Baseball

Shohei Ohtani has been cleared by the Angels to pitch in the World Baseball Classic final against Team USA on Tuesday night ... paving the way for a potential dream matchup against Mike Trout in the championship game.

The Halos star last threw for Japan in the tourney on March 16 against Italy ... and many thought that would be his last time on the mound in the huge baseball event -- as he's still ramping up his right arm in preparation for the 2023 MLB season.

But, with Japan beating Mexico in a thriller on Monday night -- Ohtani expressed interest in appearing in relief for his home country against America in the finale ... and Angels brass said on Tuesday morning they'd allow it to go down if the opportunity arises.

Of course, there is risk involved. Ohtani has never thrown on just four days rest ... and he is less than five years removed from Tommy John surgery. Plus, he's expected to also bat in the heart of Japan's lineup for the entirety of the contest too.

But LA general manager Perry Minasian told reporters he'd be comfortable if Ohtani needed to throw an inning or so to help his team secure a WBC win.

"He's the last guy on planet Earth I'm worried about," Minasian said. "He's going to be prepared. He's going to have an idea of what he needs to do. If he does decide to pitch, I have the utmost confidence he will be ready to pitch and be fine."

Manager Phil Nevin echoed Minasian's comments ... saying he was fired up over the possibility of seeing Ohtani vs. Trout on the big stage.

"Who wouldn't want to see the two best players in the world go at it, right?" he said. "Then we'd have a lot of fun talking about it the rest of the year."

Ohtani -- who some believe could sign a $500 MILLION contract next offseason -- is currently scheduled to be the Angels' Opening Day starter on March 30.

The WBC final, meanwhile, kicks off in just a couple hours at 7 p.m. ET in Miami.

Ken Griffey Jr.'s still got it ... The Kid stepped into the batter's box during Team USA World Baseball Classic BP on Friday -- and showed his sweet swing has not evaporated one bit with age!!!

The 53-year-old was coaxed into the cage by some of MLB's biggest superstars down in Miami as they were prepping for their WBC game against Venezuela on Saturday ... and he smashed bombs over the wall over and over again.

With his signature left-handed stroke, Griffey Jr. -- who's helping coach Team USA this year -- peppered the right field seats ... and check out some of the video of the scene, guys like Nolan Arenado were in awe!

In fact, almost the entire Team USA roster crowded around to get a glimpse of the legend's swings -- and each dude had a huge smile on his face with every pitch.

Of course, it probably shouldn't be too surprising, Griffey didn't retire that long ago -- 2010 ain't that far off -- and he did hit 630 dingers in his 2,671 career games.

Then again, 53 isn't exactly young for a baseball player!!

It's become a bit of a theme around Major League Baseball, though, because just last week, Aaron Boone uncorked a tater to deep left field on his 50th birthday.

His season might be over, but New York Mets star closer Edwin Díaz was still in great spirits in his hospital room on Thursday ... updating his fans and thanking them for their support after undergoing surgery on his right knee.

Díaz's wife, Nashaly, shared a snapshot of the pitcher on Instagram ... showing him throwing up a peace sign as he lay in bed with blankets draped over his legs.

Díaz -- who suffered a right knee patellar injury while celebrating Puerto Rico's win over the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic on Wednesday -- also sent a message to his supporters ... saying everything is going to be okay.

"To all my beloved fans, especially the Mets fans, I want to let you know that I am doing well and healing," the All-Star said. "I feel blessed and grateful for your support with messages and prayers, thank you very much!"

Díaz -- whose game entrance has gone viral for being the most hype moment you can experience at a baseball game -- assured Mets fans they'll hear "Narco" by Timmy Trumpet and Blasterjaxx soon enough.

Terrible news for New York Mets fans -- Edwin Díaz is most likely out for the season ... after the star closer tore his patellar tendon while celebrating a big win at the World Baseball Classic.

Díaz suffered the injury on the field Wednesday ... as he and his Puerto Rico teammates were congratulating each other on their 5-2 victory over the Dominican Republic.

Edwin struck out Teoscar Hernández to end the game ... and once the final out was recorded, players from Puerto Rico surrounded the two-time All-Star and jumped up and down.

During the celebration, Díaz collapsed to the ground and started writhing in pain ... causing his teammates to be overwhelmed with emotion as they feared the worst possible scenario.

The Mets said the 28-year-old will undergo surgery on Thursday ... and will update fans on how the procedure goes shortly after.

Mets GM Billy Eppler added Díaz will likely miss at least 8 months with the injury.

Edwin's injury is a huge blow -- the Mets made the playoffs last year and were entering the 2023 season optimistic they could contend for a World Series title.

In his fourth season with the Mets, Díaz recorded 32 saves and had 118 strikeouts to accompany a stellar 1.31 ERA.

Trevor Bauer's potential road back to an MLB mound will be making a stop in Japan first ... the former Cy Young winner is signing a deal to play for the Yokohama DeNA Baystars this season.

According to Sanspo Sports, Bauer's contract with his new team will be for one year ... and right around $3 million. ESPN reported Monday afternoon the deal is expected to become official later Monday night.

Bauer was just released by the Dodgers in January -- after he was reinstated from a suspension that the MLB had hit him with following an investigation into allegations he sexually assaulted a 27-year-old woman during two encounters in 2021.

Initially, the ban was for 324 games ... but it was ultimately reduced to 194 games by an independent arbitrator, making Bauer eligible to play in the MLB this season.

But, following his release from LA, no team signed him ... prompting the move to the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization.

Bauer hasn't pitched professionally since June 2021 -- but when he was on the mound, he was as effective as any pitcher in baseball. In the '21 season before he was put on paid leave as the MLB kicked off its investigation, he had 2.59 ERA with 137 strikeouts in 107.2 innings pitched.

Bauer -- who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in his case -- has yet to publicly comment on the new deal.

Red Sox star Justin Turner just got drilled in the face by a pitch during a spring training game ... and the blow was so violent, it left him oozing blood at home plate.

The scary incident happened during Boston's exhibition tilt with the Tigers ... when Turner came up to bat with two runners on base in the bottom of the second inning.

Detroit right-hander Matt Manning threw a ball up and in ... and Turner couldn't get out of the way -- and it caught him flush in his face.

The former L.A. Dodgers third baseman immediately dropped to the ground in pain ... and video from the game's broadcast showed he was bleeding profusely from his face.

Red Sox trainers raced out to tend to him, covering his mouth with a towel before ushering him into the locker room.

The Sox -- who acquired Turner last December in free agency -- have yet to announce an update on the 38-year-old's status.

Chicago White Sox pitcher Mike Clevinger will not face discipline from the MLB following allegations he terrorized the mother of his child ... the league said Sunday it concluded its probe into the star, and will not be imposing any punishment on him.

The league initially opened up its investigation after Olivia Finestead made claims the 32-year-old had been violent with her during their relationship.

In a series of Instagram posts back in January, she claimed the baseball player "threw an iPad at me pregnant." She also said, "he strangled me." She alleged Clevinger "threw chew spit on our baby" as well.

The MLB said in a statement Sunday it spoke with Clevinger's accuser regarding the allegations -- as well as more than 15 other individuals -- during its investigation. It also said it reviewed "thousands of electronic communication records" in relation to the case -- but came to the conclusion "barring the receipt of any new information or evidence, the Office of the Commissioner will not be imposing discipline on Mr. Clevinger in connection with these allegations."

The league, though, did say Clevinger "has voluntarily agreed to submit to evaluations" by the MLB's joint treatment boards and has agreed to "comply with any of the board's recommendations."

Clevinger said following the MLB's announcement that he was "pleased" with the league's findings.

"I had nothing to hide and cooperated fully with MLB," he said. "I asked everyone not to rush to judgment until MLB's investigation was concluded, and I appreciate everyone who had faith in me, including the White Sox organization and my teammates."

Finestead said on her Instagram page Sunday, "Mike putting himself in drug, domestic & family violence therapy has always been my goal since the beginning and he refused to go when I tried to be there for him so I'm glad he's going now."

Get a *load* of this ... former Dodgers infielder Kiké Hernandez admitted he crapped on himself on the field during a 2020 playoff game!!

Hernandez's teammate, Justin Turner, who reunited with Kike in Boston with the Red Sox, asked KH for his most embarrassing moment during a Major League Baseball game, and he dropped a bombshell (yes, pun intended).

The Sox utility man told Turner he was taking antibiotics for a tooth infection a few years back, and one of the side effects of the medicine was ... you guessed it, diarrhea.

Kiké recalled the crappy incident, saying he was so pumped after the team got a big out in a pressure-packed situation in the National League Division Series (NLDS), he screamed, "F Yeah!"

"I was DHing and I thought I farted," Hernandez said to Turner. "I went out to lead off the inning. I struck out in three pitches."

He continued ... "When I went in the dugout, I went straight to the bathroom, pulled my pants down, completely sharted."

"So you're saying you misjudged a fart," Turner asked Hernandez. "Uh, no. What I'm saying is I s*** my pants during a game in the playoffs," Hernandez replied to Turner.

College baseball player Jatonne Sterling, a member of the Clark Atlanta University team, was shot and killed on Tuesday. He was just 20 years old.

The Atlanta Police Department said the tragic shooting happened less than a mile from CAU's campus in Georgia ... near a church.

According to cops, officers responded to the scene at around 1:42 p.m. ... and found Sterling suffering from a gunshot wound. They said he was "not alert, conscious, or breathing and was pronounced deceased on the scene."

Cops say they have launched an investigation into the shooting, but no arrests have been made yet.

CAU, an HBCU, and its athletics department mourned Sterling's death in a social media post, saying, "Gone too soon."

"Please keep Jatonne’s family in your prayers. 🙏🏾," the school added.

According to CAU, Sterling was a utility player on the baseball team who was majoring in computer science.

Before getting a baseball scholarship to play for the CAU Panthers, Sterling was a standout athlete at Chicago's Morgan Park High School ... where he won a championship in 2021.

His former high school baseball coach, Earnest Radcliff, told 11Alive he spoke with Sterling a week ago and looked at him like a son.

"I don't have any words to describe the hurt for this young man," Radcliff said. "No parent should have to bury their child."

R.I.P.

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Gavin Lux was deeply emotional while discussing his season-ending ACL injury with reporters on Tuesday ... calling the whole ordeal "heartbreaking."

25-year-old Lux suffered the devastating setback when his knee buckled while running the bases in the Dodgers' spring training matchup against the San Diego Padres on Monday ... closing the curtain on his 2023 campaign.

Lux was visibly upset while discussing the injury with the media just minutes ago ... fighting back tears as he spoke about it.

"You put in a lot of time and work and you really enjoy the guys in the clubhouse," Lux said at the Dodgers' facility. "The hardest part is just not being able to be on the field, for sure."

Lux says he felt his knee pop right away ... and the outside of his leg went numb.

"S*** happens, so control what you can control and crush my rehab and try to be ready for 2024 when it rolls around and that's kinda all you can do," he added.

It was slated to be a big year for Lux, who was going to be the Dodgers' starting shortstop -- a role he's wanted since he was a kid.

"I think every baseball player's dream is to play shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers. So, yeah, I think that's one of the hardest parts."

Lux said his teammates have been nothing but supportive throughout the process ... adding it just goes to show "how good these guys in the clubhouse are."

Lux will have surgery next week ... and is expected to be out 8 months.

Ross Stripling's first season in San Francisco ain't off to the best start -- he revealed Monday he accidentally went through the team's picture day with food in his teeth!!!

The new Giants pitcher posed for the photos a couple days ago -- but when they came back this week ... he noticed something wasn't quite right with his pearly whites.

In between two of his top incisors -- there was something black wedged in ... and it didn't take him long to realize it was actually part of his lunch that day!!

The 33-year-old, though, was a good sport about it all ... tweeting a photo of the mishap and laughing it all off.

"Went the entire picture day with a piece of pepper in my teeth and no one told me," he said, adding a crying emoji.

No word yet if the Giants will retake the photos for the guy, who signed with the team in free agency in December, or if they'll simply work some photoshop magic.

Terrifying scene out at Pittsburgh Pirates' spring training practice Tuesday ... a guest of the org. suffered a medical emergency on the field -- and needed immediate attention from trainers and doctors.

The incident happened while the man was helping shag fly balls in the outfield. According to the team, he suddenly collapsed, and officials rushed to his aid right away.

Reporters at the stadium described the scary scene ... with Post-Gazette Pirates beat writer Jason Mackey saying the individual needed CPR.

Pirates players, meanwhile, took a knee and looked on from the infield as the situation unfolded.

A spokesperson for the Pirates said the man eventually became "alert and responsive" -- before he was taken to the hospital for further evaluation.

Pirates practice ultimately resumed several minutes later.

Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton spoke to the media afterward about what happened ... and he praised his team's medical staff for doing an "unbelievable job."

Ex-Mets pitching coach Phil Regan has filed a lawsuit against the team ... claiming the only reason he was booted from his gig in NY nearly four years ago was because he's old.

The 85-year-old baseball lifer spelled out his allegations in a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, alleging the age discrimination happened after he took over the interim pitching coach role in the middle of the 2019 season.

Regan, in the suit, says after he filled in for the fired Dave Eiland, the team saw immediate results. He claimed the staff's aces -- Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler and Noah Syndergaard -- all got better under his watch ... and he added that the team's ERA lowered significantly too.

But, he said he was not retained following the season ... claiming he was not brought back solely because he was 82 years old at the time.

In the suit, filed by high-profile employment attorney Matthew Blit, Regan said the team's GM at the time, Brodie Van Wagenen, even admitted to him that he wasn't coming back because he was "too old."

Regan also said in the lawsuit that Van Wagenen told him, "If we don't find the young pitching coach we are looking for, we will hire you back."

The Mets ended up hiring 33-year-old former MLB pitcher Jeremy Hefner to replace Regan in the offseason.

Regan -- who both played and coached in the MLB for six decades -- did not coach again following the '19 season. He's suing for unspecified damages.

"Phil is the first to crack jokes about his age," Blit said in a statement to TMZ Sports, "however there is nothing funny about a person being told that they are being passed over because their employer wants someone younger. That's discrimination, plain and simple."

Blit added, "Suing for discrimination in professional sports is extremely rare. In fact, Phil debated doing this for many years. But the hurt from the conversation that he had with Mr. Van Wagenen continues to haunt him to this day. He can hear the exact words playing in his head over and over. Phil knew this had to be done."

Chicago White Sox prospect Anderson Comás revealed this weekend he's gay ... saying he's hoping coming out now will help inspire others to "fight for your dreams."

The 23-year-old became just the second active MLB minor leaguer to reveal he's gay ... and in an emotional Instagram post on Sunday, he wrote, "I'm doing this cause I wanna be an inspiration for those like me out there fighting for their dreams."

"Please don’t listen to those stupid things that people say about us," he added, "fight for your dreams, believe in yourself and go for it."

Comás signed with the Sox in 2016 out of the Dominican Republic ... and began his career as an outfielder. In 2022, though, he switched to pitching -- and logged 11.1 innings on the mound for the White Sox's rookie league team last season.

After his announcement Sunday, the White Sox applauded him -- saying on Twitter they were "proud" of the prospect.

Team assistant general manager Chris Getz later said in a statement Comas came out to the team last year.

"I was very pleased that he was comfortable sharing with us in player development," Getz said.

Travis Scott's Cactus Jack Foundation hosted a celebrity softball game yesterday ... and he scored big by carving out loads of opportunities for Historically Black Colleges in honor of Black History Month.

The star-studded game went down Thursday inside Houston's Minute Maid Park -- home to MLB's Astros -- and raised awareness for the Waymon Webster HBCU Scholarship Fund and Cactus Jack HBCU Classic.

LaFlame put out the call and a huge list of famous athletes answered to help in the effort: 9-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis, Ken Griffey Jr., Reggie Jackson, Jose Canseco and his daughter Josie, Gary Sheffield, Andre Dawson, Shane Victorino and Nick Swisher. Plus, NFL and NBA greats Terrell Owens, Adrian Peterson, Robert Horry, Vince Young, and Tracy Mcgrady.

Travis' fellow artists came out too ... folks like Scarface, Bun B, Metro Boomin, Slim Thug, Sheck Wes, Trae Tha Truth, Paul Wall, and Dominic Fike.

Following the match (which T.O.'s team won), Travis and his family were presented with the Vanguard award by Daniel Moss, Executive Director of the HBCU Foundation, for their dedication to higher learning within the Black community and the scholarship opportunities they've provided.

To date, Travis' efforts have raised about $1 million for 100 graduating HBCU seniors ... who were all celebrated during Thursday's game.

Tim McCarver -- a two-time World Series champ who went on to become one of MLB's most famous broadcasters -- has sadly died.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed the news on Thursday afternoon ... calling the baseball legend "an All-Star, a World Series Champion, a respected teammate, and one of the most influential voices our game has known."

"All of us at Major League Baseball are grateful for Tim's impact on sports broadcasting and his distinguished career in our National Pastime," the commish added. "I extend my deepest condolences to Tim's family, friends and the generations of fans who learned about our great game from him."

MLB.com reported the cause of death was heart failure. He was 81 years old.

Tim got his start in the MLB in 1959, when he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals as a teenager. The catcher went on to become a full-time player in 1963, before he earned his first All-Star selection in 1966.

In 1967, he finished second in MVP voting -- just behind Orlando Cepeda and just ahead of Roberto Clemente.

Tim won two World Series with the Cardinals -- but eventually left the org. for Philadelphia in 1970. He went on to play for the Expos and Red Sox, before finishing his career with the Phils.

He ended his playing days after the 1980 season ... finishing with a career .271 batting average, 97 home runs and 645 RBI.

Following his playing career, McCarver became one of baseball's most popular analysts for FOX, calling games alongside Joe Buck from 1996 to 2013. Prior to his work at FOX, TM also worked for NBC, ABC and CBS.

At CBS, he famously had water thrown on him by Deion Sanders over some previous comments he had made about the two-sport star.

In 2012, McCarver was eventually given the Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award. He had just retired from broadcasting last year.