Baseball

Boston fans irate over the Rafael Devers trade can put down the tiki torches and pitchforks ... former Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette tells TMZ Sports the team should not be considered a loser in the swap.

While Duquette acknowledges Boston did part ways with a hell of a bat in the middle of its lineup when it sent Devers to San Francisco in a stunner on Sunday night ... he said there are far more reasons for Red Sox backers to be pleased with the move.

First and foremost, he said it was clear to him Devers didn't want to be there ... and jettisoning him sends a strong message to younger players in the locker room.

Ippei Mizuhara is behind bars -- Shohei Ohtani's former right-hand man and interpreter has surrendered to federal authorities to start his 57-month prison sentence.

A spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed to TMZ Sports that 40-year-old Mizuhara reported to the Federal Correctional Institution Allenwood Low facility in Pennsylvania on Monday ... hours before the Japanese superstar is slated to make his first pitching start for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Mizuhara was sentenced to 57 months in prison this past February for stealing more than $16 million from Ohtani ... and was initially ordered to surrender in March, but the date was pushed back at his attorney's request.

Taylor Lewan can breathe a little sigh of relief following his terrible first pitch at the St. Louis Cardinals game last week ... 'cause WWE Superstar Tiffany Stratton just gave him a run for his money with an even worse attempt.

The WWE Women's Champion was out in Flushing, Queens, on Thursday to catch the Mets' series finale against the Washington Nationals ... but before the outing, she was given the honors to throw the ceremonial toss.

Stratton -- rocking a custom Mets City Connect jersey with her name on it -- opted not to go with the full windup as Lewan did for his attempt. While she didn't sail it to the left, she did throw it well over the catcher at home plate ... with some comparing it to a bit of an eephus pitch.

You can take the guy out of the South Side, but you can't take the South Side out of the guy ... 'cause Pope Leo XIV was spotted repping his White Sox at The Vatican!!

The pontiff ditched his zucchetto for a black ball cap during the general assembly in Rome this week ... giving a wide grin as he showed support for his local baseball team.

Maybe word hasn't made its way to Leo -- the Sox stink right now with a 23-44 record ... either that, or he's still keeping the faith.

Red Sox phenom Roman Anthony recorded his first MLB hit Tuesday night, and while Bostonians everywhere rejoiced ... all most of the internet could focus on was a fan in the stands who was cheering him on -- his sister.

Anthony -- the No. 1 overall prospect in baseball -- played in just his second-ever Big League tilt at Fenway Park ... and while he shined, it was Lia Anthony who found herself dominating the headlines.

Roman's sis was shown on the Sox vs. Rays broadcast multiple times ... and fans couldn't help but rave over her stunning appearance.

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."