Baseball

Trevor Hoffman says it's about damn time Curt Schilling joins him in the Hall of Fame, telling TMZ Sports voters should focus on his baseball skills ... and not his mouth.

We spoke with the 2018 inductee (congrats, btw) about Schilling missing the cut for the 6th year in a row ... and Hoffy says Curt's more than deserving of baseball's highest honor.

Curt's got 4 more attempts to get voted into the Hall ... and Hoffman sends his fellow pitcher an encouraging message.

Yasiel Puig had 11 of the strongest barbers on the planet give him a brand new look Thursday night ... getting a fresh bald haircut from kids battling cancer!!

The Dodgers superstar rolled into Cedars-Sinai hospital in L.A. where he decided to get his head shaved as a show of solidarity with all the tough kids in the hospital going through chemotherapy.

The kids loved it -- and so did Puig, who addressed every kid as his "new barber."

Alex Rodriguez's private jet just made an emergency landing only minutes after leaving a runway in New Jersey.

The multi-million dollar Gulfstream IV took off from Teterboro Airport Thursday morning, and the pilot declared an emergency shortly after. We're told he attempted to land the plane in Albany, but aborted, and headed back to Teterboro where he he was able to bring it down safely.

A-Rod was not on board, and it appears the issue was mechanical.

TMZ obtained air traffic control audio, and you can hear the pilot mention a problem with a flap. Air traffic control opened a runway for the emergency landing, which was successful.

A source connected to A-Rod tells us the landing was made mostly as a precaution, and the pilot was making a test run. The FAA tells us it's investigating.

As we reported, A-Rod just took delivery of the G4 last month.

HALLELUJAH!! Tim Tebow is headin' back to baseball!

The ex-football superstar tells TMZ Sports he's going to accept his invite to the NY Mets spring training in February ... and he's swingin' for the fences.

Tebow -- who played for Class A St. Lucie last season -- got the invite to return to the Mets' major league camp last week, but hadn't officially said whether he would take another shot at baseball until now.

BTW ... the 2007 Heisman winner had a .226 batting average with 8 dingers and 52 RBI in the minors last season.

Who the hell would wanna destroy the actual "Field of Dreams?"

That's what the people who operate the ballpark in Iowa want to know after some scumbag tore up the field during an evil joyride Monday night.

The field in Dyersville, Iowa touts itself as the "home of the iconic movie set" for the 1989 baseball flick -- thousands of fans visit the field every year.

But, field officials say someone drove a truck through the field -- putting 4-inch gashes all over the field and turf and damaging the sprinkler system.

"We cannot fathom why a soul on this planet would desecrate this holy ground," field operators said on social media.

"We pray for whomever did this to our special place that they find peace in their hearts. Before Opening Day, April 1, we will work toward repairing this damage."

Johnny Damon says there are 60 million reasons to let Roger Clemens into the Baseball Hall of Fame -- as in the dollars the feds spent trying (and failing) to prove he used steroids.

"Our government tried to accuse him ... we had $60 million of our tax money go to trying to defame him," Damon told TMZ Sports.

Johnny says all that money was wasted 'cause Clemens was ultimately "proven innocent."

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jeremy Jeffress has plead guilty in his drunk driving case -- but he's NOT going back to jail, TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, Jeffress was popped on August 26, 2016 -- and during the stop, cops say he admitted to drinking 3 to 4 cups of Hennessy and Coke before he got behind the wheel.

Jeffress was initially charged with misdemeanor DWI -- which carries a minimum 72 hours in jail in Texas (they REALLY don't like drunk driving there). The maximum is 180 days.

A rep for the Dallas County District Court tells TMZ Sports ... Jeffress pled guilty to DWI on Tuesday and got the minimum 3 days in jail. We're told the court gave him credit for time served, so he won't have to go back behind bars.

The Dodgers are a lock to make back-to-back World Series trips, right??

Not so fast, says stud closer Kenley Jansen -- who told TMZ Sports a repeat trip to the Fall Classic is far from guaranteed even if the Boys in Blue bust their asses.

The Dodgers did just reunite with ex-superstar Matt Kemp, who was out with Kenley at Thursday night's Lakers game ... and you can bet they ain't done makin' moves.

But, whether or not they repeat as NL champs, one thing's clear -- the fans FREAKIN' LOVE 'EM.

Rod Carew says he feels like a "superman" with his new heart and kidney ... telling TMZ Sports he's only getting stronger since suffering a major health scare 2 years ago.

ICYMI -- Carew experienced a massive heart attack back in 2015. Just months later, he received a heart transplant from Baltimore Ravens tight end Konrad Reuland ... who died from a brain aneurysm when he was 29.

Carew -- who was a part of the '18 Rose Bowl Parade -- says he's forever grateful he received Reuland's organs and has kept in touch with his family ever since.

The 72-year-old -- who once made 18 straight All-Star games -- jokes that he's feeling better than ever ... and would LOVE to make a comeback after being away from the majors for 32 years!!

BONUS: We asked Carew who he thinks is the next Rod Carew ... and you gotta check out his answer.

Jennifer Lopez is a MACHINE!!!!!

Check out footage of J Lo and A-Rod during a couple's workout in L.A. the other day -- crushing burpees and medicine ball slams.

Notice anything? Like how Jennifer Lopez is faster, more explosive and more energetic than the WORLD CLASS ATHLETE STANDING NEXT TO HER!!

J LO!!!!!!!!

Of course, A-Rod's built more for power than speed ... but still, watching Jenny from the Block murder this workout is probably the motivation you need to actually get to the gym in 2018.

A female photographer who covers the Minnesota Twins claims she was assaulted by All-Star Miguel Sano after an autograph signing in 2015 ... when he allegedly tried to drag her into a bathroom to hook up against her will.

Important to note ... the woman behind the allegations has spoken out on social media -- but she has not said if she ever filed a police report.

Here's the story ... Betsy Bissen just posted a detailed statement saying Sano had been flirting with her during the event at a store in Minnesota, but she was very clearly rejecting his advances.

Things came to a head after the session had ended when Bissen showed Sano where the restrooms were located -- and he allegedly tried to grab her and drag her inside.

"I pulled back as he held onto my wrist. It hurt, how badly he was grasping at my wrist but he wouldn't let go. I wasn't going to give up the fight though. He then leaned down and tried to kiss me, more than once."

Bissen says she fought Sano off for a solid 10 minutes before he finally backed off.

"No, he didn't rape me, but he sure did assault me."

Josie Canseco was TURNED UP on Wednesday ... with the model showing off her butt and talking about getting hammered on the way into a nightclub ... and it's all on video.

Jose's daughter (who's dating rap star Mike Stud) was with some friends outside of Delilah in West Hollywood where Drake was hanging out and they planned on joining the fun.

One problem ... the side door was locked.

Don't worry, the boozy bunch eventually figured out a Plan B and got into the party -- after telling TMZ Sports their NYE resolution is to get "f*cked up!"

Hey, she's 21. Like you were any better?

Prosecutors have dropped the assault charges against ex-NY Yankees infielder Pat Kelly and his GF stemming from an October arrest, TMZ Sports has learned.

We broke the story ... Kelly and Marina Cernova were arrested at the London Hotel in NYC on Oct. 1 after Marina called cops to report Pat had attacked her.

When cops arrived, they believed Marina also socked Pat in the face -- so they were both arrested and booked for misdemeanor assault.

Pat -- who played for the Yanks from '91 to '97 -- had denied all wrongdoing and claimed the incident was a giant misunderstanding.

Now, we're told the charges have been officially dropped -- mainly because both sides stopped cooperating with prosecutors.

How are the L.A. Angels looking after their killer off-season?

"Lookin' like we about to whoop the Dodgers’ ass" ... and the Yankees' too -- so says ScHoolboy Q.

If you couldn't tell, ScHoolboy's a die-hard Halos fan ... so now that they've added Shohei Otani (AKA the Japanese Babe Ruth), we had to ask the rapper how his squad measured up with the rest of MLB.

Q shot high -- telling us they'd win the battle of Los Angeles AND take out the reigning A.L. champs!!

Guess he's not feelin' the Judge/Giancarlo combo as much as Jimmy Fallon.

4:20 PM PT -- It ain't just for looks ... Tim Lincecum is gearin' up for an MLB comeback -- so says the president of Driveline Baseball in Kent, Washington (where the photo was taken).

"Tim will throw for teams at a showcase in the near future," he tweeted.

Wanna know where Tim Lincecum's been for the past year??

Hitting the gym, bro ... and getting SHREDDED.

The former SF Giants superstar resurfaced in a photo from Rockies pitcher Adam Ottavino Monday night ... and it's clear Lincecum hasn't just been chillin' since getting dropped by the Angels last summer.

The 33-year-old's putting his new physique to use too ... windin' up the heater in what appears to be a baseball training facility.

No word on an official comeback -- but either way, lookin' good, Timmy! (We do miss the hair, though.)

Ex-Yankees OF Dustin Fowler is out for revenge against Chicago White Sox over a horrific injury suffered in his MLB debut ... when he slammed his knee into an electrical box while chasing a fly ball.

22-year-old Fowler was a huge prospect for the Yanks -- which expected BIG things from him when he made his MLB debut on June 29, 2017, when NY played the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.

After a 3-hour rain delay, Fowler started at right field -- and made headlines when he crashed into a metal electrical box while chasing Jose Abreu's foul ball in the 1st inning.

Fowler collapsed when he tried to put weight on his leg -- and was carted off the field. He never got his 1st at bat and missed the rest of the season. He's since been traded to the Oakland A's.

Fowler was reportedly diagnosed with an open rupture of the patellar tendon in his right knee which required emergency surgery.

Now, Fowler is suing both the Sox and the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, which owns the park.

In his suit, Fowler claims the "exposed box was positioned at a hazardous location" -- between the padded right field wall and the padded rail, at knee level.

He claims both defendants had a duty to make the field safe for players -- and they failed. Now, he wants a ton of money to make things right.