Baseball

An MLB fan flipped over some railing and crash-landed onto his head trying to track down a Home Run Derby ball Monday ... but somehow, the dude escaped with no serious injuries.

The wild spill happened early in the MLB's long-ball event at Coor's Field in Denver ... when A's star Matt Olson cranked a dinger deep into the stadium's right field upper deck.

The man could be seen on the broadcast reaching over some railing to try to catch the ball ... but when he stretched just a little too far, he tumbled to the concrete below.

The scene was actually pretty terrifying ... the guy fell multiple feet and landed VERY awkwardly -- but he explained afterward he somehow avoided catastrophe in the tumble.

"It was coming right through here," the fan said, breaking down his thought process of chasing after the ball. "And I got up and tried to go over the railing to get it."

The fan said he suffered some scrapes on his elbow, but otherwise, came out of the spill just fine.

But, the dude said he didn't even get to come away with the baseball ... adding, "Never ended up getting it."

SAD!!!!!

By the way, the Derby was awesome this year ... Pete Alonso, Trey Mancini, Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani all put on amazing shows -- with Pete ultimately coming out on top for the second time in a row at the event.

Vanessa Hudgens and Pittsburgh Pirates player Cole Tucker are CLEARLY getting serious ... the actress posted a pic with her man Sunday, saying he's "All I need."

The two -- who began dating late in 2020 -- appeared to spend the whole weekend together in New York, while Tucker and the Pirates were in town for a series with the Mets.

And, it seems the couple is going SERIOUSLY strong ... 'cause Vanessa showed up to his games to cheer him on -- and then posted a pic of the two with the mushy caption to cap it all off.

Of course, Vanessa hasn't been shy about her affinity for Tucker over the past few months ... acknowledging their relationship on Valentine's Day, heading out to his games, and posting photos with him constantly.

Yeah, feels like love to us!

As for how Cole did in front of Hudgens during the series in New York this weekend ... he went 0-for-5 and the Pirates were only able to split the games 2-2.

The MLB All-Star Game might have become the site of a mass shooting this week ... had it not been for a hotel housekeeper, who tipped off cops to a huge collection of guns she found in one of the rooms.

Local reports say 4 individuals were arrested this weekend in Denver -- 3 men and a woman -- on illegal weapons charges after cops say they discovered an incredible cache of artillery in their rooms at the Maven Hotel ... just 2 blocks from Coors Field, where the All-Star events will take place this week.

ABC7 Denver reports a total of 16 long guns (AKA, rifles) were confiscated, as well as more than 1,000 rounds of ammo -- plus, body armor.

Their hotel rooms were reportedly on the 8th floor of the hotel ... and their balcony area had a bird's eye view of downtown Denver. Unclear what their intentions might've been, but some are already connecting the dots ... saying this could've possibly been a repeat of the Las Vegas massacre had it not been stopped by the heads-up housekeeper blowing the whistle.

ABC7 says 3 of the 4 suspects have criminal records, and one allegedly posted a scary Facebook message saying they would "go out in a big way."

The jersey Reggie Jackson wore when he hit his famous moonshot home run during the 1971 All-Star Game has just hit the auction block ... and it can be all yours, if you've got some serious cash laying around!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the Oakland A's vest that Reggie donned when he smashed the 539-foot HR is currently being sold at SCP Auctions, and experts say it could go for more than $250,000!!

Of course, while the price tag is hefty, the jersey is a part of MLB history ... as it played it a role in one of the longest HRs EVER recorded in baseball.

You'll recall, Jackson hit the massive blast off of Pittsburgh Pirates ace Dock Ellis in the '71 mid-summer classic ... and it went so far, announcer Curt Gowdy could hardly find it in the air!!

"That one is going, way up!" Gowdy yelled. "It is -- off the roof!? That hit the transformer up there!"

We're told the jersey has been photomatched to prove its authenticity ... and it's been given a perfect grade by authenticating experts.

Shohei Ohtani's monster 2021 season ain't just bringing awareness to MLB nationally ... the Angels superstar is opening eyes across the GLOBE -- so says Rick Ankiel.

The former St. Louis Cardinals star -- who was the last MLB player before Ohtani to have huge success as both a hitter and pitcher -- broke it all down for TMZ Sports this week ... explaining Shohei is just that electric.

"Look, there’s nothing the guy can’t do on a baseball field," said Ankiel, who Ohtani just passed on the all-time MLB home run leaderboard.

"Watching what he’s doing, it definitely is must-watch TV ... every time I see it, I stop."

Ankiel says because of Ohtani's ties to Japan ... the incredible year he's having is bringing eyeballs to the sport that may have never been brought otherwise.

"I think you’re going to have a lot of kids who are seeing him maybe for the first time on the All-Star Game, looking up to that and going out in the backyard and trying to hit like Ohtani, and pitch like Ohtani and try to be that growing up," Ankiel said.

"I think it’s fantastic."

Ohtani has a ridiculous 32 home runs already this season with a stellar .279 batting average ... and he's the clear-cut favorite for AL MVP at the moment.

Oh, and by the way, he also has a 3.49 ERA and a 4-1 record as a pitcher.

Trevor Bauer will be away from MLB mounds for at least another week ... the league just announced it extended the Dodgers star's paid leave 7 more days.

The MLB Players Association signed off on the move Thursday ... meaning Bauer is now out of Los Angeles' rotation until at least July 16.

Bauer had initially been placed on paid leave last Friday ... in wake of allegations that he had punched and choked a woman during two sexual encounters in April and May.

According to MLB insider Jeff Passan, if a police investigation and/or an MLB probe into the matter isn't settled by next week ... the Dodgers and the league could look into putting Bauer on paid leave indefinitely.

Bauer has been arguably the best starter on Los Angeles' roster this season -- he holds an 8-5 record with a 2.59 ERA -- but he hasn't pitched since June 28.

As we previously reported ... a woman -- who says she met Bauer on Instagram -- claims Bauer choked her and hit her so many times during their two meetings earlier this year, she was left with scratches, bruises and lacerations.

The 30-year-old has emphatically denied the allegations ... claiming it was all part of entirely consensual sex.

We don't know if we should crown this guy Dad of the Year, or Gutsiest Dad of the Year ... because he could easily fall into both for this incredible feat with his kid and a baseball.

Check out this insane clip of what seems to be a relatively new father holding his child at the Arizona Diamondbacks game Sunday, where they were in Phoenix facing the visiting SF Giants. Of course, when you go to a live game ... ya gotta look out for those foul balls.

They can come at you fast when coming off a player's bat at the plate ... and that's exactly what happened here for this fella. His instinct was ... catch the damn thing, barehand!

Watch for yourself -- he literally releases the baby that he's holding in his left hand/arm to reach up and snag the ball midair (which he successfully does) ... and an instant later, he swings his arm back down to catch the falling kid (again, he pulls it off somehow).

BTW, we forgot to mention ... Papa Bear here was also carrying a beer in his free hand -- so it's literally like a circus stunt. He spilled a little while making the amazing catch(es), but the suds stayed mostly intact. As freaked as people were, they were equally impressed.

Trevor Bauer has just been sidelined by Major League Baseball ... he's been placed on paid administrative leave amid an assault allegation.

The Dodgers star traveled with the team to the nation's capital on Wednesday and was scheduled to start Sunday against the Nationals ... but that plan's now scrapped as MLB commissioner Rob Manfred placed Bauer on paid leave for 7 days.

The League can extend the administrative leave provided the MLB players' union signs off. The League's investigating claims by a woman alleging the reigning NL Cy Young winner sexually assaulted her. Bauer denies any wrongdoing.

As we reported ... the woman accused Bauer of choking her to the point of losing consciousness and then having non-consensual anal sex with her, according to docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

The woman made extremely disturbing allegations in an 84-page temporary restraining order application filed by the alleged victim's attorney. The woman claimed 2 meetings with Bauer started as consensual sex ... but then turned into a violent attack.

The 21-year-old accuser said she met Bauer through Instagram before meeting him on April 21 face-to-face. She alleges they were in the middle of intercourse when he started aggressively putting his fingers down her throat. She says she asked him to stop ... and he did.

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

The woman went on to claim that when she woke up she was faced down on the bed ... and Bauer was having anal sex with her. The accuser said she did not consent to it.

Bauer's reps claim they've shared scores of texts between them with Pasadena PD, which is investigating the accuser's allegations. A hearing's set for July 23.

President Biden's already predicting who will win the 2021 World Series ... he's going with the L.A. Dodgers!!!

The Prez made the prediction Friday in his opening remarks at the White House as he hosted the Doyers in the East Room. Biden said, "We may be doing this by the end of the year." He's not wrong ... the Dodgers are the odds-on favorite to repeat as champs.

The Boys in Blue are the first championship team to visit 1600 Pennsylvania since the COVID shutdown. It's also the first time the Dodgers visited the White House as champions since last doing so in 1988 ... Ronald Reagan's last year in office.

While the visit is a first for stars Cody Bellinger, Justin Turner and Clayton Kershaw ... this is also Mookie Betts' first trip to the White House. Betts led the Boston Red Sox to the 2018 World Series ... but the then-reigning AL MVP decided not to attend the 2019 ceremony when Donald Trump was in office.

In any event ... the team showed off their fire fashion sense. Kenley Jansen opted for a slick tux, while Mookie, ever the GQ man, borrowed a page from Pharrell's fashion playbook.

But, major props to Joe Kelly ... who showed up to the WH with the mariachi jacket he got from a mariachi band member he met at Dodger Stadium. Eso!!!

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.