Baseball

Cleveland Indians pitcher Nick Wittgren says fans hurled homophobic insults at him and threatened to kill his family after he had a poor outing during a game over the weekend.

The comments that Wittgren says he received after he gave up five earned runs in the Indians' loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night were deeply disturbing.

In one of them, Wittgren says a fan wrote to him after Cleveland's 10-5 loss, "I know where you live. I will get you tonight and kill your family."

Wittgren says the fan continued, "I will get your home at midnight. I will shot your family and stab your necks."

The 30-year-old says another fan also called him "f****t" repeatedly.

"Sadly this is considered 'normal' in professional sports," Wittgren said of the vile comments. "It’s happened to 90% of players I know and basically after every bad outing a player has."

"But there is nothing normal about threatening someone and their families lives."

Wittgren's wife says she, too, received threats and heinous remarks over Nick's game ... saying in a statement on social media, "Y’all I get it, my husband had a bad day at work."

"But sending both of us very explicit death threats aimed at him, me, and our children is absolutely inexcusable."

The Indians say law enforcement has been contacted over the messages ... adding the team is investigating the threats as well.

"We continue to work through all available security channels in an ongoing attempt to identify individuals who engage in this type of behavior towards our team members and eliminate future instances," Indians officials said.

"Abusive and threatening language undermines the ability of social media platforms to create positive, healthy connections."

Trevor Bauer and his attorney showed up to an L.A. courtroom Friday ... making it clear they're ready to fight the pitcher's assault accuser's allegations.

Bauer -- wearing a purple suit, pink shirt and tie -- showed up just prior to the morning proceedings. His accuser was also in court.

During the hearing -- which was scheduled in order to determine if a temporary restraining order against Bauer should turn into a permanent one -- Bauer's attorney said they want to call 3-4 witnesses to support his case.

Meanwhile, Bauer's accuser -- through her attorney -- said they would like to call around six witnesses to show why the restraining order should be granted.

The parties estimated a hearing on the matter would take around 2 days.

The hearing is expected to begin after a lunch break later Friday afternoon.

As we previously reported, Bauer's accuser got the temporary restraining order in late June ... after she said in court docs the MLB star was violent with her during two sexual encounters in April and May.

In the docs, the woman claimed Bauer choked her unconscious and punched her repeatedly ... leaving her with black eyes, bruises, scrapes and scratches.

The 30-year-old pitcher and his reps have denied the allegations ... claiming the incidents were part of 2 entirely consensual sexual encounters.

Police and the MLB are conducting investigations into the claims. Bauer -- who's been on administrative leave and away from the Dodgers' mound since the allegations -- has not been arrested nor has he been charged.

It's unknown if Bauer plans on testifying during the hearing.

Alex Rodriguez is moving on from Jennifer Lopez in an interesting way ... on a yacht with some bikini-clad women along the French Riviera.

The former MLB star's soaking up the sun and enjoying the water while vacationing in Saint-Tropez this week ... while showing off his buff bod and having some fun on a giant inflatable slide.

We haven't seen much of A-Rod recently, and though we know he's renting a summer house in the Hamptons -- not too far away from J Lo -- she's clearly NOT on his mind at the moment. Sources connected to Alex tell us the yacht adventure is to celebrate his upcoming 46th birthday, and the folks onboard with him are friends, family and A-Rod Corp employees ... no romantic hookups.

We'll say this ... Alex has some attractive friends and staffers.

Since their breakup, A-Rod's been more low-profile ... while J Lo's been out and about in multiple cities with her old flame, Ben Affleck. As we reported, she's been house-hunting in L.A., and Ben's come along for the ride -- plus, they've had some romantic dinner dates.

Cleveland pulled out the big guns to unveil its MLB team's new name, drafting none other than Tom Hanks to roll out ... the Cleveland Guardians!!!

A slick new video announced the name change -- which takes effect next season -- with Hanks handling the voiceover, explaining the new name is intended to unite fans "as one family, one community."

The old name, of course, had been trashed for years for being divisive and offensive to Indigenous people.

The new name is linked to a couple of local celebs -- 2 statues on the city's Hope Memorial Bridge, which is right near the team's Progressive Field. Those were built as "guardians of traffic" to symbolize progress in transportation.

The MLB name is more about progress for the city and the team, but like anything else new ... haters gonna hate. Reaction to the Guardians name and logo -- a "G" with a baseball, in the same font as the old name -- is mixed. At best.

That's alright ... Cleveland's used to it.

Does a good fastball run in Pettitte blood? Derek Jeter is certainly hoping so ... 'cause the Marlins exec said he signed Andy Pettitte's son this week because he's banking on the kid's DNA!!

Jeets spoke about the Marlins' deal with Jared Pettitte out in NYC to Adam Glyn ... explaining, with a little bit of his tongue in his cheek, that he inked Andy's boy 'cause of his legendary pops' skillset.

"He's got good genes," Jeter said wryly when asked why he thought his longtime Yankees teammate's son deserved a chance in the Miami org.

Of course, the younger Pettitte is much more than just Andy's kid ... he's got a live arm -- even though he did record a 5.81 ERA in 13 games at Dallas Baptist University this year.

"I do model a lot of my game after [my dad]," Jared told YES Network earlier this month. "I really have to rely a lot on command and just kind of the movement on my pitches."

Jared did not get picked in the 2021 MLB draft ... but Jeter was still able to get him on board as an undrafted free agent this week nonetheless.

And, when asked if he was emotional about being reunited with another Pettitte after having so much success with Andy in New York ... Jeter said he's taking a wait-and-see approach for that.

"Not yet," Jeter said. "We got to get him down there [in the minor leagues] first!"

A shirtless MLB fan's face got demolished by several men in a wild brawl at the White Sox game Tuesday night ... and the insane fracas was all caught on video.

The melee went down at some point during the Sox's tilt with the Twins at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago ... when men let their fists fly in the stadium's left-field bleachers.

You can see in the footage ... the fight was violent -- with haymakers being thrown, and landed, repeatedly.

The man without a shirt took most of the damage ... eating flurries of punches from multiple people involved in the skirmish.

To the guy's credit, though, he had quite the chin ... 'cause he took everyone's best shot -- and still wanted more.

It seems at some point cooler heads prevailed ... 'cause when we reached out to cops over the incident, they told us no arrests were made.

As for the game, the Sox used a big 8th inning to railroad Minnesota, 9-5.

Dog lovers will appreciate this ... New York Mets catcher Tomas Nido just showed major love to his adorable pup -- by getting a tattoo of the canine on his leg!

TMZ Sports has learned the baseball player wanted to get some ink to celebrate his beloved pet last week ... so he hit up artist Keith Hernandez from Bang Bang Tattoo in New York City.

We're told the 27-year-old handed over a portrait of his Yorkie, Louie, that he got 8 years ago ... and Hernandez then went to work.

The artist took a few hours to do the piece ... and it all ended up coming out pretty incredible!!

Check out the details ... the drawing of Louie -- which will now sit on the inside of Nido's shin forever -- looks SUPER real, right down to the fluffy hair and little dog outfit.

We're told Nido got one more tat while he was in the shop ... getting the letter "E" inked behind his ear -- a shoutout to his 8-month-old daughter, Eleni.

In total, Nido ended up sitting in the chair for about 3 or 4 hours ... and we're told he's planning to head back to the shop in the near future to get more ink done.

Joe Burrow ain't the only one who thinks Skyline Chili is "trash" ... 'cause Mets announcer Gary Cohen UNLEASHED on the Cincinnati delicacy in an epic rant ... calling the dish straight-up "disgusting."

Of course, the chili chain is as polarizing as they come ... with Cincy folks swearing the stuff is good, and others wishing it ceased to exist.

The Bengals' superstar QB even shared his take before getting drafted in 2020 ... saying, "Cincinnati's gonna hate me, but I hate that stuff."

Cohen decided to pile on the hate while calling the Mets vs. Reds game at Great American Ball Park on Monday ... and it's absolutely hilarious.

"This is the local delicacy known as Skyline Chili," Cohen said.

"The 5-Way with the spaghetti and the beans and the cheese — first the disgusting chili gravy ... After the onions comes the cheese, and that’s what makes it the 5-Way."

"There’s the cheese — they put like 10 tons of shredded cheese on there ... And this is supposed to be food that you actually eat."

When his partner Ron Darling admitted he's never tried the grub, Cohen explained why it's a must.

"You need to try everything once. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Try it once, and then you’ll never eat it again," Cohen said.

Congrats are in order for MLB ace Shane Bieber -- the Cy Young winner got on one knee and popped the question to his longtime GF over the weekend ... and she said "YES!!!"

The 26-year-old Cleveland superstar and Kara Maxine Kavajecz made their engagement public on Monday ... sharing pics of the couple's big moment in San Francisco.

The setup looked truly special ... with Bieber setting up a romantic area overlooking the city and decked out with pillows, candles, wine and more.

"Forever my girl," Bieber captioned his post with shots from iQphoto, which showed him on one knee and embracing his new fiancee.

"I always knew," Kara added.

Bieber and Kavajecz first met years ago at the University of California, Santa Barbara ... and have been inseparable ever since.

Of course, Biebs is one of the best in the sport -- he's 41-18 in his career with a 3.31 ERA.

The pitcher has been sidelined with an injury since mid-June with a shoulder strain ... but it's safe to say he's been making great use of his time off the diamond.

A New York Yankees fan who drilled Red Sox star Alex Verdugo in the back with a baseball this weekend is now banned from attending MLB games FOREVER.

Yanks and MLB officials confirmed the decision Sunday ... after the fan hurled a ball at Verdugo from his seat in left field during the Boston vs. NY game Saturday night.

The scene was wild ... Verdugo tossed a baseball into the crowd to give a souvenir to a young fan, but seconds later, a man in a Yankees shirt heaved it back at him while he wasn't looking.

The ball plunked the Sox outfielder ... and he was FURIOUS over it, pointing up at the fan and yelling with rage.

Ultimately, the fan was booted from the game ... and then hit with a perma-ban from ALL MLB ballparks by officials less than 24 hours later.

"While the Yankees appreciate the spirit and passion of our fans in our various rivalries -- especially with the Red Sox -- reckless, disorderly and dangerous behavior that puts the safety of players, field staff or fellow fans in jeopardy will not be tolerated," Yankees officials said in a statement.

"There is absolutely no place for it at Yankee Stadium. The safety of everyone at Yankee Stadium, including guests in the stands and players on the field, will always be the top priority for the Yankees organization every time we open our doors."

Both the Red Sox and Yankees managers, Alex Cora and Aaron Boone, denounced the fan's actions ... with Boone calling it all, "awful, embarrassing" and "unacceptable."

The fan was somehow not arrested, NJ.com reported over the weekend ... though it's unclear if criminal charges are being pursued.

Padres superstars Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado are being hailed for their heroics after gunshots forced Nationals Stadium into lockdown, and left some fans searching for a safe place to hide.

Video inside the game shows Tatis and Machado springing out of the 3rd base dugout and running to open a fence to the stands. As we reported, someone fired at least 7 shots Saturday night just outside the stadium, during the 6th inning.

The shots could be heard on the broadcast as the teams were walking to their dugouts, and fans were immediately told to shelter in place. Some fans at field level were exposed and scrambling for somewhere to take cover, and that's where the sluggers stepped in to help.

Both players ran from the cover of their dugout, and unlocked the gates from stands onto the field -- allowing terrified fans to flee. A stream of spectators sprinted, some carrying children, from the field into the protected dugout.

Cops say a total of 3 people were injured in the shooting ... including one woman who was attending the game. Although the shots were fired outside the stadium, cops say at least one bullet ricocheted and hit the spectator.

A pro baseball game turned ugly Thursday night ... when players charged at fans in the stands after some spectators allegedly threw beer at them.

The wild scene all went down in a Frontier League game at Yogi Berra Stadium in Little Falls, NJ ... when the New Jersey Jackals vs. Sussex County Miners tilt had to be paused due to a near-brawl in the stands.

The incident was all captured on video ... and it's crazy -- 'cause players from both teams bum-rushed at spectators, nearly igniting a huge fight in the seats.

You can see in the clip, players were all the way up in the 2nd and 3rd rows, getting in the faces of fans ... and it appeared the guys were just moments away from letting fists fly.

Fortunately, other players were able to hold aggressors back ... and play resumed without any real, major tiffs blowing up.

As for why it all happened ... it was $1 beer night at the stadium -- and one witness said a fan had no problem throwing some suds at players during a break in the action -- 'causing the athletes to explode.

Peyton Manning looked absolutely nothing like one of the greatest athletes ever on Tuesday ... botching the ceremonial first pitch at the MLB All-Star Game -- and it was pretty terrible.

The former Broncos QB was tapped by baseball officials to kick off the big night at Coors Field in Denver ... and, boy, did he disappoint in the role.

Check out the clip ... Manning took the bump, reared back with an ugly wind-up, and then fired a fastball that didn't even reach home plate.

Seriously, it wasn't good.

In fact, the ball bounced so far from being a strike ... it had to be knocked down by Rockies pitcher German Marquez to save Peyton from all-time embarrassment.

You can tell from the footage, even Manning was disappointed with the toss ... he shook his head and threw up his hands before receiving the ball back from Marquez.

Of course, Manning's been retired from being a star athlete for more than 5 years now ... so maybe the 45-year-old deserves a pass here.

Fernando Tatis is shining bright like a diamond at the MLB's 2021 All-Star Week ... rockin' a massive 'El Nino' diamond chain --- worth $200k!!

The San Diego Padres shortstop's nickname is 'El Nino' ... and you may have spotted Tatis rockin' the ice during the Home Run Derby in Denver on Monday -- and the jewelry is amazing.

TMZ Sports has learned that the pendant -- featuring a little boy's face -- is filled with 25 carats of VVS emerald diamonds ... and the specially made Hermes chain holds 75 carats of VVS diamonds!

That's a total of 100 carats -- worth 200 racks!!

And, Tatis isn't the only All-Star reppin' his alias in some new bling ... Atlanta Braves' Ronald Acuna Jr. got a diamond 'El Abusador' pendant featuring his team's logo.

It's infused with 100 carats of VVS diamonds and is worth $175K!

Even though the right-fielder tore his ACL last weekend, he'll still be in Denver showin' love -- and maybe we'll catch him sportin' the new ice!

We're told that both chains -- made by Gabriel the Jeweler -- were designed and inspired by their close friend Nick Drbal.

Belli's having a baby!!!!

Cody Bellinger's model girlfriend, Chase Carter, just announced the couple is pregnant ... and is already 20 weeks along!!!

And, the Dodgers superstar clearly couldn't be more excited about it ... he commented on Carter's announcement on social media, "Ay ay ayyyyyyyy!!"

Belli and Carter have been dating for around a year ... and the two are very clearly in love, as they were inseparable during Bellinger's run to the World Series last October.

You'll recall, Carter was spotted at most of the MLB star's playoff games ... and even celebrated on the field with him after L.A. beat Tampa Bay to win it all.

No official due date has been announced yet for the baby Bellinger ... but doing the math should mean Cody -- who turned 26 on Tuesday -- will be a dad in November.