Baseball

Shohei Ohtani can do it all -- he can even be in two places at once if ya don't look closely enough -- 'cause an impersonator is crashing the World Baseball Classic ... complete with his very own Decoy by his side!!

Samurai Japan kicked off the international tournament hours ago ... with the Dodgers superstar rocking a grand slam and almost completing the hitting cycle as his squad easily handled Taiwan, 13-0.

While Ohtani's dominance is the talk of the town, his name is also being thrown around due to the lookalike being present for the game ... alongside a grown human pretending to be his adorable pup.

When Shohei Ohtani takes the field in Japan, it’s more than a baseball game; it’s an event -- and the superstar proved exactly why Friday with a grand slam-fueled performance that powered Samurai Japan to a 13–0 World Baseball Classic rout.

The sold-out Tokyo Dome was packed hours before first pitch … with fans arriving more than 90 minutes early just to watch Ohtani take batting practice.

Even celebrities got in on the action … Timothée Chalamet and Bad Bunny were both spotted in the crowd as the global baseball superstar put on a show.

And Ohtani didn’t waste any time delivering.

A year after Atlanta Braves designated hitter Jurickson Profar served an 80-game suspension for violating MLB's performance-enhancing drugs policy ... he's staring down the barrel of yet another ban after reportedly testing positive for a PED once again.

Jeff Passan was the first to report the news, saying the 33-year-old is the sixth player to receive a season-long punishment since the league increased the penalty for second-time offenders.

It is unclear what Profar was popped for. He was suspended in 2025 for human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone made during pregnancy that can raise testosterone production, but it'll be a costly suspension for the 11-year veteran.

Detroit Tigers top prospect Max Clark isn’t ditching the diamonds anytime soon -- even after a pair of dropped fly balls had baseball old-heads clutching their pearls.

The 21-year-old outfielder rolled into spring training dripping in four diamond chains, oversized shades and warrior-style eye black as the Tigers took on the Braves on Monday.

Clark -- MLB’s No. 3 overall pick in 2023 -- was making noise … and not just because his jewelry was sparkling in the Florida sun.

Braves TV analyst C.J. Nitkowski couldn’t believe the look, saying there was “no chance” a kid who hadn’t sniffed the big leagues would’ve shown up like that back in his day.

“I don’t care what they have to say, to be completely honest with you,” Clark responded to the Detroit Free Press. “People don’t know me. There’s a lot of people out there that will do anything for some monetary clicks.”

Moments after the criticism, things got wilder.

Wilyer Abreu had one of the weirdest moments of the spring Tuesday … and walked away holding basically a souvenir.

The Boston Red Sox’s two-time Gold Glove winner stepped to the plate in the fourth inning of a spring training game against the Pirates. After taking the first pitch, he barely flinched at the next -- a harmless little check swing -- and somehow his bat decided it had seen enough.

Abreu barely offered at the off-speed pitch ... and somehow the lumber snapped clean in half. We’re not talking about a foul tip gone wrong or a shattered barrel on a heater inside, either -- but all that was left in his hands was the knob.

To make Abreu’s situation worse … the ump even called it a strike after the wood crossed the plate.

Terrance Gore -- the former MLB star who played for multiple World Series-winning teams -- has died.

A shared Instagram post between Gore's account and the Gap to Gap Baseball Academy confirmed the news Saturday ... with the academy noting the world "lost a tremendous man last night, but more importantly a family lost a dad, a husband, a brother."

The announcement revealed he died Friday evening. A cause of death has not been shared.

Multiple tributes have been posted since the news broke ... with the Kansas City Royals -- the team for which Gore played a majority of his games at the major league level -- and MLB also sharing their condolences.

Former Los Angeles Dodger Yasiel Puig was found guilty of obstructing justice and lying to federal officials in a Los Angeles courtroom on Friday ... in connection to an investigation into an illegal gambling operation.

The 35-year-old now faces up to 10 years in federal prison on the obstruction of justice charge and up to five years in prison for the false statement charges.

He remains free on his own personal recognizance.

Mickey Lolich -- a member of the 1968 World Series champion Detroit Tigers -- has passed away at the age of 85.

Lolich made his MLB debut for the Tigers in May 1963, pitching for the team until 1975 before joining the New York Mets in 1976. He wouldn't throw a single pitch during the 1977 season, returning a year later to join the San Diego Padres for two campaigns.

The Detroit Free Press first reported Lolich's passing. No cause of death was provided.

Another perfect finish from a guy who made a career out of them.

Baseball Hall of Famer Greg Maddux has officially sold his San Diego home for $3.3 million, TMZ Sports has learned -- cashing out big on a coastal retreat he picked up just a few years ago.

Maddux -- who won a World Series with the Braves in 1995 and inspired the baseball term "Maddux" for ultra-efficient shutouts -- bought the Sunset Cliffs spot in 2017 for $2.1 million ... meaning he just delivered himself a clean seven-figure profit.

Zac Dweck and Josh Altman of Douglas Elliman held the listing, and the sale was finalized on Tuesday.

From the dugout to the spotlight ... Banana Ball star Jayson Arendt knocked his "American Idol" audition out of the park!

TMZ Sports caught up with the ballplaying country artist after he stole the show on the 24th season premiere when several of his teammates joined him for the audition ... dancing and hyping up the room before Arendt performed Chris Stapleton's "Fire Away."

His raw, country sound resonated with judges Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan and Carrie Underwood ... all gave Arendt their approval to punch his Golden Ticket to Hollywood!

San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee was briefly detained at LAX on Wednesday night after returning from South Korea without proper documentation ... but the athlete has since been released from immigration detention after resolving the issue.

Lee was flying back stateside to attend the Giants FanFest event in San Ramon on Saturday, when he ran into a hiccup the team called a "paperwork issue."

"The matter was quickly clarified with the appropriate authorities, and he has since been cleared to continue his travel," the team said in a statement. "We appreciate the professionalism of all parties involved."

New team, new number for Kyle Tucker.

The Los Angeles Dodgers' most recent big signing was introduced Wednesday afternoon ... and fans will have to get used to him rocking different digits -- but there is a special reason behind the move.

Tucker met with the media after inking a four-year, $240 million deal with the back-to-back World Series champs ... where he put on his new work uniform with his updated number, 23.

The 29-year-old explained he called his new skipper Dave Roberts to ask whether his usual No. 30 was up for sale as a "shot in the dark."

Tigers are known to be solitary creatures, but that wasn't the case at a TGL event on Tuesday -- when former LSU Tigers stars Livvy Dunne and Paul Skenes met up with golf legend Tiger Woods!!

Dunne shared the meetup on her Instagram ... sharing the photo along with a handshake emoji.

While we don't know what the trio talked about ... it's hard to imagine they didn't pick the G.O.A.T.’s brain on how to improve their golf game -- as Dunne and Skenes have been seen hitting the links together in the past.

TMZ Sports has obtained more details about Lenny Dykstra's New Year’s Day traffic stop ... with cops suspecting the former Mets star had either crack or meth on him.

Pennsylvania State Police claim Dykstra -- who was the passenger -- opened the glove box during questioning just after midnight to confirm his identification ... and they observed in plain sight a "container holding suspected crack-cocaine/methamphetamine and a glass smoking device containing suspected drug residue."

Police didn't field test the substances, but he has since been formally charged with misdemeanor possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia, according to local reports.

Kayla Vesia is finally returning to social media after a long hiatus following the death of her daughter ... though she's not ready to publicly dive into the loss yet.

The wife of Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Alex Vesia starts off her video by thanking everyone for their well-wishes ... and telling her followers she and her MLB star husband are taking it one day at a time in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Kayla says she wants to share her journey in the future ... but, she's not ready just yet -- adding she's still emotional and doesn't want to cry while trying to help others cope with similiar grief.

Lenny Dykstra -- a longtime major leaguer best remembered as a member of the 1986 New York Mets -- may be facing drug charges.

According to a police report obtained by TMZ, Pennsylvania State Police pulled over a car in which Dykstra was a passenger on New Year's Day after they say they saw the driver commit a motor vehicle code violation.

During the traffic stop, officers claim they found Dykstra had "narcotics and narcotic related equipment/paraphernalia." Officers list Dykstra as the "arrestee" on the documents, however his high-powered attorney Matthew Blit says that's not the case.