Baseball

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jake Fraley was so pissed with Phillies fans on Thursday night, he straight-up screamed at the guys and eventually told them to "shut the f**k up!"

It all went down at Citizens Bank Ballpark during the Reds' tilt with Philadelphia, when at some point during the contest, Fraley had clearly heard enough from chirping Phils fans.

Video from the scene shows Fraley and a man wearing a navy blue shirt that read Philadelphia Fire Department jawing back and forth with each other, exchanging cuss words.

Then, after Fraley told the guy he didn't want a problem with him ... he said to the group of people in the seats, "Shut the f**k up!" before he walked away from the situation.

The fans kept telling Fraley he got the wrong guy, with one man repeatedly yelling, "It wasn't me!"

Jake, however, clearly wasn't buying the explanation, and seemed infuriated over it all. Luckily for all parties, cooler heads prevailed before things escalated.

The Cubs vs. Cardinals game Tuesday night was a snoozer -- but the action in the outfield seats sure as hell as wasn't ... 'cause fans got into a wild tiff there where one man ended up being hurled down several rows of bleachers.

The chaos appeared to happen in the eighth inning of the Cardinals' 13-3 blowout of the Cubs ... when several fans got into an altercation at Wrigley Field.

It's unclear what started the tiff -- but you can see in video of the fracas, a guy wearing an Anthony Rizzo jersey was pushed so hard during the scuffle, he actually fell head over heels down a few rows of seats.

Fortunately, he was able to get up seemingly uninjured ... but the same couldn't be said for another dude who was involved in the fight -- 'cause footage shows that guy was bleeding from his eye area.

Multiple security guards raced to the scene to try to restore order -- and after a few moments, it looked like they succeeded.

Unclear if any arrests were made, we've reached out to cops, but so far, no word back yet.

A Black Little League World Series player was, indeed, not the only one wearing cotton on his head during an MLB game on Sunday night ... a new photo shows a white player had the toy stuffing placed in his hair as well.

The photo, taken by someone who appeared to be just feet away from the Little Leaguers who were playing with the stuffed animal's filling during the MLB's Little League Classic game in Williamsport, Penn., was posted to social media on Tuesday morning.

In the pic, you can see a white player and a Black player both had cotton on the top of their heads. The Twitter account that shared the picture said the kids were simply trying to mimic a fellow Little Leaguer, who's gained fame for a white hairdo.

"Many of the teammates were participating, Black and white," the Twitter user said as a caption on the photo. "They were imitating the stud pitcher from Hawaii who has an awesome white-dyed Mohawk."

The user also shared a video of the Black player smiling and flexing while showing off the cotton on his head.

As we previously reported, several members of the Davenport, Iowa, Little League team -- who are white -- took the stuffing out of giveaway toys at the stadium during the Red Sox vs. Orioles game and placed it on a Black teammate's head.

Viewers were outraged over the imagery -- which was shown for nearly 30 seconds on ESPN's broadcast of the game -- but Little League World Series officials said in a statement Monday they were assured there was "no ill-intent" behind the actions.

"After speaking with the team, as well as reviewing photos, multiple players on the Midwest Region team were taking part in this while enjoying the game," officials said. "As only one player appeared on the broadcast, Little League International understands that the actions shown could be perceived as racially insensitive."

"We have spoken with the player's mother and the coaches, who have assured us that there was no ill-intent behind the action shown during the broadcast."

An MLB fan learned the hard way on Monday night it's best to stay in your seat at Yankee Stadium -- 'cause as soon as he left it to take a jaunt on the field ... he was DECKED by security guards.

The moment all happened in the seventh inning of the big Yankees vs. Mets tilt -- when a man thought it'd be fun to hop an outfield wall and attempt to bother NY right fielder Starling Marte.

But, the dude didn't get very far at all -- witnesses at the game say he was pummeled by authorities almost as soon as his feet hit the grass.

Video taken from the outfield seats shows the guy was then manhandled by guards -- who threw him around like a ragdoll.

Eventually, the guy was cuffed and escorted off the turf. No word yet if he was arrested -- we've reached out to cops, but so far, we haven't heard back yet.

The guy ended up missing a pretty good ending to the game -- the Yankees went on to close the door on the Mets, 4-2.

A Little League World Series player's head was covered in cotton during an MLB game on Sunday night -- and while Little League officials acknowledged it "could be perceived as racially insensitive," they said they've since been assured there was "no ill-intent" behind the actions.

The incident happened in the eighth inning of the Red Sox vs. Orioles Little League Classic game in Williamsport, Penn. ... when several members of the Davenport, Iowa, Little League team -- who are white -- took stuffing out of giveaway toys and placed it on a Black teammate's head.

Many on social media were outraged by the visuals on the ESPN broadcast ... considering the Black player did not appear to be laughing about it at all.

But, reps for the LLWS said in a statement Monday that after speaking with the Black child's mother and coaches, they've been assured "that there was no ill-intent behind the action shown during the broadcast."

"After speaking with the team," officials said, "as well as reviewing photos, multiple players on the Midwest Region team were taking part in this while enjoying the game."

"As only one player appeared on the broadcast, Little League International understands that the actions shown could be perceived as racially insensitive."

A couple allegedly engaged in a sex act in the stands at the Oakland A's game on Sunday ... and now, police tell TMZ Sports they're investigating it all.

The two MLB fans were accused of going at it at some point during the Athletics' tilt with the Seattle Mariners at RingCentral Coliseum ... when a spectator in another part of the stadium appeared to capture the two getting it on in one of the last rows of the venue.

Footage appears to show the woman performing oral sex on the man for several seconds.

An Oakland Police Dept. spokesperson says cops are aware of the allegations ... and have launched a probe into the matter.

"The Oakland Police Department was not alerted to this until after the game," the spokesperson said, "and we have initiated an investigation."

Easton Oliverson just crossed another huge milestone in his road to recovery ... the Little League World Series player is now walking -- just days after he suffered severe head injuries in a fall from his bunk bed.

Oliverson's family shared a video on their social media page on Friday showing the Snow Canyon Little League pitcher/outfielder standing up and walking with the help of medical personnel.

"We are at a loss for words," the family said in the caption. "There are none that seem fitting other than: God is Good. SO GOOD!🤍"

"We love our Easton so much. Thank you for loving, and supporting him with us. Keep the prayers coming- he’s getting stronger every day!"

The 12-year-old initially fractured his skull on Sunday after falling off his bed at the players' dormitory complex in Williamsport, Penn.

Things looked dire for Easton the night of the accident -- he was actually placed in a medically induced coma -- but, he's since shown a ton of progress, and appears to be on his way to a full recovery.

Even posthumously, Hank Aaron continues to set records ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned one of his rookie cards just sold for over $700K, making it the most expensive Aaron card EVER.

Aaron's famous 1954 Topps piece netted $720K at auction on Thursday night -- easily surpassing the old record of $645K for a Hank card.

Officials at PWCC tell us it sold for the staggering price because the card "is one of the finest on the market" ... and "ranks among the most recognized and respected baseball cards in the industry."

The card's front features two images of Aaron when he was a member of the Milwaukee Braves. The back showed off some of Aaron's stats and fun facts. It was given a 9 grade, meaning it's still in nearly perfect condition.

"Simply stated," PWCC officials said of the piece, "this card belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame. It is a national treasure."

During his rookie campaign with the Braves, Aaron took the Majors by storm ... playing in 122 games with the team while logging a .280 batting average and hitting 13 home runs.

"Hammerin' Hank" would go on to have an iconic Hall of Famer career -- setting the record for most-ever home runs (755 in 23 seasons) ... a mark that's only since been topped by one other, Barry Bonds (762).

It's unknown who the lucky buyer of the card is -- but safe to say they're very happy on this Friday morning.

A spin down the famous slide at American Family Field on Wednesday ended up in a trip to the emergency room for Dodgers reporter David Vassegh ... who ended up breaking several bones in his body on the ride at the Brewers' ballpark.

The mishap happened just before L.A. took on Milwaukee at the stadium in Wisconsin.

Vassegh was gunnin' to check an item off his bucket list by finally going down Bernie's Chalet in center field -- but things went terribly wrong for the journalist when he came to a stop on the ride.

Video of Vassegh's slide shows he didn't finish feetfirst -- and ended up crashing into the wall with his arm and back exposed. You can see in the footage, Vassegh was in a world of pain immediately.

Turns out, he ended up breaking his arm and fracturing six ribs in the fall. But, somehow, the dude made it back to the field in a cast to get his job done!!

Dodgers announcers Joe Davis and Nomar Garciaparra laughed their asses off at the blunder -- and, to his credit, Vassegh was a good sport about it all on TV.

The guys that Vassegh covers, meanwhile, were impressed with his toughness ... with catcher Austin Barnes saying after their 2-1 win that they got the dub for the injured reporter.

"We all rallied today for you," the Dodger said.

No word if Vassegh will have to miss any further time from here to properly recover -- but get well soon!

Tuesday night will be the last time two Washington fans attend a game at Nationals Park for the foreseeable future ... 'cause the team has reportedly just banned the men for five years after they were accused of heckling Cubs star Willson Contreras.

The incident happened in the top of the 10th inning of the Nats vs. Chicago tilt in D.C. ... when following a sacrifice fly, two guys in Nationals jerseys appeared to say things to Contreras that rattled the Cubs catcher.

Video from the stadium shows the 30-year-old was pissed on the diamond -- and stayed mad for several minutes in the dugout, before the fans were eventually escorted away from the area.

After the game, Contreras declined to get into specifics of what was said to him ... though he did claim the words were "not healthy."

On Wednesday, according to the Chicago Tribune, the Nats decided to boot the fans from Nationals Park for the next five years over it all.

There was a slight breeze in Miami on Tuesday ... and it was all thanks to Jake Paul's batting practice before the Marlins game.

The Problem Child was the guest of honor at LoanDepot Park before the home team hosted the San Diego Padres ... and before his ceremonial first pitch, he took the batter's box to get in some swings.

25-year-old Paul looked confident as hell before his first swing ... even calling his shot like Babe Ruth.

But, it didn't necessarily go as planned -- Paul whiffed not only his first pitch, but also the next three that came after ... before finally hitting a grounder to third base.

Of course, Jake was clearly just having fun with it -- he even claimed afterward that the video was edited to make him look bad.

Since he wasn't able to hit a real dinger, the team gave Jake a toy bat to show off what his home run celebration would look like ... and naturally, he hit the griddy!!

Paul eventually took the mound for the first pitch ... and despite being several feet in front of the mound, it was a solid toss.

It looked like Paul had an awesome time at the game -- the dude also got to try out some smelling salts in the dugout.

The 12-year-old who suffered severe injuries in a fall from his bunk bed at the Little League World Series is showing encouraging signs of recovery ... with his family announcing Tuesday night his breathing tube is now out.

Easton Oliverson -- who pitches and plays the outfield for the Snow Canyon Little League team -- is still in a hospital bed and still being monitored, but the family called the removal of the breathing tube "a big step."

Oliverson's family also said he received results from an MRI scan that "came out very promising."

"Easton keeps proving himself to be the fighter we have always known he is!!" the Oliverson family said in a statement. "The prayers are working! Please keep them coming. We love you all!🤍"

Oliverson was initially injured on Sunday night -- shortly after he and his Little League teammates made it to Williamsport, Penn. for this week's World Series.

His uncle, Spencer Beck, told TMZ Sports Easton was sleeping on the top of a bunk bed when he suddenly fell out and hit his head. He suffered, among other injuries, a fractured skull -- and required emergency surgery.

The family has set up a Venmo account, @MiraclesForTank, to help cover his medical expenses.

His team, meanwhile, has said it will still play in its LLWS-opening game later this week.

MLB journeyman Adeiny Hechavarría and his stunning swimsuit model fiancée, Alison Bowles, have decided to call off their engagement after 5 years together ... TMZ Sports has learned.

33-year-old Hechavarría -- who played for 7 different MLB teams from 2012-2020 -- first started dating Bowles in 2017 ... and decided to pop the question with a five-carat engagement ring in 2019.

Bowles tells TMZ Sports their current career paths require them to be apart for long periods of time -- Adeiny is currently playing for the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan, while Bowles travels all over the world for modeling and her side gig as an influencer.

Because of that, the two barely saw each other ... which ultimately led to the split.

Bowles tells us ... "We have nothing but love and respect for each other and I wish him future success in his career."

It's been a tough road for the two -- back in December 2021, Bowles revealed to the NY Post they had to spend 9 months away from each other during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Rodolfo Castro has just been hit with a suspension by Major League Baseball ... after his phone made an accidental appearance during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Jeff Passan of ESPN says the league handed down the one-game ban because Castro "played while having a cell phone in his back pocket."

The 23-year-old -- who's in his second season with the Pirates -- was sliding into third base when the mishap occurred. As Castro slid head-first into the bag, his phone flew out of his left pocket.

Castro was unaware the phone came out ... and the ump had to tell him it was on the ground before he retrieved it.

Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton was not pleased with Castro -- who was called up from the Minors for the game that night -- and said after the incident, "This was just a kid who made a mistake."

"It’s just one of those things we move forward from and tell him, 'You can’t do that,'" he said.

To his credit, the second-year player did take accountability for his mistake, which he contends was an honest mistake, expressing he felt "horrible" about the situation and never wanted to be the center of attention.

Jonathan Papelbon went scorched Earth on Fernando Tatis Jr. -- suspended 80 games by MLB for a positive PED test -- saying if he was still pitching in the Majors, he'd drill the Padres star every chance he got!

The former Red Sox star closer shared his feelings on Tatis' blockbuster suspension on the "The Bradfo Sho podcast" ... and he didn't mince his words.

"I'll tell you right now, if I was pitching, every single time I face that dude, I’m drilling him," Papelbon said, adding ... "I don’t care if I'm bringing in a run and losing the game."

"This whole Tatis stuff, man, it almost enrages me. "I worked my ass off so long and so hard and did it the right way. For me, to see something like that, it hurts me so bad."

Papelbon -- who played 12 seasons in the big leagues -- said the problem with Major League Baseball now is players aren't allowed to "police" the game the way they used to when he toed the mound.

"That's the problem with the game today now, is it's changed," Papelbon said. "You throw [at] people now, and you get suspended and all the other BS, and it's like just let the players police the game."

"That's what I miss about the game now is, you look in the past, and the players were the ones who policed the game. Not the damn umpires or the coaches, or any of them. It was the players."

"[And] that's what the game lost," he added.

As we previously reported, 23-year-old Tatis was hit with an 80-game suspension Friday after testing positive for Clostebol, a performance-enhancing substance.

Former NY Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez expressed disappointment with Tatis ... saying the PED suspension may cost him a shot at the Hall of Fame down the road, something A-Rod, unfortunately, is experiencing.

"I'm not going to go to the Hall of Fame probably because of my own mistake," A-Rod said. "And, that's heartbreaking for me. It's heartbreaking to explain that to my daughters. But, that's on me."

"I wish that a lot of these young players who I admire so much would learn from my stupidity and my debacle."

Fernando Tatis Sr. came to his son's defense yesterday ... claiming Tatis Jr. developed a fungus on his skin after receiving a bad haircut and used the banned medication to fix the issue.

Ultimately, JP understands why ex-MLBers, and potentially Tatis' fellow Padres teammates, are upset with his alleged actions ... and Jonathan thinks the distraction could prevent the team from reaching their full potential come playoff time.

A 12-year-old baseball player gearing up to compete in this week's Little League World Series in Pennsylvania is now fighting for his life -- after he fell from a bunk bed at the Williamsport venue's dormitory complex over the weekend.

Easton Oliverson -- who pitches and plays outfield for the Snow Canyon Little League team that's making its first-ever LLWS appearance this month -- sustained a fractured skull in the incident Sunday night, according to his uncle, Spencer Beck.

Beck tells TMZ Sports ... Oliverson was sleeping on the top bunk, when he suddenly fell out of the bed and hit his head. He was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery.

Beck tells us Oliverson, who's earned the nickname "Tank," is currently in a medically induced coma -- though he and the rest of the family are optimistic the boy will make a recovery.

"He's a really good kid, very loving," Beck said. "Full of smiles. Just a fun, fun kid -- so we're all praying for him."

Little League officials released a statement Monday regarding Oliverson's condition ... saying, "At the request of his family, Little League International encourages all to join us in keeping the Snow Canyon Little League player and his family in our thoughts and prayers, as we wish for a full and complete recovery."

"Little League International will continue to use all available resources, including those provided by UPMC in North Central Pa., through the Player Wellness Center, to support the player, his family, and his coaches and teammates, as we navigate this unfortunate situation."

Oliverson's team, meanwhile, said it will still compete in its first game of the World Series in Williamsport on Friday -- writing in a statement that Oliverson's father, who's a coach on the squad, wanted them to continue onward in the tournament.

"While our hearts are heavy," the team said in the statement, "we are committed as a team to have an opportunity to take part in something that is only dreamt about by others."

Beck tells us the family has set up a Venmo account for Oliverson -- @MiraclesForTank -- to help with medical expenses.