Baseball

The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers nearly got into a bench-clearing brawl after a beanball incident during the 8th inning of their Friday night championship game.

The teams were going head-to-head in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series when Houston relief pitcher Bryan Abreu wound up and hurled a 98.9 mile-per-hour fastball, striking Rangers batter Adolis Garcia in his left arm.

Check out this video posted on X ... Garcia looks furious as he pushes Houston catcher Martín Maldonado, while the umpire gets between them.

Both teams then pour onto the field and run toward each other, gathering in one big heap near home plate.

The players start yelling and shoving one another, but the tense situation never escalates into a full-scale fight.

Still, Garcia continues to blow off steam as his teammates hold him back -- and eventually escort him off Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX.

The umpires ejected three people: Abreu, Garcia and Astros manager Dusty Baker.

When the game resumed, the Astros went on to beat the Rangers 5-4. The Astros now hold a 3-2 lead in the series as they travel back to Houston for Game 6.

Megan Thee Stallion's no longer tethered to the 1501 Certified Ent. label she railed against for years -- and Trinidad James thinks the "Savage" rapper can become an even bigger act.

TJ floated all the possibilities speaking to TMZ Hip Hop at LAX this week but predicts Meg will land all right. He says there's also a possibility momentum fizzles.

Thee Stallion is gearing up to resume her career Monday with a new release after telling fans she was entering a new journey, where she'll be paying out of her own pocket to give fans the good news.

TJ tells us having a solid team is crucial to making money in the music biz and the industry is especially shady when it comes to the needs of women.

Megan Thee Stallion le dijo recientemente a sus fans que su próximo álbum sería un esfuerzo indie, y no estaba mintiendo... Su batalla de años con su sello discográfico 1501 Certified y su jefe Carl Crawford, ¡se ha terminado!

Billboard informó el jueves que tanto Megan como 1501 acordaron "separarse amistosamente", poniendo fin a tres años de ida y venidas en las redes sociales.

Las dos partes comenzaron a tener problemas en 2020, cuando la rapera citó repetidos intentos del sello de bloquear el lanzamiento de nueva música y no cumplir su contrato.

No se sabe si alguna de las partes pagó dinero para poner fin al acuerdo, pero Crawford suavizó su postura sobre Meg a principios de este año después de conocer el veredicto de culpabilidad de Tory Lanez por dispararle.

Crawford estuvo conversando junto a Kai "Verse" Tyler, presidente del sello entonces, en TMZ Hip Hop en febrero, revelando que estaba arrepentido por su rol en las rencillas con Meg, las que incluyeron hablar mal de su jefe Roc Nation Jay-Z.

La fanfarria no duró mucho ... Desde entonces, Kai ha abandonado el barco, al igual que la otra creadora de éxitos de 1501, Erica Banks, que recientemente lanzó una canción disidente dirigida a 1501 con las mismas quejas que Megan: "Me importa una m*** esa discográfica, me ven, y me deben dinero, son codiciosos".

Megan Thee Stallion recently told fans her next album will be an indie effort, and that's no cap -- her years-long battle with her record label 1501 Certified, and its boss Carl Crawford, is now over!

Billboard reported on Thursday that both Megan and 1501 will "amicably part ways" ... ending 3 years of back-and-forth swipes on social media.

The two parties started going at it in 2020 ... the "WAP" rapper cited repeated attempts by the Houston-based label blocking her from releasing music and fulfilling her contract.

No word if either party paid out any money to end the deal, but Crawford softened his stance on Meg earlier this year after the Tory Lanez guilty verdict for shooting her.

He debuted his new label president Kai "Verse" Tyler to TMZ Hip Hop back in Feb. ... revealing he was sorry for his part in the Meg wars, which included bad mouthing her Roc Nation boss Jay-Z.

The fanfare didn't last long ... Kai's no longer a part of the machine and 1501's other hitmaker, Erica Banks, recently dropped a diss song aimed at 1501 with the same gripes as Megan -- "Give a f*** about that label they see me/And they owe me some money, they greedy" ... but we're told cooler heads have prevailed.

Carl's a former MLB All-Star, so it's time to draw on that "team-building" expertise.

Ian Kinsler wasn't repping the Rangers or Astros last night, the former MLB star had a bigger cause on his mind than the ALCS ... the 4x All-Star, who is Jewish, threw out the first pitch wearing a Team Israel jersey.

Kinsler is a special assistant to the Rangers general manager ... and the organization invited him to kick off Game 3 of the American League Championship Series at Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX with the ceremonial first pitch.

IK was born in America but obtained Israeli citizenship (dual citizenship w/ U.S.) a few years back when he wanted to play for Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Ian then went on to serve as the manager for the Israeli team at the World Baseball Classic in 2023.

Since the horrific attack two-and-a-half weeks ago, Kinsler says he's been following the situation on the ground closely.

Kinsler is just one of many star athletes and celebs who have spoken out since October 7 ... 1,400 Israelis have been killed since the incursion began.

Perhaps none have done more than Floyd Mayweather, who sent his plane full of supplies to Tel Aviv over the weekend. He also FaceTimed IDF special forces soldiers and walked in a pro-Israeli march in Los Angeles.

Ian Kinsler no representaba ni a los Rangers ni a los Astros, la ex estrella de la MLB tenía en mente una causa mayor que la ALCS. El cuatro veces All-Star, que es judío, realizó el primer lanzamiento con una camiseta del Equipo Israel.

Kinsler es un asistente especial del gerente general de los Rangers, y la organización lo invitó a iniciar el tercer Juego de la Serie de Campeonato de la Liga Americana en Globe Life Field en Arlington, con el primer lanzamiento ceremonial.

Ian nació en Estados Unidos, pero obtuvo la ciudadanía israelí (doble nacionalidad con EE.UU.) hace unos años cuando quiso jugar para Israel en los Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 2020 en Tokio. A continuación, Ian pasó a ser el mánager del equipo israelí en el Clásico Mundial de Béisbol de 2023.

Desde el horrible ataque de hace dos semanas y media, Kinsler dice que ha estado siguiendo de cerca la situación.

Kinsler es solo uno de los muchos atletas y celebridades que se han expresado desde el 7 de octubre, 1.400 israelíes han sido asesinados desde que comenzó la incursión.

Quizás ninguno haya hecho más que Floyd Mayweather, que envió su avión lleno de suministros a Tel Aviv durante el fin de semana. También se comunicó por FaceTime con soldados de las fuerzas especiales de Israel y participó en una marcha proisraelí en Los Ángeles.

It's been over a month since Max Scherzer has thrown for the Rangers, but ALCS announcer Joe Davis says the Astros still better be wary of the ace ... telling TMZ Sports the guy could turn into "a psycho" in Game 3 on Wednesday night.

"I mean this in the best way I could," Davis said of the term with a smile, hours before Texas and Houston kick-off.

"I wouldn't be shocked if he found a way to go five innings and they couldn't touch him."

Of course, Davis says he could see things going the other way for the 39-year-old too ... as Scherzer's been away from the mound for such a lengthy period of time while trying to get his shoulder healthy.

"I think it's the most fascinating storyline of this series," Davis said. "What are they going to get from Scherzer?"

If last week's ALDS celebration showed anything, it's that Scherzer will be fired up to take the bump Wednesday night regardless ... particularly with the Rangers already up 2-0 in the series.

An overzealous Phillies fan learned the hard way he should've just celebrated his team's NLCS win from his seat Tuesday night  ... 'cause when he tried to race onto the field to cheer on his squad, he got LEVELED by a security guard.

The man's ill-advised jaunt in the outfield of Citizens Bank Park happened just seconds after Philadelphia put the finishing touches on its 10-0, Game 2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

You can see in video shot by a fan at the game ... the field invader hopped over an outfield wall and sprinted across the turf -- only to be met by a security guard who looked like an NFL linebacker.

The official put the Philly fan right to the ground with a form tackle that was so pure ... even Phillies players couldn't help but notice the action as they high-fived a few hundred feet away.

The man was ultimately swarmed by a slew of other stadium workers ... and once he got to his feet, blood could be seen trickling from his mouth area.

There must've been a "no girls allowed" rule between the Kelce brothers at the Philadelphia Phillies game on Monday ... 'cause Travis and Jason were spotted enjoying the playoff matchup together -- and Taylor Swift was M.I.A.

The two NFL superstars hit up Citizens Bank Park for Game 1 of the NLCS against the Arizona Diamondbacks ... and the crowd was certainly happy to see them -- erupting in cheers as the bros were shown on the scoreboard in the middle of the contest.

Even though the pop singer was nowhere to be found, her presence was still felt -- as her songs were played over the sound system multiple times throughout the night.

Of course, it's not too crazy for the Phillies to show love for T-Swift -- after all, she is a Pennsylvania native ... and has previously professed her allegiance to Jason's Eagles.

Speaking of Jason -- who's beloved in the city amid a Hall of Fame career with the Birds -- he also stole the show when he chugged a beer, much to Travis' delight.

Travis' appearance at the game comes on the heels of his romantic weekend with Swift -- as we previously reported, the couple was inseparable in NYC ... including two date nights and attending "Saturday Night Live."

Taylor has since returned to the west coast ... but Travis decided to hang back for a bit longer.

Don't sweat it, Swifties ... just 'cause Taylor wasn't there with her new man doesn't really mean much -- Jason's wife, Kylie, wasn't there either ... so we take it the guys just wanted to bro out for the night.

David Ortiz aún lamenta la muerte de Tim Wakefield ... le dijo a TMZ Sports esta semana que su excompañero de Red Sox era un "gran tipo, hombre".

"Gran tipo", repitió.

Ortiz se sinceró con nosotros sobre Wakefield durante unos minutos mientras se encontraba en Los Ángeles ... unos días después de que el exlanzador estrella de Boston falleciera de cáncer cerebral.

Big Papi dijo que el lanzador de bolas de nudillos era franco "como mi familia, hombre" ... y se puede ver en el video, obviamente aún sigue adolorido por el fallecimiento.

Ortiz y Wakefield formaron una amistad durante su estancia en el Fenway Park - podrán recordar que compartieron un vestidor durante nueve temporadas. Y, los dos formaron un fuerte lazo ... Wakefield asistió a Cooperstown el año pasado para ser testigo del ingreso de Ortiz al Salón de la Fama.

Papi no es el único exjugador de los Red Sox que ha expresado su dolor por la muerte de Wakefield - varios de sus excompañeros de equipo también enviaron sus condolencias y oraciones en redes sociales.

Tim tenía 57 años.

David Ortiz is still mourning the death of Tim Wakefield ... telling TMZ Sports this week his former Red Sox teammate was a "great guy, man."

"Great guy," he repeated.

Ortiz opened up to us about Wakefield for a few moments while out in Los Angeles ... just days after the former Boston star pitcher died from brain cancer.

Big Papi said the knuckleballer was straight-up "like my family, man" ... and you can see in the clip, he's obviously still in pain over the passing.

Ortiz and Wakefield grew close during their time together at Fenway Park -- you'll recall, they shared a locker room with one another for nine seasons. And, the two formed such a strong bond ... Wakefield actually showed up to Cooperstown last year to watch Ortiz get inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Papi is hardly the only former Red Sox player to express heartbreak over Wakefield's death -- multiple former teammates sent thoughts and prayers on social media as well.

Tim was just 57 years old.

10/16/23 12:45 PM PT -- Cops say they took Walter into custody over the weekend.

3:23 PM PT -- Marty York just broke his silence, posting a photo of Walter and writing, "This is the hardest post I'm ever going to have to write. Last night my mother was murdered by a man she was seeing. Right now there is a nationwide manhunt."

He continues, "If you've seen this man please call the police immediately. I can't even comprehend what is happening right now, but I feel if I find this person I'm going to physically maul him. I pray to God I don't find him because it will be a fate worse then hell."

Tragedy has struck the family of "The Sandlot" actor Marty York, his mother, a sheriff's deputy, was murdered in her own home ... and cops are on the hunt for the alleged killer.

Cops say Deanna Esmaeel was found dead Thursday inside her home in Crescent City, California. On Friday, the Del Norte County Sheriff's Office -- where Deanna is a deputy -- put out an alert to the public in hopes of tracking down Deanna's boyfriend, Daniel James Walter.

Investigators say Walter, who recently changed his name to Edward Patrick Davies, is the suspect in Deanna's murder ... though they don't say what happened.

According to the alert, deputies were able to locate Walter's vehicle, but the 54-year-old was nowhere to be found.

Sheriff Scott of the DNSO released a statement following Deputy Esmaeel's death, saying, "We are all deeply heartbroken with the loss of Deputy Esmaeel. Our hearts and prayers go out to her family, friends, and co-workers."

Marty York played "Yeah-Yeah" in the 1993 classic "The Sandlot" and has continued to act on various projects through the years. He has not yet publicly commented on his mother's murder.

Justin Verlander delivered a speech for the ages following the Astros' American League Division Series win Wednesday night ... dropping F-bombs everywhere -- before dousing his teammates with booze!!!

The epic moment -- which somehow went uncensored on television -- happened in Houston's locker room following its 3-2 Game 4 victory over the Twins in Minnesota.

Manager Dusty Baker didn't want to address his team in-depth following the victory -- he said he was waiting for the World Series to do that -- so Verlander stepped in ... and it's safe to say he got the guys riled up.

Verlander said the F-word six times ... while mixing in an S-word as well.

To cap it all off, he told his teammates to "pop these motherf***ers" -- referring to bottles of champagne -- on the count of seven ... and when he hit a beat after six, the party was on.

Bubbly flew everywhere -- and the locker room festivities then raged on for the next few minutes.

Before this lil' baseball player turned into a rapper and singer, he was just playing Guitar Hero with his younger bro in Louisville, Kentucky and showing his ultimate game face ... getting ready to play ball for the Pirates.

Playing sold-out shows throughout high school, this talented musician opened for Vince Staples back in 2016, and he's also collab'd with other big names like Lil Wayne. You may have seen his curls and beard on the court, playing against Machine Gun Kelly at the 2022 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.

Need one more clue? "WHATS POPPIN ft. Justin Bieber"?!

Antes de que este pequeño jugador de béisbol se convirtiera en rapero y cantante, jugaba al Guitar Hero con su hermano pequeño en Louisville, Kentucky, y mostraba su mejor cara  preparándose para jugar al béisbol con los Pirates.

Este talentoso músico, que ha agotado todas las entradas para sus conciertos en el instituto, fue telonero de Vince Staples en 2016 y también ha colaborado con otros grandes nombres como Lil Wayne. Puede que hayas visto sus rizos y su barba en la cancha o jugando contra Machine Gun Kelly en el NBA All-Star Celebrity Game de 2022.

¿Necesitas una pista más? ¿"WHATS POPPIN ft. Justin Bieber"?

Max Scherzer partied HARD after his Rangers won the American League Division Series on Tuesday night ... soaking his teammate in bottles of beer -- and video from the scene is awesome!!

The star pitcher -- who didn't get to throw in the ALDS against the Baltimore Orioles due to a shoulder injury -- made sure he knew he appreciated his teammates' efforts in securing the series sweep by going absolutely HAM in the postgame locker room.

Scherzer was seen getting booze poured all over him ... before he returned the favor on Austin Hedges -- dousing him with a couple Budweisers.

After the alcohol-marinated festivities died down just a bit, Scherzer told reporters he's now hopeful he'll be able to pitch against either the Astros or the Twins next week with a spot in the World Series on the line.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the clubhouse, other Texas players made sure their win over the O's was a memorable one as well ... cracking open bottle after bottle of champagne and pouring it everywhere.