Baseball

MLB fans better start warming up the hot dogs and buttering the popcorn ... because according to Alex Rodriguez, the impending Yankees vs. Dodgers championship matchup will be absolutely must-see TV!!

"It's going to be a great World Series," the former Yankees superstar told TMZ Sports while leaving Craig's in L.A. on Monday night. "The best in 25 years!"

Of course, you won't find many in the baseball world who will disagree ... as the New York vs. L.A. series does seem to have it all.

MLB fans looking to own Shohei Ohtani's historic 50/50 home run ball might need to break a few more piggy banks for it than they initially expected ... 'cause Ken Goldin just revealed to TMZ Sports it wouldn't surprise him if the baseball sold for over $10 MILLION later this week.

Currently, the memento -- which Ohtani smacked over a left field wall during a never-before-seen performance against the Marlins back on Sept. 19 -- is a few mil away from getting to eight figures ... but Goldin says it's totally possible it reaches the plateau by the time the final gavel drops on bidding on Tuesday night.

According to the auction expert -- whose auction house is actually overseeing the sale -- most bids usually come in the final hours ... and with it already being up over $2 mil, it can threaten the $10 mil threshold for sure.

John Mayer poured his damn heart out reflecting on his beloved Mets 2024 season -- penning an emotional message thanking the team and star shortstop, Francisco Lindor, for being a source of inspiration to him this year.

The legendary musician collected his thoughts a day after the Mets lost in the NLCS to the Los Angeles Dodgers ... and it's clear the impact the squad had on him goes far beyond the wins and losses on the baseball diamond.

In fact, Mayer recalled a moment during Dead & Company's residency at the Las Vegas Sphere ... when he injured his finger and half his nail was sheared off during a show -- but Lindor's resiliency helped him get through it.

The World Series features the two biggest superstars and most popular teams in the game ... and the ticket prices reflect that, 'cause TMZ Sports is told the cheapest seat for Game 1 is four figures!!

The Fall Classic begins at Dodger Stadium on Friday ... featuring a showdown between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees -- a matchup that hasn't happened in 43 years.

Gametime -- a company that specializes in last-minute tickets -- tells us the lowest entry price for Game 1 is $1,049 ... while Game 2 is much more at $1,896.

It was a bad night to be a bottle of booze in the Dodgers' clubhouse Sunday -- 'cause L.A. deleted more than a few to celebrate its huge NLCS victory ... with Shohei Ohtani leading the way!!

Check out how the MLB superstar and his teammates celebrated their Game 6 win over the New York Mets ... they took down container after container of alcohol in epic fashion.

Ohtani was seen spraying down his pals with multiple liters of champagne ... before several other Dodgers returned the favor, and poured Budweisers down his throat.

For the first time in 24 years, the Mets and Yankees have the chance to meet in the World Series -- and Mark Messier says the entire tri-state area is pulling for that dream matchup to become reality!!

TMZ Sports caught up with the New York Rangers legend (whose new Prime Video Series, "Game 7," drops on Oct. 22), and he told us if both teams are able to win their respective series ... the entire experience would be "incredible."

"Both teams have the opportunity to do it," he said. "They're good enough teams to do it. Let's just hope they their able to win both their series, and we're gonna be the benefactors of a great Subway Series."

The New York Mets are pulling out all the stops to keep their postseason dreams alive ... as they brought The Temptations to Citi Field to perform the national anthem and sing their hit, "My Girl."

The song -- which became Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor's walk-up track back in May -- became popular with fans before his at-bats ... with many singing along to the tune even after it would be cut off by the stadium speakers.

It wasn't just the fans enjoying the performance ahead of Game 5 ... as even Lindor was seen on the field vibing along to the legendary group as he was going through his pregame warmups!!!

It's clearly not peanuts and Cracker Jacks at the ole ball game for Magic Johnson these days ... check out the dish the NBA legend was munching on during L.A.'s playoff game Thursday night -- it's far from traditional ballpark grub, to say the least.

The former Lakers superstar -- who's now a part-owner of the Dodgers -- was in attendance at Citi Field for L.A.'s NLCS showdown with NY ... and as the broadcast took a tour of the celebs in the crowd, he was shown briefly on TV.

It's, of course, all part of being Magic -- this happens at nearly every event he goes to -- and it's almost always met with a shrug from viewers. But this time, his dinner choice at the game had social media users talking.

Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase isn't sweating the fact his poor outing almost cost his team a crucial win over the Yankees ... taking to Instagram to flex all the accomplishments he's racked up over the years -- after reportedly making a mad dash from the ballpark seven minutes after the contest concluded.

The 26-year-old -- who gave up back-to-back home runs to Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton to give New York the lead in the top of the 8th -- pulled out all the hardware to show that while it was far from the performance he wanted, one bad day doesn't define him.

Clase -- one of the best arms in the league -- showed off his American League Reliever of the Month awards, the rings he earned for being voted an MLB All-Star, and his All-MLB plaque from 2023.

Radio host Tony Massarotti is apologizing for muttering a racial slur while live on air this week ... telling his fans he had no idea the term was a derogatory one.

Massarotti unleashed the 80-second mea culpa during Thursday's episode of "Felger & Mazz" ... insisting he had no malice in his heart when he said "z*****head" during his show on Wednesday.

Massarotti was adamant he was simply trying to poke fun at his Gen Z-aged colleague ... and nothing further.

Travis Kelce is insisting he's a Cleveland guy through and through, despite showing up to a Guardians vs. Yankees game with Taylor Swift in neutral clothes this week ... clapping back at fans who questioned his fandom with a fiery response.

Game 3 of the ALCS ended in dramatic fashion on Thursday ... a matchup that went back-and-forth in the final two innings before the Guards secured the win in the 10th with a David Fry two-run homer.

Kelce -- who is from Cleveland Heights -- shared his excitement over the shocking result ... saying, "Playoff baseball baby!!! @CleGuardians have the city absolutely ROCKIN TONIGHT!! What a game!"

"THESE PENS SUCK"

While there's no shortage of Mickey Mantle autographs in the marketplace, there's truly a unique item on the auction block at Lelands ... a 14" x 20" cardstock signed 99 times by the MLB legend, which includes a special message about the crappy writing implement he used for his John Hancocks!!

Number 7, one of the greatest baseball players to ever step foot on a diamond, signed his famous Mickey Mantle autograph decades ago for a buddy who operated a company that sold statues.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are out again in New York City ... and this time they're watching the Yankees play some postseason baseball.

The power couple is in a suite at Yankee Stadium watching the Yanks play the Cleveland Guardians in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Monday night ... a best-of-7 series that will send the winner to the World Series.

Taylor and Travis are joined by comedian Jerrod Carmichael in the suite ... and everyone is happy and smiling ... with some cold beverages on the counter.

Employees from the luxury building where Pete Rose lived attempted to do a welfare check on the MLB legend just hours before he was found dead by his son, but received no response from the hit king ... a 911 call obtained by TMZ Sports reveals.

The emergency call to the Las Vegas Metro Police Department was initiated by workers at the Panorama Towers in Sin City at 2:54 PM. They told dispatch they attempted to check on Rose about two hours earlier, but despite banging on his door, received no answer.

The staff told the operator they could hear a television playing loudly inside Rose's unit.

The Tampa Bay Rays' stadium was hit hard by Hurricane Milton ... but fear not, fish lovers -- the stingrays that call Tropicana Field "home" were unharmed in the storm!!

The Florida Aquarium provided the update on Monday .... saying while the facility's roof sustained heavy damage -- the seven cownose stingrays that hang out near right-center field remained safe in their 35-foot habitat while Milton passed through.

"With the Tampa Bay Rays support, our staff was able to provide onsite care over the past several days and today, we brought them safely back to the Aquarium," Associate Curator Craig Johnson said.

Some of the Los Angeles Dodgers really ... laid the lumber during their victory over the San Diego Padres last night ... one celebration in particular going viral.

Here's the call ... the Dodgers defeated the Padres 2-0 to clinch the heated division series in the best of five ... and now they'll face the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series.

One of the biggest moments of the night came when fan-favorite Kiké Hernandez smacked a home run to make it 1-0 ... and celebrated after he rounded the bases by appearing to bump johnsons with teammate Gavin Lux.