Baseball

LSU pitcher Kade Anderson is loving the comparisons he's been getting to former Tigers stars Paul Skenes and Joe Burrow ... telling TMZ Sports he considers the two to be "legends."

The 20-year-old just wrapped up his sophomore season in Baton Rouge with a national championship ... and now, many expect him to be the top pick in next month's MLB draft.

With those predictions, he's unsurprisingly garnered comps to Skenes and Burrow -- two LSU alums who went No. 1 overall in their respective drafts -- and he told us on Wednesday he was super flattered to be even mentioned alongside those greats.

Justin Verlander's professional life ain't going so hot, but his personal one is clearly moving swimmingly ... the scuffling Giants pitcher said Tuesday night he and his wife, Kate Upton, are all smiles over the birth of their second baby.

Just after J.V.'s pitching record moved to 0-4 with San Francisco's loss to the Marlins, he opened up to reporters about his and Upton's newest bundle of joy ... and he was clearly thrilled.

He told a media member who inquired about the newborn that he "wasn't ready for that to be the first question" after he struggled on the mound again ... but he added the past few days at his house have all been "really incredible."

9:23 AM PT -- The Chicago White Sox told ESPN a 22-year-old fan has been indefinitely banned from Rate Field over the incident.

A heckler crossed the line during the Diamondbacks game Tuesday night -- making a comment to Ketel Marte that was so insensitive, it actually reduced the baseball star to tears.

The emotional scene unfolded late in Arizona's tilt vs. the White Sox ... after a fan had made a remark to Marte around the time he popped out to end the top half of the seventh inning.

The Snakes' second baseman was seen on the game's broadcast being consoled by his teammates and coaches in the middle of Rate Field's infield ... and, initially, nobody had any clue why he was sobbing.

A frightening moment went down in the Nationals' dugout on Monday ... when catcher Keibert Ruiz took a foul ball off the side of the head -- forcing him to exit the game and head to the hospital for a CT scan.

It all unfolded during the Nats' tilt against the San Diego Padres in the top of the fourth inning. Washington designated hitter Josh Bell fouled off a 91 MPH cutter, sending it directly into the Nationals' bench.

Everything seemed fine ... with one of Washington's coaches even cracking a smile toward Bell -- but Ruiz was then shown on the game's broadcast heading down the tunnel, grabbing the right side of his head.

The New York Mets' latest addition is certainly making a name for himself -- with relief pitcher Dicky Lovelady signing on to help get the squad back on track after losing eight of their last nine games.

Yes, that's his real name ... and yes, he'd like to be referred to as such.

The government knows him as Richard -- but Mets reporter Anthony DiComo said Dicky specifically asked his teammates, fans and the rest of the team to call him by his nickname.

There's no crying in baseball ... but there was an exception on Friday, when Sammy Sosa returned to Wrigley Field for the first time in 21 years -- and was met with a passionate standing ovation from Chicago Cubs fans.

The hatchet burying went down at the iconic stadium when the Cubs hosted the Seattle Mariners ... a sign the organization and its former superstar were ready to leave the past in the past for good.

The 56-year-old was essentially exiled from the franchise due to his ties to performance-enhancing drugs ... as he tested positive for a banned substance in 2003.

TMZ Sports has obtained the 911 calls related to the tragic accident that took the life of Baltimore Orioles minor leaguer Luis Guevara -- and in them, you can hear nearly a dozen Good Samaritans frantically trying to get the injured baseball player help.

Eleven calls in total were provided to us through a public records request ... and in one of them, a woman can be heard telling a dispatcher she saw two jet skis collide with one another while in Sarasota, FL on June 15.

Speaking with someone nearby, the caller described that one jet ski was stopped ... before another "guy ran into him. Full throttle."

Scary scene at Thursday's Tampa Bay Rays game ... one of their pitchers, Hunter Bigge, took a line drive foul ball to the face while he was in the dugout -- leading to him being carted off the field.

It all went down during the top of the 7th inning. Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman turned on a 3-2 pitch (he was way ahead of it) from Connor Seabold, sending the baseball directly at Bigge's face at 105 MPH, knocking him off his feet.

Ruthschman and Gunnar Henderson, who were in the on-deck circle, immediately reacted to the scary situation. The broadcast caught fans and players on both sides concerned for the Harvard graduate as medical professionals tended to him.

3:41 PT -- MLB just announced Santana will be facing punishment for his actions ... with the league handing him a four-game suspension and an undisclosed fine.
He is appealing the ruling, so his suspension won't begin until a decision is made.

Pirates pitcher Dennis Santana tried to smack the hell out of a heckler during his game Thursday -- and the wild altercation was captured on video.

The reliever's outburst went down during the second game of the Pittsburgh vs. Detroit doubleheader ... after Santana says a man sitting near the Pirates' bullpen "crossed the line."

Footage shot by fans near the incident shows Santana pointing out the trash-talker to security, before he leaps up and attempts to hit the man in the face with an open left hand.

1:55 PM PT -- ICE is fact-checking the Dodgers' statement ... saying its agents were "never" at the stadium. But as Homeland Security said, CBP vehicles were present "very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement."

1:05 PM PT -- Homeland Security tells TMZ Sports the agents' presence at the stadium had nothing to do with the Dodgers.

Federal agents were denied access to Dodger Stadium on Thursday ... after the team confirmed it refused to allow the government vehicles from entering the venue's parking lots.

ICE vans and masked agents were spotted posting up outside one of the stadium lot's gates ... although it's unclear why exactly they were there. According to the L.A. Times, agents declined to comment on the details of their presence.

The outlet went on to say the federal vehicles attempted to move inside the stadium grounds ... but were rejected.

The Vatican City is slowly turning into the Windy City ... 'cause Pope Leo XIV was back showing major love for his Chicago White Sox this week!!

The Pontiff put his fandom on display as White Sox chants erupted during the General Audience address on Wednesday ... acknowledging the message of support for the ball club as he cruised around on the Popemobile.

Since being elected, Leo has embraced his South Side ties with open arms ... and he is no stranger to wearing his fandom on his sleeve.

Latin American pop singer Vanessa Hernández is getting death threats for singing the National Anthem in Spanish at a baseball game ... but, she's still proud she did it, and she says big-time celebs have her back.

We spoke with Vanessa -- better known by her stage name Nezza -- Wednesday ... and, she tells us George Lopez, Becky G and many more stars have reached out and offered her support during this particularly trying time.

ICYMI ... Nezza sang the song at Dodger Stadium in L.A. Saturday -- later claiming a Dodgers team official told her she was not to sing it in Spanish ... and posting a behind-the-scenes TikTok as proof. She sang it in Spanish anyway ... and, she says it feels good to be on the right side of history.

Luis Guevara -- a 19-year-old minor league baseball player with the Baltimore Orioles -- died Sunday night after he was involved in a watercraft crash on the Florida waters.

The Orioles shared the tragic news Tuesday night ... with general manager Mike Elias saying the organization was "devastated following his tragic passing."

"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and teammates, and we ask for their continued privacy during this difficult time."

Shohei Ohtani's Dodgers pitching debut was available to Ippei Mizuhara during his first night in prison, TMZ Sports has learned.

A Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesperson tells us ... at the Federal Correctional Institution Allenwood Low in Pennsylvania -- where Mizuhara was taken into custody this week -- inmates did have access to MLB Network, which broadcast the highly anticipated Dodgers vs. Padres game.

It's unclear, of course, if Mizuhara tuned in ... but the spokesperson told us Ohtani's former interpreter would have certainly had the option to if he wanted, as he "has access to 12 televisions" on a normal day behind bars.

Boston Red Sox exec Craig Breslow has been on the receiving end of a ton of backlash after trading away star player Rafael Devers ... to the point where his home address was published online -- and now cops are aware of the situation.

Newton Police tell TMZ Sports ... after Devers was dealt to San Francisco, the department was "notified by representatives from the Boston Red Sox Organization that some members of the Red Sox have been victims of doxing on social media due to a recent trade."

While cops were tipped off, NPD added it is not investigating any online threats.

Despite long lines and brutal weekday Los Angeles traffic, thousands of Shohei Ohtani fans flocked to Dodger Stadium on Monday to catch his L.A. pitching debut, creating stunning scenes at the ballpark.

Check out some photos from the two-way star's big night ... even hours before Ohtani toed the rubber for the first time since the 2023 season, his supporters were seen all over the stadium.

No. 17 jerseys were everywhere -- some were adorned with hot dog costumes! -- and even as he warmed up in the bullpen, hundreds were seen with their cameras out filming every one of his movements.