Baseball

Jack Hughes is looking like a new man these days -- the U.S. men's hockey Olympic hero was flashing his new chompers out at Yankee Stadium for the team's home opener ... where he's set to throw out the first pitch!

The cameras were rolling as Hughes hit the field during the Bronx Bombers' batting practice, and it's hard to look at anything other than his new smile.

Hughes reportedly had the procedure done a few weeks ago, moving away from the iconic look he rocked after taking a stick to the mouth during the gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Games -- where he scored the winning goal for Team USA.

S.F. Giants rookie Daniel Susac will never forget his MLB debut, going 3-for-3 in a win over the Mets ... but a member of his in-stands watch party had a different experience -- his little nephew went viral for his reaction as the fam celebrated!

Cameras followed the family as they had the time of their lives watching Susac tee off against New York. At one point, one of them was holding Susac's nephew when he got a hit, jumping up and down and flinging the kid around.

He seemed less than thrilled to be in the situation, crying and flailing around while dad was over the moon watching Susac. Eventually, the kid's mom stepped in to save the day, grabbing her child so dad could keep celebrating.

Trevor Bauer is back on a U.S. mound … just not the one he used to dominate.

The former Cy Young winner has signed a deal with the Long Island Ducks -- an independent league club -- in what looks like his latest bid to claw his way back to Major League Baseball after years of controversy kept him sidelined.

Bauer, now 35, is expected to take the ball as the Ducks’ Opening Day starter on April 21 … but here’s the twist: he’ll be mic’d up the entire time -- turning every pitch and dugout convo into content for social media.

This isn’t your typical comeback tour -- it’s baseball meets reality TV.

10:40 AM PT -- Masyn Winn just shared a picture from the crash scene ... showing his black car banged up in the front.

"For everyone wondering ... I'm feeling great!" Winn said. "Car is a little banged up but nothing that can't be replaced! Big thanks to our security team and first responders for taking care of me! See yall on the field soon!"

St. Louis Cardinals player Masyn Winn was involved in a car accident hours after saving the day for his team ... with the organization announcing the shortstop was uninjured in the wreck.

The Cards released a statement on the matter ... stating 24-year-old Winn was traveling on Interstate 64 and Highway 40 when wet pavement caused him to crash.

The team said Winn was alone in the vehicle at the time of the accident ... and local authorities responded to the scene, as well as Cardinals staffers and security.

Tuesday night marked the 2026 MLB debut for Shohei Ohtani ... but he was arguably the second biggest attraction at the stadium that night -- 'cause it was Yoshi bobblehead night at Dodger Stadium, and fans lined up for hours to get their hands on 'em!

Videos shared on social media show lines snaking around Chavez Ravine as fans tried to scoop up one of the 40,000 Yoshis being given away for the price of admission.

The man of the hour was also in attendance for the big night, with the Nintendo character posing for pics with his adoring fans. When he was done meeting fans ... Yoshi made his way down to the Dodgers' clubhouse -- where Yoshi met Yoshi and Yoshi.

The L.A. Dodgers may have won their opening day game against the Arizona Diamondbacks ... but some of their fans were big losers getting into a video-recorded brawl.

All the madness began Thursday afternoon at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, but the video above surfaced Friday on Instagram, and the footage is quite eye-popping.

Check it out ... in the clip, two women and two men go toe-to-toe in the stands, wrestling each other, pulling hair and throwing punches. During the brawl, one of the men falls backward, slamming into a metal railing ... but it doesn't seem like he or anyone else was seriously injured.

The Los Angeles Dodgers' Opening Day game was an emotional one for the Vesia family ... with Alex's wife sharing a heartbreaking post about their late daughter.

Kayla Vesia was present at Dodger Stadium as the back-to-back World Series champions took on the Arizona Diamondbacks ... and she admitted it was "a very bittersweet" start to the season.

"What I would give to have my Sterling girl here, carrying her in my heart always," she said.

2:20 PM PT -- Christopher Jackson addressed the flub with TMZ Sports ... and he said it won't keep him from performing the anthem in the future.

“I’ve had the honor of singing the National Anthem countless times in Stadiums around the country. Today was a beautiful Opening Day and it was thrilling to be there!" he said.

Jackson explained singing in these types of venues is a unique and challenging experience ... but usually, it's not a problem for him.

"Today it was for about 5 seconds … and one line got away from me. I’m human. But I won’t hesitate to step up to a mic and pay tribute to those that we honor with the Anthem. Grateful to the Mets and MLB for allowing me to be a small part of the Day."

The New York Mets' 2026 season is off to a piping-hot start ... thanks to their national anthem singer, award-winning "Hamilton" actor Christopher Jackson, messing up the "Star-Spangled Banner."

Barry Bonds pulled back the curtain on one of the wildest near-misses in baseball history ... revealing he was on the verge of joining the New York Yankees before a high-pressure call from George Steinbrenner sent the whole thing off the rails.

The home run king shared the story during Wednesday's Opening Night matchup between the Yankees and San Francisco Giants … when Bonds joined the Netflix broadcast and decided to finally share how close he came to heading to the Bronx.

“George isn’t here anymore, so I can tell the truth, right?” Bonds said, before explaining how Steinbrenner personally reached out during his 1992 free agency.

At the time, Bonds was already one of the biggest stars in the game, coming off two MVP seasons with the Pirates -- and the Yankees were ready to make him the highest-paid player in baseball.

But the offer came with a major condition: Bonds said he had to agree to the deal by 2 PM that same day -- and that didn’t sit well with him.

Frank Thomas donned a White Sox uniform for 16 seasons, but now he's taking his former team to court ... TMZ Sports has learned the Hall of Famer filed a lawsuit against the club, insisting they're using his name to sell merch without permission!

Thomas filed suit last week in Illinois, and he's targeting not just the White Sox, but Nike and Fanatics, too ... and the beef is over the Sox "City Connect 2.0" jersey, which the team announced in April 2025.

In the complaint, Thomas claims his name and number 35 were featured on some of the uni tops that were put up for sale, despite never getting consent, according to Thomas.

The Big Hurt says the White Sox -- and the retailers -- likely raked in huge profits, while he says he received "no compensation" for the use of "Thomas" and his iconic number 35.

Forget name, image and likeness … this is name, name and name.

Ben Rice just secured the most perfectly on-brand endorsement in sports ... linking up with Ben’s Original rice in a partnership that feels less like a deal and more like destiny.

Ben Rice. Ben’s rice. It practically signed itself.

But this isn’t just a funny coincidence … the Yankees standout is using the collab to do some real good, teaming with No Kid Hungry to help fight childhood hunger. The effort is already getting underway, starting with a donation tied to 22,000 meals for kids in need -- a nod to Rice’s No. 22 jersey.

Opening Day is next week, but baseball fans better start making room in their stomachs now ... 'cause TMZ Sports got an inside look at menus from several teams across MLB -- and they'll have a root-root-rooting for the home team!!

The Cubs, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Marlins, Nationals, Orioles, Rays and White Sox revealed some of the specialty menu items from Levy Restaurants that will be available when the first pitch is thrown.

For those in the DMV hoping to catch a Nationals game, the DC Monument Chicken Tower has it all. Inspired by the Washington Monument ... it comes with grilled chicken, smoked bacon, mixed greens, creamy chipotle ranch and gruyère cheese on a soft pretzel bun.

Deion Sanders and Karrueche Tran are still going strong ... and the Hall of Famer isn't shy about expressing his love for his lady -- saying during a recent vacation that she's "sweet as sugar."

The Colorado Buffaloes head coach opened up on his son Deion Jr.'s vlog on Tuesday ... as everyone was enjoying a getaway in St. Croix with family, friends, and Tran.

As the couple was enjoying the weather together, his son asked him to share something about Karrueche that no one knows ... and Deion praised her warm heart and endearing personality.

Team USA got their silver medals … and then made it clear they didn’t want ‘em.

Seconds after a crushing 3-2 loss to Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic final, multiple U.S. stars were seen pulling the medals right off their necks -- some before they even reached the dugout.

Cameras caught guys like Mason Miller, Kyle Schwarber, Logan Webb and Bobby Witt Jr. ditching the hardware almost instantly in a moment that’s now blowing up online.

The scene couldn’t have been more split.

Venezuela is on top of the baseball world after toppling Team USA in the finals of the World Baseball Classic ... and the players and fans were loving every second of it -- celebrating from the moment they scored the final out!

Fans were going wild in Alfredo Sadel Square, located in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela ... where they were throwing drinks and jumping for joy after Daniel Palencia struck Roman Anthony out to win the country's first-ever title in the tournament.

While supporters were partying in Venezuela, back stateside, Venezuelan fans were living it up inside LoanDepot Park in Miami. The stadium concourse was filled with fans chanting and using noisemakers -- a celebration that lingered in the area for an hour.

USA baseball is looking to channel a little Olympic magic ahead of the World Baseball Classic final against Venezuela ... as the team pulled up to the ballpark rocking game-worn sweaters from the gold medal-winning men's hockey team!

Each member of the squad got to rep a different player as they made their way to the crucial matchup ... and it was all thanks to Fanatics.

The captain of Team USA baseball, Aaron Judge, was handed the jersey of Auston Matthews -- who captained the men's hockey team during the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Other players spotted in the Red, White and Blue included Mason Miller, David Bednar, Logan Webb and Bryce Harper.

Pete Crow-Armstrong made it clear he called dibs on "his boy" Jack Hughes ... adding they wanted to show how the men's hockey team winning it all has inspired them during their WBC run.