Baseball

Paul Skenes appears to be on track to win the Cy Young AND Boyfriend of the Year honors this season ... as Livvy Dunne just revealed her MLB star BF showered her in gifts for her birthday.

The former LSU gymnast showed on her Instagram page on Wednesday that the Pittsburgh Pirates ace went all out for her 23rd ... throwing her a bash that featured balloons, cake and flowers.

There was also a sign on the wall that read "It is your birthday" -- an apparent reference to "The Office" -- and Livvy showed that some of the balloons even had real cotton candy buried inside of them.

Yankees star Jazz Chisholm wasn't hiding his frustrations after his name was left out of the starting nine for New York's AL Wild Card opener -- turning his back to reporters when he was asked about the move during his postgame media session.

Yanks manager Aaron Boone had fans scratching their heads after the 27-year-old wasn't slotted in at second base during their Game 1 loss to the Boston Red Sox ... with Amed Rosario getting the nod against lefty Garrett Crochet.

When asked if he was surprised by the decision ... Chisholm said, "I guess yeah," as he rummaged through his locker.

The Reds got pounded by the Dodgers in their playoff opener Tuesday night, but a swath of Cincinnati fans certainly seemed more concerned about Rob Lowe's behavior in the stands than the players' performance on the field.

The actor drew the ire of Ohioans everywhere after cameras caught him openly cheering against the Reds during Tommy Edman's third-inning home run.

Lowe -- wearing a 2024 World Series Champion L.A. hat -- was seen going crazy over the big swing ... and after the visuals made their way online, Reds backers were outraged.

50 Cent has redeemed himself after his infamous 2014 first pitch at a baseball game ... by re-doing the throw at the mound at a Savannah Bananas baseball game while debuting a drink in the team's honor.

The New York rapper got his do-over over the weekend when he pulled up to the sold-out Bananas game at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas, performing his iconic single, "In Da Club."

After gettin' the crowd lit, 50 Cent threw the first pitch to kick off their game against the Texas Tailgaters ... and this time, it actually looked like he knew what he was doing.

Jimmy Rollins says the MLB should "never" adopt full-time robot umps ... telling TMZ Sports this week the Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System is as far as the league should take things.

We caught up with the former Philadelphia Phillies superstar out at LAX last week just after Rob Manfred revealed the ABS Challenge System will be implemented in 2026, and he told us he really likes the move.

The ex-World Series champ said "it's a good thing," as it'll help umps get calls right when they matter the most.

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.