper is NOT a bust ... and his $330 MILLION contract WILL pay off for the Phillies -- so says Philadelphia superfan Miles Teller!!!

"I think it's a good investment!"

Of course, Harper has been a disappointment for the Phils since inking a 13-year contract this offseason ... he's batting just .248 with 22 home runs.

But, Teller -- who's been a die-hard Phillies supporter since he was kid -- didn't seem too concerned about the outfielder when we got him out in Bev Hills this week, saying he believes Harper will bounce back, eventually.

"He'll be with the Phillies for, what, 13 years?" the "Whiplash" actor says ... "So, I think, you know, it's one of 13."

Philadelphia is certainly hoping Harper can still salvage this year ... the team is just two games out of the Wild Card race in the National League!!

And, if Harper can't put it all together and the Phils don't make the playoffs -- Teller tellls us he'll be understanding.

"Sports are hard, man."

#Truth

Scary moment for NY Yankees GM Brian Cashman ... Connecticut cops had their guns pointed straight at him during a traffic stop last week -- and the terrifying incident was caught on video.

52-year-old Cashman was stopped in Darien, Connecticut last Friday after cops mistakenly thought he had stolen the Jeep he was driving.

The police footage from the incident is intense ... officers pointed firearms at the Yanks exec and screamed at him to get out of the car and slowly move toward them.

Eventually, cops realized Cashman did NOT, in fact, steal his own car ... and the situation was diffused.

But, before officers let Cashman go, they had a funny interaction with the guy -- recognizing him as the Yankees' personnel man!!

"You look very familiar to me," the cop says ...

“I’m the GM of the New York Yankees,” Cashman responds.

“Yeah, I know,” the cop replies ... “I used to see you at Brook Street Bagels when I was an Eastchester cop. I apologize for the embarrassment."

Cashman was free to go after that.

The backstory behind the stop is wild ... Cashman had his Jeep stolen in Connecticut a few weeks ago, and after it was found in the Bronx and returned to Cashman -- he drove it back to Connecticut to have it processed for evidence.

But, Cashman says cops forgot to take the car off the stolen list when they returned it ... and when Darien cops ran his license plate, it still came up as a stolen vehicle.

To make matters worse, Cashman says Darien police were already looking for a white Jeep after a man driving that car had allegedly brandished a gun in a local doctor's office.

Everything has since calmed down for the GM ... and he says he has no hard feelings for police after the wild scene.

Lenny Dykstra is fighting Bagel Boss Guy ... yes, the baseball legend inked a deal to box the guy who lost his mind in a NY bagel shop.

We broke the story, Bagel Boss Guy -- aka Chris Morgan -- signed a deal to fight in Damon Feldman's Celebrity Boxing promotion ... only question was, who was he gonna fight?

Now we know ... 56-year-old 3x-MLB All-Star and World Series champ Lenny Dykstra.

We're told Lenny agreed to a deal and signed the contract on Friday (he'll be paid a fixed amount of money for the fight) ... and will begin training immediately for the September 7 bout in Atlantic City, NJ.

Sources close to Lenny tell us he ain't worried about the lack of time to prepare ... and is very confident he's gonna beat the hell outta BB Guy.

If he does ... it won't be cause Bagel Boss ain't training hard for the scrap.

Morgan recently went to one of the best MMA gyms in the country ... and training with UFC superstars Al Iaquinta and Chris Weidman.

In fact, Iaquinta told us Morgan possessed some natural ability as a fighter.

Dykstra vs. Bagel Boss.

Giancarlo Stanton is 6 foot 4 inches and 250 pounds of hulking, baseball-smashing man ... and Tiffany Haddish says she wants EVERY. SINGLE. BIT. OF. HIM!!!!!

"That's what I'm talking about," Haddish says of the Yankees star outfielder ... "Somebody to burp me!!!"

Haddish has professed her love for the MLB stud before ... but she REALLY took her desire to get with Giancarlo a step further Wednesday night on the 'Late Show With Stephen Colbert.'

In fact, the "Girls Trip" actress developed a sneaky plan to get Stanton interested in her ... telling Stephen Colbert she's just going to start telling everyone they're dating -- like, speaking it into existence.

"Like, the world will know that I like this person. I will know that I like this person. And then, it'll be in his subconscious. And then, he will attract me to him!"

Haddish's obsession with Stanton seems pretty real ... 'cause when Colbert told her about the home run hitter's famous physique -- she got graphic!!!

"I just want him to pick me up and go like this," Tiffany said, pretending to burp a baby ... "'It's going to be OKAY. It's going to be OKAY. Shh. Shh. Shh.'"

Bad news for Tiffany, Stanton's been rumored to be dating model Chase Carter.

WHAT A CATCH ... by the dad in the stands!!!

A Philadelphia Phillies fan made an AMAZING 1-handed grab at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday ... snagging a foul ball while HOLDING HIS BABY!!

The Phillies were playing the Arizona Diamondbacks when Nick Ahmed fouled a pitch off into the right field stands ... where a dude clutching an infant got under the ball.

With his kid on his hip, the dad reached up and CAUGHT IT WITH 1 HAND -- without dropping the baby!!

The crowd went wild. The Phillies went wild. It was ... WILD!

The broadcasters on NBC Sports Philadelphia were impressed too -- "With a baby in hand, he was able to make the grab," one of the guys said ... "Oh man, what a baller!"

After the catch, the man told reporters he played high school and college baseball ... so he's got a little experience.

Nice grab, dude!

White Sox pitcher Dylan Cease had no time to celebrate his win against the Tigers on Tuesday .... 'cause he had to make a mad dash for Starbucks IN FULL UNIFORM!!

The Sox are playing a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers ... and the team sent their winning starting pitcher to get them some drinks to recharge at a nearby Starbs in Motor City.

Catcher James McCann caught the whole thing on video ... saying Cease had to make 17 orders to complete the run.

It's become a thing for MLB teams to show up to the coffee joint in full uniform lately ... Chicago Cubs star Javy Baez pulled up before a game back in June.

23-year-old Cease made his debut for Chicago last month ... so we take it the rook is still getting through his initiation phase with the squad.

This is EPIC!!!

23-year-old Miami Marlins rookie Isan Diaz's dad had the most priceless reaction to his son's first career hit in his first career MLB game ... going absolutely BONKERS when he hit a dinger!!

Raul was being interviewed during Diaz's at-bat in the 6th inning of the Marlins game against the Mets on Monday ... when the 2nd baseman went yard off Jacob deGrom!!

The whole family goes absolutely insane -- there's yelling, clapping and hand shakes all around!!

After things calmed back down a bit, mom and dad get back to the interview and talk about how proud they are of their son ... but the best part is when Raul freaks out about the moment happening against the Mets ace.

Despite working for the NY Yankees these days ... even Carlos Beltran had to admit the Houston Astros CRUSHED the MLB treadline -- telling TMZ Sports he loved the Zack Greinke pickup!

"I mean, Greinke's one of the best pitchers in the game," Beltran says.

Of course, Carlos did have two stints as an Astro during his 20-year MLB career ... but the 42-year-old now works as an adviser to Yankees GM Brian Cashman.

But, Beltran just had to put work allegiances aside when our camera guy asked about the league's trade deadline moves ... saying the Astros are going to be VERY tough to beat now.

"They have three starting guys over there that are No. 1 on any team in baseball."

Beltran ain't kidding, the two favorites for the AL Cy Young this year are Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander ... and with a 2.90 ERA and 135 Ks, Greinke was a leader for the award in the NL before the trade.