Baseball

Pope Leo XIV blessed an autograph collector with his holy John Hancock ... signing a baseball that's now expected to bring in thousands of dollars at auction.

The head of the Catholic Church signed a ball for Randy L. Kaplan -- a signature hawk who has spent the last few decades collecting signatures of world leaders and other prominent figures on baseballs.

Kaplan sent the Pope -- a noted Chicago White Sox fan who actually attended Game 1 of the 2005 World Series -- two White Sox caps ... and, in return, Leo signed the ball.

Turns out, the story of Cal Raleigh's 60th home run ball has a happy ending for all involved parties.

The Mariners revealed on X they invited the man who initially caught the souvenir to T-Mobile Park on Thursday evening in order to thank him for the way he unselfishly gave up the memento to a kid.

Raleigh ended up having an on-field meet and greet with the guy -- who MLB.com says is Glenn Mutti-Driscoll, a licensed hydrogeologist -- and during their chat, the Seattle star actually gifted him a signed bat.

Livvy Dunne couldn't hide her nerves during Paul Skenes' final start of the 2025 season ... as cameras caught her sweating out nearly every one of her boyfriend's pitches!!

The former LSU gymnast hit Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Wednesday to watch Skenes hurl one final time in '25 ... and with every fastball the Pirates flamethrower tossed to Reds batters, Dunne was seen on the game's broadcast getting more and more anxious.

By the fifth inning, her grey shirt noticeably had some pit stains on it ... but it didn't take long for her man to ease her tension.

Gary Cohen dove headfirst into controversy Tuesday night, expressing bewilderment at Matt Shaw's decision to miss Sunday's Cubs game for his buddy Charlie Kirk's memorial service, and the Mets announcer is catching heat.

"Shaw had Cubs World in a tizzy this weekend when he was not here for the Cubs game with the Reds, and they lost 1-0, and his lack of presence was felt. It was later revealed that he had been given permission to attend Charlie Kirk's funeral," Cohen said in the 4th inning, as the 23-year-old was at the plate.

"I don't want to talk about any of the politics of it, but the thought of leaving your team in the middle of a race for any reason other than a family emergency, really strikes me as weird."

11:11 AM PT -- Guardians manager Stephen Vogt just provided an update on David Fry ... revealing the player suffered a broken nose and facial fractures.

Vogt added Fry is in good spirits and alert after visiting him at the hospital.

Guardians designated hitter David Fry was rushed to the hospital on Tuesday night ... after he was nailed in the face by a nearly 100 MPH fastball.

The scary scene all unfolded in the sixth inning of Cleveland's crucial matchup with Detroit at Progressive Field.

Fry squared around to bunt on a 2-1 count ... but Tarik Skubal's heater got away from him, and instead of hitting the catcher's mitt, the 99.6 MPH pitch ended up right in Fry's nose.

Matt Shaw says missing Sunday's Cubs game for Charlie Kirk's memorial was "really important" for him ... and he made it clear, he's not concerned about any backlash he's getting for the decision.

The Chicago rookie addressed Kirk's assassination for the first time with media members on Tuesday ... and he told journalists he and the political activist had a strong bond.

He explained the two met while he was living in Arizona, and they grew close because of their faith.

A terrifying incident unfolded at a youth baseball game in Texas over the weekend ... as bullets started flying around the field just before first pitch -- leaving one coach suffering from a gunshot wound.

It all went down Sunday morning at the Ameripark baseball facilities in Katy. In video from the scene, players are seen warming up as coaches meet at home plate. As all this is happening, popping noises go off in the background.

At first, everyone is going about their business ... but it became clear the sounds were bullets whistling by -- with one seemingly hitting a pole.

Chicago Cubs rookie Matt Shaw was M.I.A. from the lineup on Sunday -- a 1-0 loss to the Reds -- the third baseman reportedly attended Charlie Kirk's memorial service in Arizona.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters postgame that Shaw was "unavailable" for the series finale against Cinci because he was "attending the funeral of a friend."

The Athletic later reported the funeral was that of Kirk, who was assassinated less than two weeks ago during an event on the campus of Utah Valley University.

It's the final chapter in Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw's legendary career -- the team just announced the 11-time All-Star will retire at the end of the 2025 season.

The defending World Series champions shared the news with the baseball world Thursday afternoon ... saying the three-time Cy Young winner will make the announcement official later in the day, and his final regular-season start at Dodger Stadium will take place on Friday.

"On behalf of the Dodgers, I congratulate Clayton on a fabulous career and thank him for the many moments he gave to Dodger fans and baseball fans everywhere, as well as for all of his profound charitable endeavors," Dodgers owner Mark Walter said.

The New York Mets broadcast paid tribute to Robert Redford just hours after the legendary Oscar-winning actor and director died on Tuesday, recreating his iconic home run from "The Natural!"

It all went down in Queens, NY, during the top of the first inning during the Mets' tilt against the San Diego Padres, which saw The Amazins' third baseman Brett Baty uncork a 416-foot bomb to right field to cap off a five-run inning.

As he rounded the bases, the cameras panned up to the Citi Field lights, which gave off a fireworks/explosion-like effect.

The Philadelphia Phillies celebrated winning the NL East like it was the World Series ... 'cause there wasn't a dry spot left in the locker room after Monday night's party in honor of clinching the division!!

The rager kicked off after the Phils' 6-5 win over the Dodgers in extra innings. Manager Rob Thompson got things started with a quick little speech before catcher J.T. Realmuto set the tone.

Despite it not being October just yet, the team went all-in with their postgame shindig. At one point, a booze funnel found its way into the room ... with Kyle Schwarber drinking from it as champagne got doused all over him.

Ken Rosenthal is revisiting his viral mishap from over the weekend ... saying he "felt awful" after knocking a photog to the ground in an attempt to dodge a postgame Gatorade celebration -- and apologizing for the whole ordeal.

Rosenthal addressed the matter on his "Fair Territory" podcast ... claiming the video making rounds after the Milwaukee Brewers celebrated a walk-off win against the St. Louis Cardinals wasn't as bad as it looked -- but his focus was on making sure he did his job.

"I must admit, though, when I looked at the video, I was surprised at how upset I appeared," Rosenthal said. "I was more confused than anything. Now I had to continue the interview. We were live folks, on national television, couldn't stop!"

Officials have conducted a raid at the Costa Rican hotel where former New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner's son, Miller, died ... as investigators look into whether the matter is a manslaughter case.

According to ESPN -- which spoke to prosecutor Kenneth Alvarez -- a three-hour search of the Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort in Manuel Antonio took place on Thursday to collect more evidence -- both physical and digital.

14-year-old Miller died on March 21 after falling ill while vacationing with his family ... and an autopsy determined carbon monoxide was the cause.

Donald Trump just arrived at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, and despite being in town to commemorate the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, POTUS still found an opportunity to deliver a rousing pump-up speech to the players!

47, just a day after the horrific assassination of his friend Charlie Kirk, was in the Boogie Down after visiting the Pentagon earlier in the day ... exactly 24 years after the terror attack rocked America.

Before the Yanks took the field to battle the Tigers, Trump spoke from the clubhouse ... where he predicted big things this season, and even took some credit for the Bronx Bombers' dynasty in the late '90s and early 2000s.

The New York Yankees honored Charlie Kirk just before their game Wednesday ... remembering his life with a jumbotron message and a moment of silence.

The Yankee Stadium homage came just hours after Kirk was shot and killed while he was speaking with students and others on the Utah Valley University campus about political issues.

New York officials put up his picture on the team's centerfield scoreboard ... and added the words, "Remembering Charlie Kirk."

Warren G's fed up with young guns telling OG rappers their time is up, because according to his earnings, his classic, "Regulate," duet with Nate Dogg is played globally every damn day!

TMZ Hip Hop spoke to the G-Funk visionary about his upcoming hip hop moves when he revealed his newly acquired minor-league baseball team would be named "Regulators" ... and he never gets tired of hearing the track.

It was a clear black night and a clear white moon when Warren and the late Nate D-O-double-G recorded "Regulate" for Suge Knight's 1994 "Above The Rim" soundtrack.

Over 30 years and 2 platinum plaques later, Warren says he sees firsthand how the younger generations are still gravitating toward the record.