Baseball

Denzel Clarke looked less like a baseball player and more like Spider-Man on Monday night ... robbing a home run with a catch you've got to see to believe.

The insane grab went down in the first inning of the Athletics' road matchup with the Angels in Anaheim, Calif. ... after Nolan Schanuel hit a fly ball to the deepest part of center field.

Clarke ran after it while it was in the air -- and somehow, after scaling the wall several feet, he plucked it from the sky in unreal fashion.

The popular K-pop group Stray Kids has a song called "Super Bowl" ... and now they look like they just won one -- thanks to some championship-style rings they got in honor of their tour stop in Texas!!

SKZ is currently in Arlington for their "Dominate World Tour" ... with back-to-back nights at Globe Life Field, the home of the Texas Rangers.

The folks at REV Entertainment -- the Rangers' event partner -- decided to welcome Felix, Bang Chan, Hyunjin, HAN, Seungmin, I.N., Changbin and Lee Know with some special gifts ... with each member receiving some bling to commemorate their trip to the Lone Star State.

Former Titans offensive lineman Taylor Lewan definitely made the correct career choice as a football player, 'cause the 3x Pro Bowler threw out one of the WORST first pitches ever!

It all went down Thursday night at Busch Stadium out in The Lou. Lewan -- alongside his "Bussin' With The Boys" co-host Will Compton -- were given the honors of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch during the pregame festivities.

Unfortunately for Lewan, his throw went about as badly as it could. Toeing the rubber, the lefty had the ball sail on him to the spectators hanging out near the backstop ... and the embarrassment was immediate.

One Athletics fan took the team name a bit too literally on Wednesday ... diving head-first on top of the dugout to snag a foul ball -- but her efforts were rewarded with a souvenir!!

The hilarious highlight went down in the sixth inning of the A's vs. Minnesota Twins matchup at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento ... when at one point in the action, a ball made its way over the safety netting and within feet of the front row of spectators.

The lady who was sitting there with a male companion apparently felt the thing was within reach ... and jumped up and went parallel with the ground in hopes of going home with a keepsake.

A man at Dodger Stadium decided he wanted a better view of the field during L.A.'s game against the New York Mets ... but his upgrade came with a meet and greet with security -- 'cause he was promptly chased down and detained by staffers after rushing onto the playing area.

It all went down during the Mets' half of the eighth inning. Shortly after N.Y. first baseman Pete Alonso hit his second home run of the night, play was halted when a shirtless spectator hopped a fence and started doing some cardio out in left field.

His fun didn't last long, as stadium security shoved him to the ground before dogpiling on top of him. Another angle shows him being escorted out through an exit near the center field wall with an entourage of stadium security.

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto needed all the ice after taking a foul tip to his family jewels ... a blow so fierce, it forced him out of Wednesday's matchup against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The painful moment went down in the bottom of the ninth inning of the Phils' contest up North -- Bo Bichette made contact with a pitch ... but unfortunately for the catcher, the ball went right toward his crotch.

The impact led Realmuto to bend over in serious pain ... and after a few minutes, he got up and hobbled off the diamond.

POTUS apparently has pull in the MLB ... Rob Manfred admitted Wednesday he did consider Donald Trump's opinion when making the decision to lift Pete Rose's baseball ban.

The commissioner made the revelation to a gaggle of reporters while out at an owners meeting ... explaining Trump's strong support of Charlie Hustle was something he "paid attention to" when mulling whether or not to reinstate the Cincinnati Reds legend last month.

"The President was one of a number of voices that was supportive of the idea that this was the right decision," he said. "Obviously, I have respect for the office, and the advice that he gave, I paid attention to."

The Chicago Cubs fan who stumbled upon a meaningful Elly De La Cruz home run ball is hoping to reunite the keepsake with its rightful owner ... telling TMZ Sports he'll hand it over to the Reds superstar if he wants it.

The 23-year-old shortstop dedicated Sunday's performance to his older sister, who tragically died a day prior. He wore equipment with "RIP Manita, te quiero mucho" written on it ... which translates to "RIP Manita, I love you very much."

In the sixth inning of the matchup at Wrigley Field, EDLC hit a two-run dinger (the 50th homer of his career) that reached its final destination outside of the historic stadium ... and Cubs fan Brendan Daly just so happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Mariners star George Kirby was drilled in the face by a 102.7 MPH line drive on Tuesday night -- but somehow, he was able to leave the game under his own power.

The scene unfolded in the fifth inning of Seattle's tilt with the Orioles at T-Mobile Park ... when Ramón Urías smacked a Kirby four-seamer right back at the All-Star pitcher.

Kirby wasn't able to move out of the way quickly enough, and the ball hit him right in the jaw. It ended up caroming to first baseman Rowdy Tellez, who secured the inning-ending out -- but all eyes then turned toward Kirby.

Wake Forest baseball coach Tom Walter is owning up to hurling a homophobic slur during Monday's game against Tennessee ... saying his words do not reflect his character.

Walter was caught on camera seemingly referring to someone as a "f***ing f****t" as he stood in the dugout ... right before a Volunteers player hit a two-run homer.

There's speculation Walter issued the words toward the home plate umpire he had an exchange with earlier in the outing.

Shohei Ohtani paid tribute to Japanese baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima ... who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 89.

Ohtani mourned Nagashima's death on his Instagram ... sharing three photos of himself and the Yomiuri Giants great posing together. Two of the images were from February, when the Dodgers were in Japan to take on the Chicago Cubs during the Tokyo Series.

The third featured a throwback photo of Nagashima and Ohtani ... and the Dodgers slugger captioned the post, "May your soul rest in peace."

MLB phenom Paul Skenes got a special shoutout from his hot girlfriend for his 23rd birthday ... a friendly reminder of how good it is to be the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher.

Former LSU gymnast, internet sensation and S.I. Swimsuit cover model Livvy Dunne shared the romantic post in honor of her man's big day on Thursday ... saying, "Happy birthday little baby @paulskenes 🤍🎂"

Dunne also published some lovey dovey snaps of their time together -- a fancy sunset dinner, getting ready for a formal outing, hanging at a Tigers game and flying on a private jet.

An Aaron Judge fan learned the hard way it's not a good idea to storm the field during an MLB game ... as he got roughed up by security just after he finished his ill-advised outfield jaunt.

The scene played out late in the Yankees vs. Angels game at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Wednesday night ... when a guy in a No. 99 New York uni hopped some fencing and took a stroll through center field.

The man -- who also donned a backward red cap -- bolted past stadium workers ... and at one point, nearly made contact with Cody Bellinger ... all as he filmed himself on his iPhone.

A Detroit Tigers grounds crew member is heading to the IL after suffering an injury in between innings ... and he was apparently really pissed his pain was being documented for all to see -- 'cause he flipped the bird right at the cameras!!

It's unclear what happened to the guy, as the broadcast returned from commercial break already showing the dude in pain. The staffer was tended to by an EMT and some San Francisco Giants trainers.

As the guy was getting checked out, he noticed one of the cameras locked in on him ... and showed his sarcastic appreciation for the courtesy with the one-finger salute.

Dustin May is finally back on the mound, doing what he loves, after multiple serious surgeries -- including one on his esophagus -- which he says had him fearing he'd never be able to live a normal life again!

The Dodgers' right-handed flame thrower joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show this week (airs nightly on FS1) ... and says he couldn't be happier to be back on the hill.

"Just being able to compete to go out and just compete is always a positive in my at this point," May told us. "I've been out for so long, so just being able to just do it to the amount that I have been, I've just been excited to be back with the guys."

Five months ago, Nicholas Turturro was PISSED Juan Soto left the Yankees for the crosstown rival Mets ... but with Soto's early struggles and the Bronx Bombers' strong start -- he tells TMZ Sports he's feeling much better about the situation now.

We caught up with the "NYPD Blue" star and a die-hard Yankees fan after his team won the first round of the Subway Series against the Metropolitans -- in fact, he was present when Cody Bellinger hit a grand slam over Soto's dome to put the game out of reach ... and he loved witnessing the moment due to what it symbolized.

"It was kind of fitting that it landed right over his head," Turturro said. "It was like, 'Hey man, take that.' We're the Yankees, we're loyal fans, and we loved him. We gave him our heart, and we just felt a little bit shunned because you went down the street to little brother."