Baseball

Phil Spector's daughter wants a judge to bang the gavel ... to prevent tons of his music memorabilia from being sold to the highest bidder ... and now she's suing one of the biggest auction houses over it.

The late music producer's only daughter, Nicole Spector, is suing Julien's Auctions ... claiming the items actually belong to her, so they have no right to sell them.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Nicole says she only recently found out about Julien's "Music Icons" auction, which features 82 items the auction house has been promoting as coming straight from Phil's estate.

Among the items ... a letter from President Nixon, a baseball signed by Mickey Mantle, tickets from a 1966 Beatles concert, a book signed by Yoko Ono and tons of gold records and album cover plaques.

Nicole claims Julien's told her they got the stuff from a woman named Sheryl Coughlan, who told them she got the property from Phil's daughter. Problem is, Nicole says she never gave any of Phil's property to Coughlan or anyone else.

In her suit, Nicole thinks her late father's ex-wife Rachelle may be to blame ... claiming she believes Rachelle misrepresented herself to Coughlan as Nicole when transferring the items.

Nicole claims when Phil divorced Rachelle, the judgment called for Phil to get all of his personal property back aside from a few specific items ... but she claims Rachelle didn't play ball and refused to turn over a bunch of Phil's memorabilia to Nicole a few years later when Phil died.

Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli and his pregnant wife will be adding a couple more players to their roster at home ... turns out they're about to have -- of all things -- twins!!!!

The MLB skipper's bae, Allie Baldelli, shared the exciting, and wildly ironic, news on Thursday ... using pics of their dog and their young daughter.

In the images, you can see the couple's toddler holding ultrasound images of the unborn Baldellis around her head.

“BOY TWINS," Allie captioned the pics. "due in september 🤍🙃🤍🙃."

Baldelli currently has his baseball Twins in first place in the American League Central ... but in a matter months, he'll have a whole new set of twins to manage -- and we're sure he's fired up for the task.

Turns out, not every Yankee fan was in a good mood following the Bronx Bombers' thrilling walk-off win on Tuesday ... 'cause several Pinstripes supporters were seen getting into a brawl on a New York sidewalk following the victory -- and it was wild!!

According to a witness who posted video of the skirmish on Twitter ... the altercation happened after the combatants initially began arguing inside Billy's Sports Bar -- a popular watering hole located just feet from Yankee Stadium.

The social media user said despite Anthony Volpe's clutch, 9th-inning sacrifice fly that gave the Yanks a 6-5 win over the Orioles ... the argument escalated into a full-on fight outside of the restaurant.

You can see in the footage, two men clad in Yankees jerseys jumped on top of each other on the sidewalk ... and began wrestling. Not long after, fists started to fly.

Another man jumped into the scene in an apparent attempt to break things up -- which only enraged a woman nearby.

The video shows the woman threw a few punches of her own ... before, thankfully, cooler heads prevailed.

It's unclear if any arrests were made -- we've reached out to authorities, but so far, no word back yet.

Several Yankees fans nearly got a lapful of peanuts, Cracker Jacks and squirrel out at the old ballgame Tuesday night -- and the Pinstripes supporters couldn't have been more mortified by it!!!

The Animal Planet-like scene all went down during New York's tilt against the Baltimore Orioles ... when, somehow, a squirrel broke into Yankee Stadium and took an in-game jaunt around the outfield.

First, it was seen posted up near the Yanks' bullpen ... then it was spotted in the center field grass. But, when it made its way near the stands, that's when all hell broke loose.

Check out video of rodent's run across an outfield wall -- fans were absolutely terrified to be so close to the creature!!

You can see most of the guys in the area had alarmed looks on their faces -- which is not too surprising ... considering New York is, after all, known as a concrete jungle.

Don't worry, no one was bit by the creature -- and as far we know, no squirrels were harmed during the game. Plus, the Yanks seemed to get some good mojo by it all ... going on to beat the O's, 6-5, in a walk-off thriller.

It's a REALLY bad time to be a bird at an MLB ballpark these days ... because for the second time in less than a week, one was killed in the field of play.

The latest fowl situation happened during the second inning of the Guardians' game against the White Sox in Cleveland on Monday night ... when Will Brennan was up at the plate.

You can see in video of his at-bat ... after he cracked a ball to the left side of the infield, the baseball accidentally landed right on top of a bird -- before it skidded into the outfield for a base hit.

Sadly, the bird died from the impact ... and it didn't take long for players around the diamond to realize what had just happened.

Check out the broadcast footage -- all of the guys had stunned looks on their faces ... as a member of Cleveland's grounds crew came out to scoop up the dead bird with a shovel.

Once the infield was cleared of the carcass, the game resumed ... and Cleveland ended up winning, 3-0.

But, Brennan's victory celebration was muted ... 'cause afterward, he took to Twitter to apologize for the play.

"I truly am sorry @peta and bird enthusiasts," the outfielder wrote. "An unfortunate sacrifice."

Unfortunately, this was the second time in five days that a bird lost its life on the field ... you'll recall, Arizona Diamondbacks star Zac Gallen killed one with a warmup pitch in Oakland on May 17.

Glen Kuiper has been fired from his role as Oakland A's broadcaster ... after he used the n-word while on-air earlier this month.

NBC Sports California said in a statement Monday it came to the decision to part ways with the longtime play-by-play man following a weekslong investigation into the incident.

"We thank Glen for his dedication to Bay Area baseball over the years," the network said in announcing the news.

Kuiper had initially been suspended on May 6 for using the racial slur while talking with Dallas Braden just before the A's vs. Royals game on May 5.

During their conversation, Kuiper had been trying to explain to viewers what they did during the leadup to Oakland's contest in Kansas City ... but in an attempt to say they had gone to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, he muttered the n-word instead.

Later in the game, the 60-year-old apologized for it all ... saying he had said something that didn't come out the way he intended.

"I could not be more sorry and horrified by what I said," he added in another apology later in the week. "I hope you will accept my sincerest apologies."

Oakland A's fans won't like this ... but ex-MLB star Adrián González tells TMZ Sports he believes relocating the team to Las Vegas would be "a great move" for the franchise.

The Athletics appear to be on their way out of the Bay Area after partnering this week with Bally's Corporation to build a potential new stadium right on The Strip ... and González said in L.A. he likes the idea of it all.

The former Dodgers first baseman tells us seeing the success of the NHL's Golden Knights, the WNBA's Aces and the NFL's Raiders leads him to believe the MLB would thrive in Sin City as well.

"Vegas is doing really well with sporting teams," he said.

Of course, there's still a chance the A's could remain in Northern California ... the team is reportedly asking for around $400 million of public funding to help build the new Vegas stadium -- but if Nevada lawmakers shut that request down, the franchise could possibly explore options to stay put.

One man that would certainly be thrilled about that is A's legend Dave Stewart, who told us last month he's hoping for "a miracle" to keep the team in Oakland.

Jake Paul is going to have to take a break from boxing soon to do some serious unboxing ... 'cause TMZ Sports has confirmed the fighter just bought a mega-mansion in Puerto Rico -- off of ex-MLB star Yadier Molina!!!

The Problem Child, according to a rep for The Caribbean Realty Group, scored the San Juan-area palace on Wednesday for $15,750,000 ... and it's insane.

The two-story property has eight bedrooms, eight full bathrooms, two 1/2 bathrooms, a fitness center ... and a luxury pool.

It's also got an elevator, a wet bar, a dry bar, a 6-car garage ... and over 12,000 square feet of living space.

No word on why the newly retired Molina gave up the place -- which was built in 2021 -- but Paul landed a great deal on it nonetheless.

The Caribbean Realty Group reports the house was initially listed at $19,995,000 ... before the former Cardinals catcher and Paul worked out the new price this week.

Jake and his brother, Logan, initially moved to Puerto Rico a couple years ago ... after the two brothers claimed the region gave them the ability to train for fights without distractions.

A Dodgers fan was knocked out cold during a wild melee after a game earlier this week ... and the scary scene -- which featured multiple people brawling -- was all captured on video.

The fistfight broke out just minutes after L.A. had lost to the Twins at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday night ... after several fans got into a verbal argument.

You can see in the footage, captured on a bystander's cell phone, a couple of men began pushing and shoving each other ... before they started to trade blows.

At one point during the fracas, a guy in a Clayton Kershaw jersey was socked so hard in the face after running toward a man in a blue Dodgers shirt ... he crumpled to the ground.

As his body made its way to the pavement, though ... you can see he hit his head hard -- leaving him completely unconscious.

One witness, Johnathan Lopez, told KTLA that security guards ultimately stepped in to break things up ... and loaded the injured man onto a stretcher. His status remains unclear.

"I honestly don’t know what started it," Lopez said. "You could tell some of them were drunk … and some of them were almost drunk."

A spokesperson for the LAPD, meanwhile, told TMZ Sports on Thursday cops had no information regarding the incident.

The fight is hardly the first at Dodger Stadium ... in fact, just 12 months ago, an L.A. fan and a Giants supporter got into a heated tiff in what appeared to be the same area as Tuesday's skirmish.

Zac Gallen is used to doing a pretty good Randy Johnson impression on the mound ... but on Wednesday, he imitated The Big Unit in a way no pitcher ever wants to -- by killing a bird with a pitch.

The Diamondbacks ace threw the unfortunate toss as he and other Arizona players were warming up before their afternoon game against the A's in Oakland.

You can see in video captured by a camera stationed in the Coliseum's outfield ... as Gallen rocketed what appeared to be a curveball to his catcher -- he inadvertently struck a bird that was flying nearby.

The footage shows the feathered foe immediately crumpled to the grass after being hit -- and according to Bally Sports Arizona, it did not survive.

The BSA broadcast also reported Gallen felt pretty crummy over it all afterward.

Of course, Zac is far from the first Arizona player to kill a bird with a throw ... you'll recall, back in 2001, Johnson destroyed a dove with a fastball in a spring training game.

Like Zac, Randy didn't find much amusement in the moment at all.

Three Sports Illustrated swimsuit models walk onto a baseball field ...

Okay, so there's no joke here ... but that's what actually happened before the Mets game on Tuesday ... with Brooks Nader, Christen Harper and Camille Kostek all throwing out the ceremonial first pitch!!

The trio of beauties all threw right-handed pitches to Mets players Drew Smith, Tylor Megill and Eduardo Escobar before the matchup with the Tampa Bay Rays ... and did so in style with custom Mets jerseys.

Unlike Dr. Fauci, Conor McGregor and 50 Cent, they did pretty well ... and Harper even joked that she was the Mets' next starting pitcher!!

It's been a good week for the ladies -- Nader landed the cover of the 2023 swimsuit edition ... while Kostek, who is dating former NFL star Rob Gronkowski, returned for her sixth issue.

Harper also appeared in the magazine for the third time ... and her fiancé, Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff, was hyped.

"So proud 😊 🔥🔥🔥," the NFL star said on her IG post.

Despite Brooks, Christen and Camille gracing the Mets with their presence, the home team lost, 8-5 ... and fans booed Justin Verlander for his struggles.

The Toronto Blue Jays will have to do a little outfield redecorating today ... and it's all 'cause Aaron Judge hit a baseball so hard, it damaged a sign at their stadium!!

The Yankees captain slugged the blast in the top of the eighth inning of NY's tilt with Toronto at the Rogers Centre on Tuesday night ... and the ball traveled so far and with so much velocity, that when it landed, it smashed through a maple leaf ad that had been hung in deep center field.

Check out the footage of the moonshot home run -- you can see when it came down, it took off a corner of the billboard ... leaving fans in the area in disbelief.

According to the MLB's Statcast, the exit velocity on Judge's swing was 113.1 MPH -- and the ball went a total of 448 feet -- making it one of the most powerful dingers that's been hit so far this year.

No word yet on who'll have to pay for the damage -- but if does come out of Judge's pocket ... it's certainly a check he won't mind writing.

The two-run bomb ultimately gave the Pinstripes a 5-3 win ... an extra sweet feeling for the outfielder, given that the Blue Jays had essentially accused him of cheating just a day earlier.

If you missed it, Judge was seen on camera looking off to NY's dugout a couple times during one of his at-bats on Monday ... before hitting a home run. The side-eye caused a ton of chirping from Toronto's locker room.

Judge insisted he was simply looking at his teammate to get them to calm down during his AB -- but the Blue Jays didn't seem to be buying it ... 'cause they were sure upset at the Yanks throughout Tuesday's game.

The Houston Astros were getting LIT before taking the field on Monday ... 'cause the locker room got a personal preview of Travis Scott's upcoming album!!

La Flame was the guest of honor before his hometown team's tilt against the Chicago Cubs ... and the dude gave the whole squad some musical motivation -- throwing his "Utopia" project over the speakers.

A lot of people will be jealous of Alex Bregman and Co. -- Travis fans have been patiently waiting since 2018 for the rapper's next piece of solo work.

The good news?? Utopia is finally expected to drop soon ... and as Travis told reporter Mark Berman, it's "on the way" as he threw on some Air Jordan 1 "Black Phantom" sneakers in the dugout.

"I had to come here to play Utopia for the boys down in the locker room," Scott said. "Had to get them right for the game."

Travis added there's still some work to do, however -- adding they still have to "finish the master."

On top of the listening party, Scott also got in some batting practice ... and even checked out the weight room.

Sorry, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Juan Soto ... Steve-O was the star of the show at the Padres' game on Monday night -- throwing out an epic first pitch that featured a fireball!!!

San Diego's MLB team tapped the "Jackass" star for the pregame ceremonies at Petco Park just before the Friars took on the Royals ... and, in true Steve-O fashion, he wowed everyone in attendance.

The 48-year-old stuntman hit the field with a custom No. 62 "Steve-O" Padres jersey and a flaming glove ... before he spat a liquid that set ablaze above him.

Check out footage from the diamond -- the flames were nearly as tall as him!!

The entertainer then put the ball into the fire ... before he chucked it to San Diego's mascot at home plate for a perfect strike.

Steve-O was clearly fired up (sorry) over it all ... 'cause afterward, he gloated about the moment on his Instagram page.

"My first time throwing the first pitch at an @mlb game— I’m pretty sure it’s never been done like this, too!" he wrote. "Thanks so much, @padres!!!"

The Padres were stoked over the stunt too ... tweeting, "Yeah, dude Thanks for stopping by and throwing out an epic first pitch."

Steve-O's first pitch was a sign of good things to come for the home team ... the Padres shut out Kansas City, 4-0, and Michael Wacha brought the heat on the mound, striking out 11 batters in seven innings.

Josh Allen can drop dimes and apparently hit bombs too ... the Buffalo Bills star quarterback swung by Blue Jays batting practice on Monday -- and swatted several dingers!!!

The 26-year-old signal-caller was in Toronto to cheer on the Jays as they get set to begin a series with the Yankees ... and the MLB team allowed him to step in the batter's box for a few hacks -- and he put on a show.

According to reporters on the scene, Allen hit multiple balls over the fences at Rogers Centre ... with some even landing in the stadium's second deck!!

Check out his swing ... the dude can clearly rake.

Of course, we shouldn't be too surprised by this ... 'cause just a couple days ago, he blasted several balls to the moon during a charity softball game.

But, get this ... he said after stepping into the cage on Monday that he wasn't even the most impressive Bill with a bat.

Allen said that honor actually belonged to backup QB Matt Barkley, who he says hit five "deep shots" during the workout.

Several Cleveland Guardians fans got into a crazy brawl at a game over the weekend ... and things got so wild during the melee, a man actually appeared to hit a woman.

The fight happened at some point during the Guards vs. Angels tilt on Saturday at Progressive Field ... when some fans got into a tiff with a man who was sitting in a row in front of them.

In video from the scene, you can see that during their argument ... a woman in a Guardians jersey seemed to spit at the guy.

That apparently set the man off -- 'cause the footage shows he then took two swipes at the woman's face ... before the guy holding nachos tried to break things up with some punches.

The two were seen trading blows for several moments ... before they took things to the ground. More punches then ensued.

It's unclear how things were ultimately broken up and if any arrests were made -- we reached out to cops for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

As for the game, the Guardians ended up beating L.A., 8-6, despite their fans' wild actions in the stands.