Baseball

Chicago fans certainly appear to be hoping Alex Cooper takes her peanuts and Cracker Jack and never gets back to the ol' ball game ... as they loathed her for her rendition of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" on Sunday night.

The popular "Call Her Daddy" podcast host was tapped by the Cubs to sing the popular tune during the seventh inning stretch of Chicago's tilt with the Cardinals at Wrigley Field ... and it didn't take long for the crowd to turn on her.

She crooned the ditty completely out of key -- while two of her pals danced in unison behind her -- and fans let her know almost immediately they hated all of it.

Bobby Jenks, a 2x All-Star and World Series champion with the Chicago White Sox, died Friday after a battle with stomach cancer.

He was only 44.

Jenks, one of the most dominant closers in baseball during his 7 season Major League Baseball career, revealed during an interview in February 2025 that he was diagnosed with stage 4 adenocarcinoma -- a form of stomach cancer.

If MLB pitcher Richard Lovelady needs some extra coin while he searches for his next spot on a Big League roster, a porn site says it'll pay him handsomely ... if he hops in front of one of its cameras and shows off his fastballs!

CamSoda tells TMZ Sports ... it's offering the former Mets reliever -- who made headlines this week after he requested New York fans and media members call him Dicky -- $250,000 to hop on a NSFW stream.

"As a left-handed relief pitcher known for handling pressure," a company spokesperson told us, "we think he's the perfect fit to bring some heat in a whole new arena."

The New York Mets' mascot race took a violent turn Thursday night -- not only did the Bronx Giraffe get smacked in the face with a chair in the sprint ... it was also on the receiving end of a beatdown at the hands of legendary wrestlers Matt and Jeff Hardy!!!

The chaos happened during a break in the action at the Mets' home contest against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field ... when the team hosted its five-borough mascot competition. Just as the Bronx was set to get its first win of the season, it ate a chair right in the kisser -- allowing Brooklyn to run away with the victory.

Clearly in a mood, the giraffe stormed through the tunnel ... but unfortunately for the camelopard, it bumped right into the Hardys -- who were ready for some action.

MLB superstar Wander Franco has been found guilty of sexually abusing a minor.

The verdict in the Tampa Bay Rays shortstop's criminal case in the Dominican Republic just came down minutes ago on Thursday afternoon.

Franco had been on trial over allegations he had an inappropriate relationship with a 14-year-old girl. He was simultaneously accused of transferring money to the minor's mom to get her approval of their romance.

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.