Baseball

The L.A. Dodgers are planning to start Trevor Bauer as scheduled on Sunday ... this despite the star pitcher being accused of violently choking and punching a woman during two recent sexual encounters.

Team manager Dave Roberts just made the announcement Thursday ... explaining to reporters MLB has advised him and the Dodgers to play Bauer while a league investigation into the allegations moves forward.

"It's actually out of our hands," Roberts said. "Regardless of what direction the organization wanted to do, it's something that -- this is what has to happen. And so it's out of everyone's hands."

Roberts continued, "I'm in the position of following the lead of Major League Baseball."

"Their recommendation was for us to use our scheduled Sunday starter and to move forward and have him start that game Sunday."

It's a surprising take from MLB, Roberts and the Dodgers ... considering the allegations against Bauer are highly disturbing.

Bauer and his camp have strongly denied the allegations ... claiming the encounters were entirely consensual and that the pitcher's accuser actually enthusiastically encouraged the rough sex.

In fact, Bauer and his reps say the Dodger has text message proof that the woman was elated by being choked and had even asked Bauer to "gimme all the pain."

In court docs filed this week, a woman claims that during hookups with Bauer in California in April and May ... the 30-year-old Cy Young winner strangled her unconscious and had anal sex with her while she was out.

The woman also stated Bauer punched her in the head and face ... leaving her bloodied, scratched and black and blue.

Police say they are currently investigating it all.

Trevor Bauer's assault accuser says the MLB star choked her unconscious and then had non-consensual anal sex with her ... in court docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

The extremely disturbing allegations are all part of an 84-page temporary restraining order application filed by the alleged victim's attorney ... where she documents 2 meetings that she claims started as consensual sex -- but morphed into a violent attack.

The 21-year-old accuser says she met Bauer on Instagram ... before ultimately driving from San Diego to Los Angeles on April 21 to meet the Dodgers star.

The woman says she and Bauer were having sex ... when he began to aggressively put his fingers down her throat. The woman says she asked him to stop and he complied.

But then, according to the docs, the woman claims Bauer "wrapped my hair around my neck and choked me." The alleged victim says she "lost consciousness."

When she awoke, the woman says she was face down on the bed ... and Bauer was having anal sex with her. An act to which she says she did not consent or even want.

Later that evening, the alleged victim says she was in pain and bleeding from her anus. However, she didn't believe TB was an imminent threat to her, so she spent the night at his place.

In the morning, she claims Bauer attempted to joke with her, asking ... "You feeling a little sore this morning?"

College athletes will FINALLY be able to rake in money off their name, image and likeness ... with the NCAA making the groundbreaking decision Wednesday to suspend its current rules.

The NCAA's board of directors voted to implement an interim policy starting Thursday ... which will allow all incoming and current student-athletes to start cashing in on endorsement deals immediately.

NCAA president Mark Emmert released a statement on the decision ... saying, "This is an important day for college athletes since they all are now able to take advantage of name, image and likeness opportunities."

"With the variety of state laws adopted across the country, we will continue to work with Congress to develop a solution that will provide clarity on a national level.

"The current environment -- both legal and legislative -- prevents us from providing a more permanent solution and the level of detail student-athletes deserve."

The organization says the temporary policy will remain in place for all three divisions until new federal legislation or NCAA rules are adopted.

Players still will not be able to be paid as a direct result of their athletic performance ... but this now allows them to make money off opportunities like signing autographs, social media deals, advertisements and camps.

The decision comes right as several states were set to make it illegal to follow the NCAA's rules preventing student-athletes from these money-making opportunities.

An MLB fan got absolutely ROCKED by security after he tried to run onto Yankee Stadium's outfield Tuesday night ... and TMZ Sports has obtained video of the entire incident!!

The chaotic scene all went down in the 6th inning of the Yankees' game against the Angels in New York ... when a man thought it'd be funny to hop the wall and take a lap around the grass.

Turns out, though, the idea ended up being a painful (and dumb) one ... 'cause he made it just steps before he was annihilated by a stadium guard.

Check out the footage ... the fan didn't even make it off the warning track before he was body slammed to the ground!!

Two other stadium officials ran in just seconds later to subdue the guy ... before they ultimately took him off the field.

Our sources say the guy was detained for around five HOURS after the incident ... but they insist the dude did NOT receive any sort of perma-ban from the stadium.

Instead, our sources say he was hit with a citation and allowed to leave.

White Sox star Lucas Giolito was so furious that Twins 3rd baseman Josh Donaldson made a "sticky" quip during their game Tuesday ... he straight-up called the Minnesota player "a f***ing pest."

The scene on the diamond was pretty wild ... after Donaldson homered off Giolito in the 1st inning -- he celebrated by insinuating the Chicago pitcher had previously used sticky substances to throw better.

As Donaldson crossed home plate, he rubbed his hands together and yelled toward his dugout, "It's not sticky anymore!"

Of course, Donaldson's implying the MLB's new crackdown on pitchers and foreign substances was affecting Giolitio ... and the Sox ace did NOT like that at all.

After the game -- which Giolito ultimately earned the win for -- he sounded off on JD ... eviscerating him in a profanity-laced rant.

"He's a f***ing pest," Giolito said. "It's kind of a classless move. If you're going to talk s***, talk s*** to my face. Don't go cross home plate and do all that. Just come to me."

Giolito continued, "We won. The W is next to my name. They're in last place."

Tuesday's contest was the first of a three-game series between the Twins and Sox this week, and while Giolito won't throw again against Minnesota in the next 2 days ... the series just got a whole lot more interesting regardless.

Fetterolf continued ... "Mr. Bauer and [the accuser] have not corresponded in over a month and have not seen each other in over six weeks. Her basis for filing a protection order is nonexistent, fraudulent, and deliberately omits key facts, information, and her own relevant communications. Any allegations that the pair’s encounters were not 100% consensual are baseless, defamatory, and will be refuted to the fullest extent of the law."

MLB superstar Trevor Bauer is currently under investigation for assault ... after a woman claims the Cy Young winner got physical with her earlier this year.

But, sources close to the case say Bauer is adamant the encounter was nothing more than consensual, rough sex with someone he met online. We're told they hooked up twice.

TMZ Sports has learned the alleged victim was granted a temporary domestic violence restraining order earlier today in L.A.

Pasadena PD is investigating the alleged incident ... and sources tell us TB is cooperating with authorities.

As for the alleged victim ... her attorney, Marc Garelick, tells us his client "sought and obtained an order for Protection from the Court against Mr. Trevor Bauer, under the Domestic Violence Prevention Act."

"The order is a result of a recent assault that took place at the hands of Mr. Bauer where [the accuser] suffered severe physical and emotional pain."

The attorney continued ... saying he expects criminal charges to ultimately be filed against the MLB All-Star.

"Our goal is to keep Mr. Bauer from contacting our client in any way possible. We anticipate there will be criminal action against Mr. Bauer, and it is our hope law enforcement will take our client’s allegations and case seriously."

Our law enforcement sources say the case will likely be sent to the district attorney ... where they will decide whether to file charges.

Bauer is one of the best pitchers in baseball ... and has been solid for the Dodgers in 2021, posting an 8-5 record with a 2.59 ERA.

He previously played for the Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Jacob deGrom decided to have a little fun before NY's game Tuesday ... horsing around with a teammate in pregame warmups -- and it has Mets fans absolutely TRIGGERED!!!

The scene was captured by MLB Network cameras hours before the Mets' game against the Braves in Atlanta ... and it was pretty silly -- deGrom wrestled a teammate to the ground in hilarious WWE fashion.

Seriously, the play fighting was actually funny ... deGrom pulled the shirt over his teammate's head, threw him to the ground -- and then another Met came in to count down the pin!

The problem ... Jacob's battled some injuries this season -- and Mets fans are absolutely LOSING IT over the sight of their star ace rolling around on the ground unprotected!!

NY fans have erupted on social media ... pleading with deGrom to take care of himself -- especially with his next start scheduled for Thursday night.

Don't worry, deGrom made it through the outfield scrap unscathed ... but it would seriously be a bummer if something did happen to him.

Cleveland Indians outfielder Josh Naylor broke his leg in a horrifying fashion after colliding with his teammate during a game Sunday ... and video of the play is VERY hard to watch.

The gruesome scene all went down in the 4th inning of the Tribe's game against the Minnesota Twins ... when Naylor was trying to track down a fly ball in right field.

The problem ... his teammate, Ernie Clement, was charging for the ball as well -- and when the baseball finally came down from the sky, the two crashed into each other HARD.

The collision sent Naylor flying -- and when he landed, his leg bent awkwardly underneath him ... horrifically twisting it.

You can see in slow-motion replay, Naylor was in EXTREME pain ... writhing on the ground.

Naylor was eventually carted off the field and taken to the hospital ... and after the game, Indians manager Terry Francona confirmed his player was dealing with a significant injury.

"We know that there's a fracture," Francona told reporters. "Other than that, he's being evaluated over at the hospital right now."

Naylor had played in 69 games for Cleveland this season ... hitting 7 home runs and batting .253.

A Mexican Baseball League hitter was so livid after he was drilled by a fastball Wednesday ... he straight-up attacked the pitcher with his bat AND helmet -- and the wild scene was all caught on video.

It all went down in the Toros de Tijuana game against Rieleros de Aguascalientes in Tijuana ... when Toros catcher Gabriel Gutierrez absolutely lost his mind in the 8th inning.

Things between the two teams had been chippy all night -- and when Gutierrez appeared to be purposely drilled by a pitch ... he snapped.

Check out the footage of the chaos, Gutierrez launched his bat and then his helmet at Rieleros pitcher Brandon Quintero ... and then all hell broke loose.

The two teams' benches cleared and several skirmishes broke out ... with some of the fights even including wild haymakers!!!

Eventually, the two teams were separated ... with three players ultimately being booted from the game over the incident.

The Toros went on to win, 5-3 ... and afterward, Tijuana star Leandro Castro said in Spanish everything was essentially the Rieleros' fault.

He pinned the blame on them being upset over a previous matchup between the two teams ... and added he REALLY hopes a similar scene never happens again.

It's not just the Dodgers team getting beat down in San Diego ... a Dodgers fan got smacked around too!

Check out this video of a Dodgers fan in enemy territory during the team's road trip to San Diego.

Unclear why the guy in the Clayton Kershaw jersey was so mad -- but he approached a group of Padres fans at Petco Park on Tuesday night looking for a fight and yeah, he got what he wanted.

The problem for the Dodgers fan ... he ain't exactly Francis Ngannou.

He threw some punches but nothing really connected and within seconds, he was being wrestled into the bleachers while the Padres fans proceeded to beat his ass.

Eventually, some other Padres fans and a dude in a Yankees jersey pulled the Dodgers fan away ... while a bunch of fans shouted, "Beat L.A."

Law enforcement tells us no arrests were made.

But, to make matters worse for the Dodgers fan, L.A. lost the game 3 to 2.

Toronto will now be without one of its best pitchers for FIVE games ... MLB has just hit Alek Manoah with the ban after they say he "intentionally" drilled an opponent with a heater.

Manoah -- after giving up back-to-back home runs in Saturday's Blue Jays vs. Orioles game -- threw a 93 MPH fastball that beaned Maikel Franco right in the shoulder area.

Given that he had just let up two straight bombs ... Baltimore felt Manoah hit Franco on purpose -- and an all-out brawl nearly ensued.

Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed before any punches were thrown ... but Manoah was ejected nonetheless -- and the MLB clearly felt Tuesday, that it wasn't enough punishment for the 23-year-old righty.

MLB officials announced Manoah "has received a five-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for intentionally throwing at Maikel Franco."

They added Manoah's manager, Charlie Montoyo, was also receiving a one-game ban for his role in the incident.

Manoah will appeal, however, which means his suspension will not go into effect until that process is completed.

El Mago looked more like El No Recuerdo on Monday ... 'cause Cubs star shortstop Javier Baez lost track of the outs during an inning, and was then promptly benched over the blunder.

Baez looked straight-up ridiculous during the bottom of the 4th inning of Chicago's game against the Indians ... when the 28-year-old thought there were 2 outs.

You can see in the clip of the play ... after Anthony Rizzo hit a pop-up to left field, Baez began circling the bags completely unaware there was only 1 out prior to the at-bat.

Baez was then promptly doubled off at first base ... and after he didn't seem to care too much about the mistake, his manager yanked him.

Cameras caught David Ross having a deep conversation with Baez about the play in the dugout ... and it wasn't hard to see Baez wasn't happy with Ross' decision to bench him.

The Cubs went on to lose the game 4-0.

Afterward, though, Baez vowed to be better going forward, saying, "[Ross and I] talked about it. We’re on the same page. I’ll be there tomorrow to help the team."

Added Ross, "We had a good conversation, and I think that’s behind us ... Javy’s really important to this team."

Tough scene for Javier ... but hey, remember when he made this play just a few weeks ago???

Sang Ho Baek -- a freshman on George Mason's 2021 baseball team -- died Saturday after his Tommy John surgery turned tragic ... his teammate, Scott Morgan, has confirmed.

The pitcher recently underwent the elbow procedure ... and in a statement on a GoFundMe page, Morgan announced Baek ultimately passed away due to complications from it.

He was just 20 years old.

"After battling through injuries throughout the season, Sang required Tommy John surgery," Morgan, a GMU outfielder, wrote in the GoFundMe statement.

"He suddenly passed away due to complications with his surgery. As a team, we are all mourning his passing."

It's been reported Baek suffered a blood clot while trying to recover from the procedure.

Baek played in seven games for the Patriots in '21 ... and his GMU head coach, Bill Brown, said he was "an incredible teammate."

"He will be missed and forever cherished in our hearts," Brown added.

Tampa Bay Rays prospect Tyler Zombro is clearly lucky to be alive today ... the pitcher revealed he needed brain surgery after being drilled in the head by a line drive this month -- and the scar he showed off Thursday is gnarly.

Zombro -- who was struck by a comebacker in a minor league game on June 3 -- posted pics from his recovery on his Twitter page ... and it's truly miraculous he appears to be okay following the scary scene.

Zombro showed the entire right side of his head was opened up by docs after he was hit by the baseball ... and then later closed up with a grip of staples.

"Unbelievably grateful to be in the situation I’m currently in with the incredible help from @DukeHospital & staff," Zombro said.

"To all of you that have showered my family and I with positive thoughts, I have no doubt that all of the prayer support kept God with me throughout that night, as I’m in a very fortunate position all things considered."

The initial injury was one of the scariest incidents anybody's EVER seen on a baseball diamond ... Zombro let a fastball go and it was smacked right back at him.

The 26-year-old could be seen convulsing on the mound and was immediately rushed to the hospital.

In fact, things looked so dire, Zombro's minor league team, the Durham Bulls, postponed their game the following day in wake of the injury.

But, Zombro said Thursday he's doing much better ... even cracking a joke about his sprint speed!

"In optimistic news: I’ve never been the fastest on the field so I may have gotten a boost after this surgery," Zombro said.

Zombro added he intends to get back on the diamond eventually ... though there's no timetable for a return at this point.

Blue Jays pitcher Ross Stripling says he's sorry for throwing a temper tantrum after his teammate's error ... calling his actions both embarrassing and mortifying.

The Toronto starter went crazy after Joe Panik botched a throw to first base in the Jays' loss to the Yankees on Wednesday night ... screaming at his third baseman and throwing his hands in the air.

Stripling could be heard telling Panik to essentially play better ... and the on-field explosion was so off-putting, even Yankees broadcasters called Stripling out for it live on-air.

But, it didn't take long for Ross to realize he really screwed up ... 'cause he issued an apology to Panik after the game, calling the scene "the most disrespectful thing I've ever done."

"I'm completely embarrassed about it," the 31-year-old said. "I simply let the moment get too big for me."

Stripling said he not only spoke to Panik about it all, but addressed the situation with his entire team as well.

"I mean, I literally can't explain it," Stripling said. "Honestly, I'm mortified by it, I can't stand that's the way that went."

Ross continued, "It'll never happen again from me, I promise you that."

Ross added that Panik had accepted the mea culpa and told him "no hard feelings."

"Please, just talk to us. Please, just work with us."

Gerrit Cole is BEGGING MLB officials to ease their latest stance on pitchers and foreign substances ... telling reporters Wednesday night he's VERY concerned a league crackdown on it all could lead to serious injuries.

The Yankees star kept it real in his meeting with the media after New York's huge win over Toronto ... saying the lack of sticky substances on his hand really hurt him during the game.

In fact, Cole said he struggled so much with gripping the baseball all night long ... he became not only concerned about his arm, but also batters in the box.

"I would just hate to see players get hurt," the 30-year-old said. "I would hate to see balls start flying at people's heads. I had a really tough time gripping the baseball tonight, especially early when it was windy."

Cole is now imploring MLB officials to back down from their threat to impose fines, ejections and even suspensions on pitchers who are caught putting foreign substances on their hands and baseballs.

"It's so hard to grip the ball," Cole said after the Yanks' 3-2 victory. "For Pete's sake, it's part of the reason why almost every player on the field has had something, regardless if they're a pitcher or not, to help them control the ball."

Of course, the comments echo Tyler Glasnow's concerns from earlier this week ... when the Tampa Bay Rays ace said he believed the league's crackdown ultimately caused a serious injury to his elbow.

For his part, despite grip issues and a dry hand, Cole still dominated a strong Blue Jays lineup ... throwing 8 innings and giving up just 4 hits and 2 earned runs while striking out 4.

"I would encourage the commissioner's office to continue to talk with us, please, because we're the ones that throw the ball," Cole said.