Baseball

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Tommy Pham's obscene gesture made too much of a mess for MLB ... and the league is hoping a one-game suspension will help him clean it up!!

The incident happened Wednesday night during the Buccos' tilt against the Los Angeles Angels ... when Pham and a fan shared a heated moment -- and unfortunately for the 37-year-old, it was caught live on TV.

People speculated Pham might be hit with a fine ... but MLB elected a ban was necessary.

Tommy Pham grew so frustrated with a fan during the Pirates' tilt vs. the Angels Wednesday, he busted out an obscene gesture toward the person ... and it's all probably going to result in a stiff fine.

The Pittsburgh left fielder's spat with a Halos supporter began during the fifth inning of the Buccos' matchup with L.A. at Angel Stadium ... when a man clad in red leaned over some railing and touched Pham while he was digging for a ball in the dirt.

The Pittsburgh star clearly didn't appreciate the physical interaction ... and after throwing the baseball to the infield, he and the guy seemed to quarrel for a few more minutes.

A baseball autographed by Pope Francis is being auctioned off to the highest bidder in the wake of his death ... and it could end up selling for over five figures.

The late pontiff signed a baseball several years ago ... scribbling "Francisco" in black felt-tip pen on a Rawlings MLB ball ... and now that he's dead, the souvenir is hitting the open market.

The baseball is going up for sale through RR Auction ... where it's expected to fetch at least $15,000.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. has landed in some hot water following the Yankees' Thursday night matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays ... not for his actions on the field -- but for a social media post he published in the middle of their game.

MLB made the announcement Friday afternoon ... saying Chisholm Jr. received the one-game suspension and "an undisclosed fine" for violating the league's social media policy.

He will not serve the suspension Friday ... as he's appealing the league's ruling. The second baseman can continue to play until the process is complete.

Mookie Betts had Dodger fans clenching their butt cheeks on Wednesday ... when his foul ball almost took out Shohei Ohtani in the dugout -- but thankfully, the $700 MILLION man took cover just in time!!

The frightening moment went down against the Rockies on Wednesday ... right after Ohtani launched a 448-foot homer in the first inning.

As Ohtani celebrated with catcher Austin Barnes on the bench, Betts was up to bat -- and after making contact on a pitch, the ball shot right toward the Japanese superstar.

Scary scene during Wednesday's matinee matchup between the Twins and the Mets ... first base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt was drilled in the head by a line drive -- and was forced to leave the game.

It went down in the top of the seventh inning as Tyrone Taylor was up to bat. The New York centerfielder roped a 0-0 pitch foul -- right at Wendelstedt's head.

The collision was so disturbing, the Mets' first base coach immediately waved for trainers to come over. Wendelstedt appeared to be in a significant amount of pain.

There were over 100 fastballs thrown in the Rays vs. Red Sox game Tuesday night, but it was an entirely different kind of pitch that perhaps had the most significant impact on the contest.

Check out what went down early on in the Boston vs. Tampa tilt at George M. Steinbrenner Field ... a high-pitched noise put a pause on the diamond's action for about a minute.

The buzz -- which sounded like a mix between a whistle and nails on a chalkboard -- appeared to stem from the venue's PA system ... and everyone from players to fans seemed affected by it.

Los Angeles Dodgers legend Manny Mota suffered a stroke on Monday night, the team announced Tuesday.

Fortunately, the Dodgers said in a statement the longtime coach is currently "in recovery," and "is responsive to commands."

The 87-year-old is now "resting comfortably," the team added.

We're less than 15 games into the Major League Baseball season, and we might already have witnessed the catch of the year ... and it wasn't a Big Leaguer who flashed the leather!

In fact, there wasn't even a glove involved -- but instead some sort of ... dough?

The highlight reel moment went down during Bo Bichette's at-bat at Fenway Park during his Blue Jays team's tilt with the Red Sox ... when the star shortstop fouled a ball off into the stands.

The baseball careened towards a Sox fan, who was holding a plate of food in his hands ... but that wasn't gonna stop him from making the catch.

3:24 PM PT -- MLB commissioner Robert Manfred released a statement on the passing of Dotel, Nelson Cruz's sister, Nelsy, and former pro Tony Blanco ... saying, "We send our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of all those who have been affected and to our colleague Nelson and his entire family."

"The connection between baseball and the Dominican Republic runs deep, and we are thinking of all the Dominican players and fans across the game today."

The New York Mets paid tribute to former player Octavio Dotel on Tuesday ... hours after a nightclub roof collapsed and killed the World Series champion in the Dominican Republic.

Prior to the team's game against the Miami Marlins, the Metropolitans held a moment of silence for Dotel, who made his Major League debut with the squad in June 1999.

Beyond the moment of silence, team manager Carlos Mendoza addressed the tragic event in his pre-game press conference.

10:39 AM PT -- MLB insider Héctor Gómez is now reporting Octavio Dotel has died.

The former pitcher, according to the reporter, passed away while he was being transported from the nightclub rubble to the hospital.

Dotel was just 51 years old.

7:23 AM PT -- Octavio Dotel has been rescued from the rubble ... MLB insider Héctor Gómez reported Tuesday morning.

Former MLB star relief pitcher Octavio Dotel was inside a Dominican Republic nightclub Monday night when its roof suddenly collapsed ... though, thankfully, he's reportedly still alive.

According to MLB insider Héctor Gómez, Dotel -- who logged 36 saves for the Astros and A's in 2004 -- was partying at Jet Set in Santo Domingo, when its roof caved in.

Tigers Assistant General Manager Sam Menzin quit his job with the ball club last Thursday ... just as the Tigers were about to fire the front office executive amid an investigation into claims he sent lewd photos to female staffers.

According to The Athletic ... they spoke with three women who claimed they received unsolicited photos of the now 34-year-old's genitals dating back to as early as 2017. Two of them worked for the MLB team, while the other worked in baseball, but not for the Motor City squad.

The pictures were allegedly sent via Snapchat -- which automatically deletes images after they're seen.

The Dodgers visited the White House on Monday, but it was Donald Trump who appeared to be the most awestruck person in the building ... as he fanboyed out over Shohei Ohtani.

The L.A. slugger and the rest of the Boys in Blue cruised out to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue just a few hours before their game with the Nationals to celebrate their 2024 World Series title ... and Trump was clearly enamored with the team's Japanese two-way player.

Trump called Shohei out by name during his speech about the Dodgers' big year ... praising him for his one-of-a-kind 50-50 season.

Boston Red Sox star outfielder Jarren Duran is opening up on the serious mental struggles he faced early in his career ... revealing it got so dark for him, he attempted suicide during the 2022 season.

Duran's battle with depression is documented on the new Netflix show, "The Clubhouse: A Year With the Red Sox" ... and in the fourth episode, the 28-year-old explained while he was facing criticism from spectators over his play on the field, he was even harder on himself.

"I was already hearing it from fans," Duran said on the show. "And what they said to me, [it was like], 'I've told myself 10 times worse in the mirror.' That was a really tough time for me. I didn't even want to be here anymore ...."

The NY Yankees were in action Thursday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks ... but some fans got some practice for when their former superstar rolls into the Bronx with his new Mets team -- with a loud "F*** Juan Soto" chant breaking out in the middle of the game!

During Jazz Chisholm's at-bat in the eighth inning, fans were heard voicing their disdain for the Bronx Bombers' former right fielder, three months after he signed the biggest deal in professional sports history.

Yankee fans haven't been shy about expressing their dislike for rival players in years past ... "F*** [Jose] Altuve" is a common refrain at the stadium.

The Shohei Ohtani MVP bobblehead night turned into a money-making opportunity for some Dodger fans ... with folks who got lucky enough to get rare versions of the giveaway going to online sellers for a quick payday!!

Tons of bobbleheads were handed out at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday ... and out of the tens of thousands of mini Shoheis, some special edition copies that featured a silver bat and MVP plaque were randomly scattered throughout the batch.

A few of those highly coveted bobbles have now made it to eBay ... and they ain't going for cheap.