Baseball

Justin Verlander was so pissed at Alex Cora during their game Tuesday night, he straight up told the Red Sox manager to "f*** off" ... and the heated dispute was all captured on a hot mic!!

The Astros ace had been dealing with some PitchCom issues during the second inning of Houston's tilt with Boston at Minute Maid Park ... and he needed a break from the action to get it all squared away.

But, when Cora thought he was taking advantage of the situation to avoid a pitch-clock violation ... he came out to argue -- and the two then got into it.

"You shook him off five times!" Cora could be heard telling the right-hander.

"I didn't shake that at-bat!" Verlander fired back. "I didn't shake that at-bat! F*** off, Alex!"

The situation was so unique, one of the game's announcers could be heard on the broadcast letting out a loud chuckle.

Ultimately, Verlander would go on to get the last laugh in the situation ... 'cause once he returned to the pitching rubber, he shoved -- going six strong innings while allowing no earned runs and striking out nine.

Ya gotta give this Little League World Series player an A for effort -- one kid tried to shrink the strike zone as much as possible during an at-bat on Tuesday ... by practically sitting in the box!!

It all went down during Mexico's matchup against Venezuela ... when second baseman Santiago Hernandez stepped up to the plate in the top of the 5th inning.

With a 1-0 count, Hernandez crouched down until he was basically in the dirt ... but unfortunately for him, his master plan didn't go according to plan, as Venezuela's pitcher threw a strike.

The announcers got a good laugh out of it ... wondering if the young athlete had practiced the stunt in the past.

As it turns out, the Little League rulebook specifically addresses this sort of thing -- stating a batter's strike zone is determined based on their normal stance ... displayed when they swing at a pitch or take a practice whiff.

In other words, Hernandez's crouching didn't change his strike zone one bit ... resulting in a called strike.

It appears MLB star Wander Franco won't be taking the baseball field anytime soon -- the Tampa Bay Rays shortstop has been placed on administrative leave as the league investigates claims he had inappropriate relationships with underage girls.

Franco -- who was previously on the Rays' restricted list -- is currently under police investigation in his native Dominican Republic ... after the allegations made on social media went viral.

"Per an agreement between MLB and the MLBPA, Wander Franco has been placed on Administrative Leave until further notice as MLB continues its ongoing investigation," MLB announced Tuesday.

"The administrative leave, effective immediately, is not disciplinary under the Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy."

22-year-old Franco last played on Aug. 12 ... and did not travel with the team during its road trip against the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Angels.

He will be able to appeal the leave, although it's unclear if he will do so at this time. He will still be paid throughout the duration of his time away from the team.

Dodger fans had at least one thing to cheer about before falling to the Marlins on Friday ... 'cause "American Idol" star Nutsa Buzaladze had the whole stadium going wild after a killer rendition of the national anthem!!

The Georgian singer was a special guest at Dodger Stadium for the home team's contest against Miami ... getting the honor of singing the "Star-Spangled Banner" in front of 46,000 spectators.

Nutsa -- who's repped by agent/manager Darren Prince -- got to hang out with some high-profile peeps at the game ... including Magic and Cookie Johnson, Guggenheim Partners CEO Mark Walter and Dodgers pitcher Brusdar Graterol!! Small world, 'cause Prince also has repped the Lakers legend for nearly 30 years.

Of course, Nutsa made the top 12 of the famous singing show ... but after hearing her perform at the game, it's hard to figure out how she didn't go all the way!!

No baseball was played at Dodger Stadium on Sunday due to Hurricane Hilary ... but a swimming meet coulda broken out -- 'cause the epic storm nearly flooded the historic venue.

As the squall made landfall in Southern California, it pelted Los Angeles with so much rain, it left L.A.'s ballpark covered in water.

Footage shot from up above the downtown stadium shows the parking lot surrounding the site was underneath feet of water ... though, thankfully, it appeared the diamond and its surrounding seats survived the inclement weather.

Of course, the Dodgers moved their Sunday afternoon game against the Marlins to Saturday ... so there were no issues with the team's schedule -- though it's unclear if the effects of the weather will impact L.A.'s next slate of games at Dodger Stadium next week.

As for Hilary, it's still bombarding the southwestern U.S. with rainfall ... causing major flooding on roadways and severe damage to buildings elsewhere.

All seems to be back to normal in the James' household -- as Lebron, Bronny and Bryce all hit Dodgers Stadium to honor LeBron -- about a month after Bronny's scary health emergency.

It was LeBron bobble-head night Saturday in L.A. and fans packed the stadium to get their hands on one of the free souvenirs. Even more special -- LeBron was there in person to show his gratitude while also accepting a $100k check for his LeBron James Family Foundation.

Of course, it was even more special to see Bronny with Dad considering it was less than 2 months ago when he collapsed at a USC basketball practice.

TMZ broke the story -- Bronny was rushed to Cedars Sinai Hospital after he went into cardiac arrest. At the time, the family told us, "Yesterday while practicing Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest. Medical staff was able to treat Bronny and take him to the hospital. He is now in stable condition and no longer in ICU."

We've seen Bronny out and about since the incident, but the guys seemed totally carefree while taking in Friday night's game.

We also got video of LeBron and Bronny in Minnesota a couple weeks back visiting the Mayo Clinic -- one of the top medical heart facilities in the world -- safe to say the family's been doing all they can to get to the cause of the scary issue.

It's been smooth sailing for the Dodgers on the field in the second half of the MLB season, but off the field, two of the team's biggest stars have had a much tougher time, having to deal with some scary break-ins at their homes.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports ... at least two burglars got into Max Muncy's L.A.-area residence last week. And, about a month prior, Freddie Freeman's place was hit too.

In the Muncy case, authorities tell us the infielder was with his family on the way home from a game at Dodger Stadium earlier this month when his alarm company alerted him that thieves had broken into his place. We're told they were seen on video ransacking the unit -- but they took off before cops arrived.

It's unclear what was taken.

Back in July, law enforcement sources tell us a similar incident happened at Freeman's L.A.-area pad ... though it's not yet known if the two burglaries were related.

We're told cops are investigating both matters -- and are actively trying to see if the burglars were targeting athletes, or if they were simply just random break-ins.

Baseball prodigy Paul Skenes says the rumors are true -- he is, in fact, dating LSU star gymnast Olivia Dunne ... and now, he's calling on all their fans to stop bugging her at his games.

The Pirates draftee opened up on his relationship with the social media superstar in an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette this week ... saying they both bonded over being so popular that going out in public is a real "pain in the butt."

"If one of us went out in Baton Rouge by ourselves, there’s probably gonna be someone there asking for something -- picture, autograph, whatever," Skenes told the outlet.

As we previously reported, there was a ton of speculation surrounding the couple recently ... especially after Livvy started popping up at his games.

Her appearance at Skenes' Single-A debut in Bradenton on Tuesday resulted in so much commotion, she had to move from her seat behind home plate to the broadcast booth just so she could get some peace.

Skenes -- the top pick in the 2023 MLB Draft -- said despite being able to relate to each other on the hype surrounding them, he wishes people would leave her alone at the ballpark.

"I do wish she could come to a baseball game and just enjoy it," he added. "It does irk me. I don’t have any control over it. She really doesn’t either. I’m sure it’ll get better as I go up levels, but that’s something I want for her."

As for how they met, Skenes said it was a "small-world type of thing" -- his best friend was dating Dunne's roommate and fellow LSU gymnast, Elena Arenas.

All of the professional sports teams in Los Angeles have come together to help those affected by the wildfires in Hawaii ... pooling up $450,000 to send to the Red Cross to support the victims.

The Lakers announced the generous donation Thursday morning ... saying they and the other teams in the City of Angels wanted to do what they could to make sure Hawaiians are getting aid during their time of need.

In addition to the Lakers -- who had previously held their training camps in Hawaii for more than two decades -- the Clippers, Angels, Angel City Football Club, Chargers, Dodgers, Anaheim Ducks, L.A. Galaxy, LAFC, Kings, Rams and Sparks all contributed.

"Despite California and Hawaii being separated by more than 2,000 miles," the Lakers said in a statement, "the two states are very connected with a robust Hawaiian community calling Southern California home."

More in the sports world have also recently pitched in, including Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, whose been consistently speaking with organizations in Hawaii with the hopes of getting people to donate to the Hawaii Community Foundation Maui Fund.

Legendary surfer Kelly Slater told us last week he and the surfing community also plan on helping out by sending money and supplies.

Ex-NFL star Doug Flutie stepped outta retirement to suit up for a Savannah Bananas baseball game on Wednesday ... and if you're a fan of shenanigans, this is the clip for you.

Of course, the Georgia-based exhibition team is known for wacky antics and entertaining contests ... and on Wednesday, the squad enlisted the former Heisman winner during its stop in Brockton, Massachusetts.

Flutie fit right in during his appearance ... entering the game by flailing around a box of his signature cereal, Flutie Flakes, and gathering his teammates together for a huddle and lining them up in formation on the mound before throwing a deep pass into the outfield.

The older fans in attendance loved the cameo ... but it wasn't the only one of the night -- ex-MLB star Johnny Damon also threw on an all-yellow jersey to try to help get the Nanners a win.

Painful night at the ballpark for Lars Nootbaar ... the St. Louis Cardinals star foul-tipped a ball so hard into his man region -- he had to leave the game.

The incident happened in the fifth inning of the Red Birds' Wednesday night tilt with the Oakland A's ... when Nootbaar was trying to send a changeup over the outfield wall.

Instead, however, his bat barely got a piece of the baseball as it crossed the dish ... and it, unfortunately, bounced off the ground and ricocheted right into his junk.

At first, the game's announcers believed it had smacked off one of his shins -- but when the replays showed it went directly into his family jewels ... they knew exactly what was going down.

Nootbaar, meanwhile, was in a world of pain ... he writhed on the ground for several moments -- before he somehow got up. He would go on to strike out during the at-bat ... and then leave the game to get all checked out.

It's unclear exactly how the guy is now doing ... the Cards only said afterward he was removed "due to a lower abdomen contusion."

To add insult to injury, Nootbaar's Cardinals lost 8-0.

Terrifying moment for Christian Vazquez during the Twins game Wednesday ... he was struck in the helmet by a foul ball while he was standing in the on-deck circle -- but somehow, he ended up being OK.

The crazy scene happened just minutes ago while Donovan Solano was up to bat against Tigers pitcher Reese Olson.

The Minnesota first baseman took a big hack on a slider, but he just missed barreling it up -- and the ball went foul ... making a beeline right for Vazquez's head.

The baseball ended up clanking off the Twins' catcher's helmet with force -- though, miraculously, Vazquez emerged unscathed.

You can see in a replay from the game's broadcast, the ball just barely caught the brim of Vazquez's helmet ... saving him from a potentially gnarly injury.

Vazquez would go on to fly out to right field ... a frustrating result no doubt made much easier to swallow given how bad things could have been just seconds prior.

The rumored romance between Olivia Dunne and Paul Skenes appears to be very real ... 'cause the star gymnast attended the pitcher's important minor league game Tuesday night -- and she couldn't have seemed more smitten.

Skenes made his much-anticipated Single-A debut for the Bradenton Marauders -- just over a month after the Pittsburgh Pirates took him with the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB draft -- and Dunne had maybe the best seat in the house for the contest.

Livvy -- who's dropped hints she's been dating Skenes for the last few weeks through posts on her social media pages -- was in a box seat ... and looked as happy as ever to be there.

And, Skenes certainly didn't disappoint her or the thousands of other Pirates fans who were tuned into the action ... he looked brilliant in his one inning of work, striking out two -- while hitting 100 MPH on the radar gun.

Dunne, meanwhile, was seen cheesin' after nearly every pitch.

It's the second time the 6-foot-6 righty has taken the mound since he was drafted ... he also threw an inning for the Rookie-level Florida Coast League Pirates last week -- and impressed there too.

As for his relationship with Dunne ... the two met at LSU -- and while neither has publicly confirmed they're an item, Livvy has made it clear through her attendance at Tigers games this past season and through her new Pirates attire that there's at least something going on between the athletes.

Quavo's swinging for the fences with his new album ... using the Atlanta Braves' stadium as his stage to give ATL a taste of the project!!!

The Atlanta rapper hyped the crowd inside Truist Park ahead of the Braves vs. Yankees game with his unreleased single "Who Wit Me?" ... a chant he got the crowd repeating on command.

The track will appear on Quavo's "Rocket Power" album that drops Friday -- the title being a nod to his late nephew Takeoff, who Quavo also honored by wearing the commemorative merchandise he recently launched to celebrate Takeoff's birthday.

This may be one of the greatest catches you'll ever see in a baseball game -- albeit, totally unnecessary -- but still, amazing!

It all went down during the Savannah Bananas -- an exhibition baseball team known for their crazy and fun on-field antics -- world tour in Hartford, CT on Monday night.

The Bananas were taking on the Party Animals, who were at the plate in the 2nd inning. With the count 3 and 1, an Animals player hit a routine pop-up to center field.

But, the catch was anything but routine.

Centerfielder DR Meadows settled under the ball, but instead of simply making the easy out, Meadows busted out a backflip that'd make Simone Biles blush, catching the ball in the same motion, landing with the ball in his glove.

The Savanah Bananas are the most fun team in baseball ... and the catch is just the latest example. There was the bat on fire. Or, the hit by pitch. The in-field dance routine, and the list goes on and on.

Bunk beds at the Little League World Series are out for good ... the tandem sleeping units will be permanently removed from the prestigious event going forward after a player was seriously injured in one of them last year.

Little League officials said in a statement to the Associated Press on Monday ... the decision was made after Easton Oliverson suffered a fractured skull and brain bleed while falling from a top bunk inside the LLWS' dormitory complex in Williamsport, Penn. in 2022.

"Out of an abundance of caution," the officials said, "we placed all beds individually on the floor during last year’s World Series, and in preparation for the 2023 Little League International Tournament, Little League decided to provide its participants with single, one-level beds for all of their player housing at each of its tournament locations, including those in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where the dormitories can accommodate all 14 single beds."

This year's version of the event is slated to begin later this week.

As we previously reported, Oliverson nearly died following a fall at last year's LLWS ... with his family saying the 12-year-old tumbled from a top bunk to the floor while he was asleep.

Oliverson was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery ... but, thankfully, he survived.

The player's family went on to sue Little League Baseball over the fall, alleging the beds were not safe. Little League officials never publicly commented on the allegations in the suit.