Baseball

Mickey Rourke says he's ready to end the beef with Lenny Dykstra once and for all -- but says if Lenny disrespects him again, he's not afraid to throw them hands!!

Remember, Lenny says he wants to have a celebrity MMA match with Mickey to settle their years-long beef over an alleged $30,000 debt ... one of the nastiest feuds in Hollywood.

They've been trashing the hell out of each other in the media for years -- but it seems like Rourke is sick of all the drama.

Rourke spelled it out for us at Mulberry Street Pizzeria in Bev Hills ... saying if Lenny has real interest in squashing the beef, he's down to have a friendly beer summit and make peace.

But, if he wants to brawl ... Lenny knows where to find him.

The baseball doesn't fall too far from the tree in the Freddie Freeman household ...

Here's 2-year-old Charlie Freeman CRUSHING Wiffle balls in the Atlanta Braves slugger's house ... and check out the kid's amazing swing!!!

Of course, Freddie is a lefty with some of the most pop in the entire MLB ... but his son is growing up a righty -- and seems he's definitely on track to follow in Dad's footsteps regardless.

The video -- which was posted by Freeman's wife, Chelsea, on Freddie's off day with the fam on Wednesday -- is impressive, but it ain't a one-time thing ... Chelsea throws up vids of Charlie crushing balls all the time!!!

Charlie is super adorable after blasting the taters ... you can see in the vid he goes over to the living room coffee table to make sure all his toys celebrate his homers with him! It's adorable.

The Freemans are a super tight-knit family ... Freddie flies home on his off days to hang with Chelsea and Charlie all the time ... with Chelsea writing back in 2017, "I'm pretty sure he is the best daddy in the world!!!"

Rudy Giuliani is going to bat for James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka and the rest of the Yankees' starting pitchers ... telling TMZ Sports they're good enough to win the World Series!!

"They wouldn't have the best record in baseball if they didn't have enough pitching," the former NY mayor says.

Of course, tons of MLB pundits disagree ... especially because the Houston Astros added Zack Greinke to their already stacked rotation at the trade deadline while the Yanks stood pat.

But, Giuliani says he's got no worries about the Yanks' staff heading into the postseason, telling us their 90-49 record "indicates they do" have enough!

Currently, the Yankees rank No. 14 in the league with a 4.44 staff ERA ... while other World Series favorites like the Dodgers (3.45) and Astros (3.69) rank 1st and 4th, respectively.

MLB pitcher Carlos Carrasco is giving back in a HUGE way following his return from cancer ... pledging $200 for each strikeout he earns in the month of September to childhood cancer research.

Cookie -- who was diagnosed with Leukemia in the Spring -- returned to the Cleveland Indians on Sunday after stepping away from the team for a few months to focus on treatment.

32-year-old Carrasco is launching the "Punchout Cancer with Cookie" campaign in his return to the mound ... announcing he'll make a donation to St. Jude's every time he K's a batter this month.

"I have cancer, but cancer doesn't have me," Carrasco said in the announcement video ... adding the disease has not affected his spirits through his journey back to the team.

"I want to remind families that there is always hope."

But, the coolest part?? Carrasco's teammate, Shane Bieber, is joining in on the campaign, pledging $100 a strikeout.

"With @cookie_carrasco returning back to the mound, we are reminded of how far positivity, faith, and resiliency can take us," Bieber said.

"To think he’s back pitching after being diagnosed with Leukemia just a couple months ago is nothing short of inspiring."

On top of that, Carlos Santana is donating for every home run ... and Francisco Lindor is pitching in for every team win!!

Tyler Skaggs' reputation will ALWAYS be as a hero who dominated on the diamond ... so says ex-MLB stud Dallas Braden, who tells TMZ Sports Skaggs' autopsy results don't change anything.

"People are going to pass their judgments," Braden says ... "They're going to say what they're going to say -- we remember Tyler for what he's done on the field."

A medical examiner in Texas last week found Skaggs tragically died after choking on his own vomit due to a lethal mix of pain killers and alcohol in his system.

But, when we got Braden out in NYC just hours after the news broke ... he told us Skaggs will always be remembered for his pitching -- not by the way he died.

"What you do on the field, how you compete on the field, is what a lot fans are going to remember you by," Dallas says. "Off the field, you're a completely different human being."

Skaggs played 7 years in the MLB before his death in July ... starting 96 career games with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Angels.

The 27-year-old won 28 career games and posted an ERA of 4.41.

Skaggs' family announced last Friday they are working tirelessly to find out who might have given the former pitcher the drugs, saying, "We were shocked to learn that it may involve an employee of the Los Angeles Angels."

Detroit Tigers minor league catcher Chace Numata died in a Pennsylvania hospital on Monday at the age of 27 … after sustaining serious injuries in a skateboarding accident last week.

According to police, Numata -- who played for the Tigers double-A and triple-A affiliate this season -- was riding his skateboard home early Friday morning around 2 AM when he appears to have fallen and hit his head.

Minutes later a motorist saw Chace on the ground -- unconscious and bleeding -- and called 911. Emergency responders transported Numata to the hospital … where he remained until passing away earlier today.

Numata was taken by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 10th round of the 2010 MLB Draft. He also spent time with the Yankees organization before signing with the Tigers organization before this season.

Numata -- in 77 games this season -- had a .244 batting average with 4 home runs and 28 RBI's. Over his career, Chace played in 575 minor league games.

The Tigers released the following statement on Chace's death, saying … “The Detroit Tigers are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Chace Numata. Though this was his first year with our organization, Chace was beloved by many from our Major League club through all levels of our player development system."

"He had an engaging personality that quickly established him as a leader on and off the field, and his presence will be forever remembered in our organization and beyond. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, teammates and coaches.”

MLB star Tyler Skaggs died in a Texas hotel room from a deadly mix of booze, fentanyl and oxycodone ... according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner.

In the toxicology report released Friday, the ME's report lists the cause of death for the Angels pitcher as a mix of "alcohol, fentanyl and oxycodone intoxication with terminal aspiration of gastric contents." In other words, Skaggs choked on his own vomit while under the influence.

The report says his death has been ruled an accident.

It's interesting, the autopsy says, when Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room, he was "clothed in black denim jeans, a black belt with white metal decorations and decorated white buckle, red boxer shorts, black socks and dark brown western boots." The description sounds a lot like what Skaggs was wearing on the team plane, when the Angels dressed in western gear as they flew from California to Texas on June 30.

As we reported ... Tyler was found dead in his team hotel room July 1, when the Angels were in Texas to play the Rangers.

Tyler's family issued a statement Friday, inferring an Angels employee might have been involved in the tragic incident.

The Skaggs family says ... “We are heartbroken to learn that the passing of our beloved Tyler was the result of a combination of dangerous drugs and alcohol. That is completely out of character for someone who worked so hard to become a Major League baseball player and had a very promising future in the game he loved so much."

The statement continues ... “We are grateful for the work of the detectives in the Southlake Police Department and their ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding Tyler’s death. We were shocked to learn that it may involve an employee of the Los Angeles Angels. We will not rest until we learn the truth about how Tyler came into possession of these narcotics, including who supplied them. To that end, we have hired attorney Rusty Hardin to assist us.”

Tyler's death sent shockwaves through MLB ... and the Angels tossed a combined no-hitter in their first home game after his passing.

His wife, Carli, gave a heartfelt tribute to the late pitcher during his private funeral.

Tyler was 27.

Alex Rodriguez has no need for a baller bachelor pad after his engagement to Jennifer Lopez -- but he can always use a few million bucks ... which is why he just sold off his Hollywood Hills crib.

Our real estate sources tell us A-Rod is closing the deal Friday to sell the 3,700 sq. ft. home for $4.4 million -- and the new owner got themselves a very unique home with a serious celebrity pedigree.

Alex bought the house from Meryl Streep back in 2014. It's known as the Honnold & Rex Research House because it was originally part of an architectural research program in the 1950s.

The stylish Hills hideaway -- photographed by Anthony Barcelo -- comes with awesome outdoor living space and some killer city views. We're told Jason Oppenheim from The Oppenheim Group -- and the Netflix series "Selling Sunset" -- repped the buyer and Carl Gambino from Westside Estate Agency repped A-Rod.

We're not saying Alex is on to bigger and better -- but he IS living with J Lo now.

Carlos Carrasco kicked cancer's ass ... and Chicago Cubs ace Jon Lester is stoked to see it, telling TMZ Sports, "I'm just glad he's back!"

The Cleveland Indians star was diagnosed with Leukemia in the Spring ... and despite taking a few months off to fight the disease -- he's set to rejoin the team this weekend.

When we got Lester -- who also fought and beat a rare form of cancer back in 2006 -- out in NYC ... he told us he's happy the guy is returning to the mound.

Of course, Carrasco won't resume starting duties right away ... the Indians are expected to put him in the bullpen to pitch only an inning or two at a time for now.

But, seems Carlos is more than ready to take on that task ... in 3 minor league rehab starts this month, he pitched 3.2 innings, struck out 6 batters and only gave up 2 hits and 1 run.

By the way, he also threw 97 MPH!!!

Lenny Dykstra's son says the MLB star has told him personally he wants to murder Bagel Guy in their fight next month ... telling TMZ Sports, "He told me he's not stopping 'til he's dead!"

The former Phillies star is set to square up with Chris Morgan (that dude who went crazy in a bagel shop earlier this year) in a celeb boxing match on Sept. 28 ... and the trash talk has already been intense.

Dykstra clowned Bagel Guy's penis size to TMZ Sports earlier this month ... and even shoved the dude at their promo event in Philadelphia last week.

But, when we got Lenny's son, Luke Dykstra, out at Delilah earlier this week ... he told us Lenny is dead serious about his hatred for Bagel Guy -- saying he wants to kill him!!!

"It's real simple," Luke said ... "This guy called me, right? And, he told me, he's not stopping 'til he's dead!"

"Honestly, you hate to hear it, but it looks like if he doesn't stop, he's dead."

Seems the dislike for Bagel Guy runs in the Dykstra blood ... 'cause even Luke shaded the dude to our camera guy!!!

Justin Bieber has Bieber fever -- Shane Bieber fever, that is.

The most unlikely long-distance friendship is blossoming between the "I Don't Care" singer and the Cleveland Indians ace ... with the Biebs getting his own "Not Shane Bieber" Tribe jersey!!!

Of course ... Shane has worn "Not Justin" on his back for the past 2 MLB Players' Weekends, when the athletes get to wear whatever name they want on their jerseys.

JB is getting in on the fun now ... rockin' his very own Tribe jersey while joyridin' on his motorcycle in Beverly Hills on Tuesday.

The 2 first linked up online on August 4 after Topps accidentally called Shane "Justin" on his baseball card -- and Justin responded on Twitter, saying, "I feel like we have a special connection."

TMZ Sports spoke with Shane in NYC earlier this month and he told us that the interaction was a life milestone reached.

Nick Turturro went NUCLEAR on Dodgers star Joc Pederson over the weekend -- with the actor claiming Joc FLIPPED HIM OFF during the game ... and now they're enemies for life!!!

FYI, the "NYPD Blue" star is a HARDCORE Yankees fan -- and was sitting front row at Dodgers Stadium on Sunday to watch his Bombers take on the Blue Crew at Dodgers Stadium.

Nick was going crazy during the game -- celebrating and cheering so hard, he was featured several times during the broadcast on FS1.

But, after Joc's first at-bat (a solo home run), Turturro claims Pederson looked right at him and shot him the bird ... for essentially no reason!!!

"Can you believe this?! I'm sitting here in the front row, Joc Pederson just flipped me off for nothing! I was just looking at him," Nick said.

"I guess 'cause I got a Yankee jersey??? It's alright, Joc. Now, you're on my s**t list!!! Now, I'm in your head!"

Nick's rant continued ... "I'M OFFICIALLY IN YOUR HEAD!!! I can't wait 'til you come up again!!!"

Yep, the Turturro curse was in full affect ... and it worked!!! Joc didn't get another hit the rest of the game and the Yankees ended up winning 5-1, taking the series 2 games to 1.

This beef is far from over ... with the Dodgers and Yankees killing it right now, it's VERY possible they could meet up again in the World Series, which would be AMAZING!!!

MLB superstar Mookie Betts is paying homage to his old teammate when he hits the diamond for Players Weekend ... rockin' Big Papi cleats that have their own gold chains!!

The Red Sox MVP decided to do a sick tribute to David Ortiz on his cleats for the special weekend (when players can wear custom kicks and fun nicknames on their jerseys).

The finished personalized Jordan 13s are DOPE -- with images of Papi, his signature, the classic Fenway Park Green Monster and his trademark gold chains!!

Mookie designed the cleats himself ... and it's obviously a sick tribute to the Red Sox legend who was nearly killed in a shooting the Dominican Republic back in June.

David has been recovering in Boston ever since ... and is doing well, recently saying, "Big Papi will be back soon."

Turns out, this was a THROWBACK twerk sesh from Kiké ... not actually moments after he broke Toronto's heart.

Kiké Hernandez was straight-up GETTING IT after his walk-off hit Thursday night ... giving his locker room chair ALL of his ass in a twerk session that would make strippers jealous.

Seriously. It's incredible.

Hernandez really came through for Dodgers against the Blue Jays ... in the bottom of the ninth, after his teammates had tied the game at 2 ... he hit a bloop single to plate the winning run.

It was an epic moment for the second baseman ... because it was also his bobblehead night!!!

So, how'd the guy celebrate? Watch the clip, the dude gyrated his glutes in a way we didn't know he could!!!

#STEAMY

Seems his teammates loved the show ... L.A. star Justin Turner was the one who filmed all the action and wrote, "Current mood in the clubhouse #walkoff"

Kiké's been no stranger to hilarious baseball antics this season ... remember when he clapped back at some Rockies hecklers after a moonshot home run earlier this summer??

But, this twerk sesh takes the cake ... "Dancing with the Stars" producers, you watching?!

Francisco Lindor is stoked Carlos Carrasco's making an epic return from cancer ... telling TMZ Sports, "Love it!"

The Indians star pitcher was diagnosed with Leukemia this past spring ... but, somehow, the guy battled all the way back to return to the mound on Monday night.

Carrasco KILLED IT in his comeback -- throwing 97 MPH on his first pitch of his minor league rehab start -- and gave up no hits or runs in his one inning of work.

When we got Lindor -- Carrasco's superstar teammate -- out in NYC ... he told us he loved to see it!!!

It's unclear when Carrasco will rejoin Lindor and the Indians at the big league level, but after his rehab start this week, the ace said, "I'm ready to go."

Touching moment on the baseball field Tuesday ... Aaron Judge took time out of his pregame warmup to surprise a little kid whose dad just recently died -- and their meeting was awesome.

Kellen Wilson's father, Kyle -- who attended Judge's alma mater, Fresno State -- tragically passed away last October at the age of the 36 ... and Judge was so moved by the story, he sent the kid a jersey a few weeks later.

But, when Aaron's Yankees made the trip to Wilson's hometown to play the A's on Tuesday ... it was unclear if Judge would be able to meet up with Kellen in person, especially after the team bypassed pregame batting practice.

But, Judge made the time to go seek out Kellen anyway ... and the two had an awesome meeting -- which Kellen's mom said was a complete surprise to everyone.

"He [Kellen] had no idea, though [that he was going to meet Judge]," Chelsy Wilson told MLB.com ... "And we had no idea. And when the Yankees didn’t take batting practice, they thought no way."

"But Kyle is pulling strings from above. We are so grateful to Mr. Judge. He has been an incredible role model to Kellen, even sending Kellen a jersey back in December."

6-foot-7 Judge took a picture with Kellen on the field, signed his jersey and autographed his bat ... and the two were even able to have a short conversation.

Then, Judge went out and hit one of the most monstrous home runs of the season ... blasting a 474-footer!!!

"He is exactly the kind of human and player Kyle told Kellen to look up to," Chelsy said. "How hard he works. How he treats others. And all he stands for."