Houston Astros

Ted Cruz is back in Texas, but he's still hearing boos -- the senator just got an earful of jeers from fans in Houston while he was riding in the Astros' World Series parade.

Cruz was on a military jeep as part of the celebration for the best team in baseball ... and cameras caught fans laying into him as his ride made its way through the streets.

People booed loudly ... and, according to Astros reporter Ben DuBose, some even flipped the lawmaker the bird.

Of course, this is far from the first time Cruz has heard the heckling ... in fact, just two weeks ago, fans at Yankee Stadium tore into him during NY's ALCS game against the 'Stros.

Cruz, who was reppin' Houston with an orange shirt and a blue vest, got booed loudly, with one man even calling him a "racist piece of s***."

Cruz appears to have gotten the last laugh on everyone, though -- his beloved Astros closed out the Yankees that night, and then went on to beat the Phillies, 4-2, in the W.S. this weekend.

As for the rest of the parade, the guys all seem to be having a blast celebrating their second title in six seasons.

The Houston Astros spared no expense when it came to celebrating their World Series title this weekend ... TMZ Sports has learned they popped nearly $400,000 worth of 50 Cent's champagne during their postgame party.

We're told the team unloaded just over 250 bottles of the rapper's Le Chemin du Roi Brut ... right after they finished off the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday night to win the Fall Classic.

In total, there were 250 bottles of Rose, 10 Magnums of the bubbly, and one, huge 15-liter bottle as well. The final bill for it all came out to $388,750!!

Of course, the 'Stros enjoyed every bit of it ... soaking in it for hours following their 4-1 win in Houston.

Star pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. seemed to get the most out of it though ... kickin' off Houston's epic celebration by coating his teammates in it first.

The Astros will continue the party later on Monday -- their championship parade is slated to go down at around 11 AM CT.

The Astros and Phillies are duking it out in the World Series -- but the players wouldn't have gotten to this point without the passionate support from their lovely partners -- so let's meet them!

Astros ace Justin Verlander's wife, Kate Upton, needs no introduction -- the SI swimsuit model has been by JV's side for the Astros' previous three World Series appearances.

Houston's third baseman Alex Bregman and his wife, Reagan, hope they have another reason to celebrate in a few days ... after welcoming their first child, Knox, in August.

Zach Wheeler has been having quite the season -- and his wife, Dominique, has been cheering for the 32-year-old every step as he tries to help the Phillies secure a championship.

We'd be remiss if we didn't mention Jose Altuve, the fiery, talented second baseman for the Astros, and his wife, Giannina (aka Nina), who've been married since they were teenagers.

Win or lose, Wheeler's teammate, Aaron Nola, will have reason to be happy -- the 29-year-old flame-throwing righty is reportedly marrying his fiancée, Hunter Harrington, next month.

Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos is quickly becoming a fan favorite in Philly for his brilliant defense -- making his wife Jess extremely proud of her hubby.

Nick Swisher says the Phillies would not be two games away from a World Series title if they had kept Joe Girardi ... telling TMZ Sports the team's new manager, Rob Thomson, is the biggest reason for Philly's success this year.

"If it was Joe Girardi in this position," the former Big Leaguer told us, "I don't think Philly would be in this spot."

The Phils had started the season with Girardi at the end of the bench -- but put him on ice back in June after a disappointing 22-29 start. Thomson then became the interim manager, and the team took off.

Swisher told us he believes none of that ensuing success was a coincidence ... saying Thomson -- who was one of the outfielder's coaches during his time with the Yankees -- is just that good of a honcho.

"Rob Thomson has given that team the freedom to be themselves," Swish said. "He has given them the freedom to go out and play with freeness and be open and authentic."

Swisher clearly believes the guy and his team can close out the Astros this week, too ... telling us with the talent they have, and the fan support in Philly -- two more wins shouldn't be hard to come by.

As for what Swisher's been up to outside of watching this year's Fall Classic -- he's actually launched a new podcast, "The Nick Swisher Show," where he'll be interviewing people from all different walks of life about the importance of positivity.

"On this podcast, man," he told us, "we jump in!"

Phillies fans made sure Justin Verlander got anything but a warm welcome when he showed up to the stadium for Game 3 of the World Series ... and the ace returned the favor by flipping them off!!

The playful moment went down when the Houston Astros' team bus made its way to Citizens Bank Park for Monday night's matchup ... and when it passed by a group of Philadelphia backers, JV decided to give the finger.

The fans loved it ... with one person even saying, "That was great!!"

But, once Justin got off the bus, he gave a thumbs up before doubling down on the gesture -- giving the bird once again with a big smile on his face.

"Hey, that's for you!!" Verlander said.

The fans erupted in laughter ... and it's clear the whole interaction was all in good fun.

Baseball fans were all over Ted Cruz during Sunday night's playoff game at Yankee Stadium ... booing the senator relentlessly and flipping him off as he moved around his seat behind home plate.

The Texas politician -- a huge Astros fan -- showed up to the Bronx wearing orange and blue to cheer on his favorite team as it tried to punch its ticket to the World Series with a win over the Yankees.

Cruz was seen smiling before the opening pitch ... but throughout the night, he was NOT received well by fans near him.

Video of the senator shows as he got up from his seat during the game, fans jeered him over and over again. Several could be heard in the footage calling him a "f***ing loser" and a "racist piece of s***."

A photo of Cruz at the game also shows two fans even flipped him the bird from just feet away.

The 51-year-old kept his cool during it all ... smiling and waving to other fans in the crowd. At one point, he even took a selfie with a man in an Aaron Judge jersey.

Despite the scene, Cruz ended up with the last laugh, 'cause Houston beat New York, 6-5, giving them the sweep over the Pinstripes in the ALCS.

Cruz now won't have to travel far from home to watch his team play next ... the Astros host the Phillies in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday.

The Houston Astros embarrassed the New York Yankees ... and then they danced all over their graves -- bustin' out the brooms AND the booze for an epic locker room celebration.

The party all went down on Sunday night in New York ... after the 'Stros clinched the American League Championship Series, 4-0, with a 6-5 win over the Pinstripes.

Houston's players stayed on the field after the final out to receive their trophy at a ceremony in the middle of the Yankee Stadium diamond ... but then they hit the showers -- and turned up.

The guys grabbed brooms to signify their sweep over Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton ... and grooved to music with champagne well into Monday morning.

Everyone in the locker room got rowdy -- including 73-year-old Dusty Baker, who was spotted holding a bottle in one hand and the ALCS trophy in the other.

A Houston Astros fan ran onto the field during the team's playoff game against the Yankees on Thursday night and hugged Jose Altuve ... and TMZ Sports has learned he was ultimately arrested over the stunt.

The man hopped Minute Maid Park railing during the ninth inning of Game 2 of the ALCS ... and quickly made a beeline for Houston's biggest star.

The guy -- later ID'ed as 27-year-old Jose Alvarado -- dodged security long enough to actually get to Altuve ... and then he planted a big hug on the Astros second baseman.

Altuve surprisingly didn't seem bothered by the interaction, stayed calm, and hugged the fan back. He even appeared to be down to take a selfie with the guy right in the middle of the outfield grass.

Eventually, however, security came in to break the scene up -- with six guards wrestling him to the ground.

A spokesperson for the Houston Police Dept. tells us Alvarado was taken into custody and booked on a misdemeanor criminal trespass charge.

Jail records show he's still behind bars.

Altuve said after the game he wasn't concerned the fan had bad intentions when he saw the man's Astros jersey.

"He just said, 'We need to win -- I spent all my money on the ticket,'" Altuve said of the incident. "And I was trying to tell him that, 'Yes, we're trying to win.' We were about to take a selfie, but then security guys got there and did their job."

José Altuve is still public enemy #1 in Los Angeles ... and the L.A. Kings made that clear by trolling the Houston Astros' star second baseman with a trash can reference during Thursday night's game.

The Kings were playing the Seattle Kraken at Crypto.com Arena ... when the announcer decided to have some fun at the expense of Altuve by playing a "look-alike" game on the jumbotron.

The game started innocently by showing people in the stands who resembled professional athletes like Dodgers star pitcher Tony Gonsolin and infielder Max Muncy -- but then it came time to have some fun.

The scoreboard then showed Altuve's picture, which was met with a chorus of boos ...  and then the image of a trash can was displayed as his doppelganger.

The fans immediately began cheering once they saw the side-by-side of Altuve and the trash can on the big screen ... and to make matters worse, someone was throwing out trash.

Altuve and the 'Stros defeated the L.A. Dodgers in seven games in the 2017 World Series, but L.A. fans feel robbed of that title after the Astros were found guilty of cheating.

In 2019, MLB determined that the Astros illegally used a video camera system and pounding on trash cans to steal signs during the 2017 regular season and postseason and parts of the 2018 season.

Since the scandal, the Dodgers have won the World Series in 2020 when they defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in six games ... and are currently vying for another this postseason.

Scary moment during the Mets vs. Astros game Wednesday ... Houston star Yordan Alvarez collided with his teammate in the outfield, and the crash was so violent -- the slugger had to be carted off the field.

The collision between Alvarez and shortstop Jeremy Pena happened in the bottom of the 8th inning ... when Pena was trying to snag a pop-up in shallow left field.

He, though, didn't see Alvarez -- who was also charging in to catch the ball -- and the two huge athletes slammed into each other.

Pena's arm hit Alvarez square in the face ... while Alvarez's elbow appeared to run right into Pena's head.

The two crumpled to the ground and stayed down on the field for several minutes ... before they each got medical attention from the Astros' trainers.

Eventually, Yordan was carted off the field, while Jeremy tried to give it a go but was ultimately forced to leave the game.

A Texas Rangers farmhand completely befuddled a Houston Astros prospect with a perfectly executed hidden ball trick on Thursday ... and the epic play was all captured on video!

The trickery happened in the third inning of the Corpus Christi Hooks game against the Frisco RoughRiders -- after 'Stros prospect Justin Dirden knocked a base hit into right field.

As Dirden was celebrating the feat with his first base coach, Trey Hair devised a plan. The Rangers prospect hid the ball in the back of his glove and slowly made his way to Dirden.

In footage of the play, you can see Hair made a swipe at the bag, which caused Dirden to leave it -- and then he casually tagged the runner out.

Dirden was left perplexed, and questioned the umpire about the call. But, it turns out the ump said everything was legal -- and Dirden was ruled out!

Atlanta Braves pitcher Charlie Morton etched his name into MLB lore Tuesday night ... 'cause he broke his leg during Game 1 of the World Series -- but still pitched on it!!

Morton took a comebacker off his shin in the 2nd inning of ATL's tilt with the Astros in Houston ... and right away, it was clear something was off with the Braves' ace.

Morton hobbled a bit back to the mound with a pained expression on his face -- but he still managed to get the next two outs to end the inning.

And, despite sitting in the dugout in pain while his team batted in the top of the 3rd inning, Morton still came out to pitch in the bottom of the inning!

The 37-year-old actually struck out Jose Altuve -- but was in so much pain, he was helped off the mound by trainers.

Atlanta officials later revealed Morton's X-rays showed he had broken his right fibula ... and they immediately ruled him out for the rest of the series with the 'Stros.

The Herculean effort, though, was not wasted ... because Morton's pitching helped Atlanta secure the Game 1 victory -- and now the Braves only need 3 more wins to take home the Commissioner's Trophy.

White Sox pitcher Ryan Tepera clearly believes the Astros haven't stopped cheating despite being busted in 2020 ... telling reporters Sunday he thinks something fishy is still happening in Houston.

Tepera made the insinuation following the Sox's first playoff victory over the 'Stros ... saying he can see a tangible difference in Houston's offense at Minute Maid Park vs. away from it.

"It's a different game here at our field," Tepera said. "You play at Minute Maid, and they’re doing something over there that's a little different."

Tepera said the Astros' swings and misses on pitches -- they struck out 16 times on Sunday in Chicago vs. 16 total times in the first two games of the series in Houston -- tell the whole story.

"I mean, it is what it is," said Tepera, who threw two scoreless innings in the White Sox's 12-6 win in Game 3 of the ALDS. "They've obviously had a reputation of doing some sketchy stuff over there. We can say that it's a little bit of a difference."

"I think you saw the swings and misses tonight compared to the first two games at Minute Maid."

Of course, the Astros are no strangers to cheating allegations ... they were found to have used an illegal sign-stealing system back in the 2017 and 2018 seasons that ultimately caused Houston to fire manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow.

The team has obviously insisted there's been no cheating since ... but Tepera certainly seems to believe otherwise.

Dusty Baker partied like he was in his 20s again to celebrate his Astros' division-clinching win Thursday night ... chugging champagne straight out of a cleat!!!

The 72-year-old manager drank the bubbly in Houston's locker room after scoring the big 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays ... and check out the video -- it's both gross AND awesome!!!

Just minutes after the 'Stros had locked up the AL West crown, Baker and the guys hit the showers ... and the players lost their minds when their manager pulled off the shoey.

Of course, Baker had good reason to celebrate ... it's the FIFTH different team he's led to a division title in his legendary managing career.

"That was the hardest but greatest year ever for me," Baker told the guys before drinking out of the shoe. "I love you guys, man!"

As for the rest of the 'Stros -- seems they got in the shoe booze game as well ... 'cause they, too, had cleats and alcohol out just before Baker took his sips!!

No worries about hangovers, either ... playoffs don't begin until next week.

L.A. fans trolled the hell out of the Astros during their 1st encounter with Houston at Dodger Stadium since the 'Stros were busted for sign stealing ... with people throwing trash cans, mercilessly booing and even breaking out "cheaters" chants.

It all went down Tuesday night ... when Dodgers fans FINALLY got to see the Astros in person in L.A. after the pandemic had prevented them from hitting the ballpark during their games last season.

And, it didn't take long for Dodgers fans to begin spitting fire ... with "boos" raining down HARD during the broadcast of Houston's starting lineup.

The jeers eventually turned into park-wide "cheaters" chants ... and later in the game, fans threw trash bins on the field too.

Of course, MLB officials revealed just before the start of the 2020 season that Houston illegally stole signs using an elaborate trash can-banging scheme in 2017 (the year it beat the Dodgers for their first and only World Series title) and in 2018.

And, clearly, L.A. is still furious over it all ... with things getting so crazy on the field Tuesday, Dodgers P.A. announcers had to remind fans to not throw objects into the outfield.

A number of Dodger fans even threw trash at a nearby Astros fan -- wearing a "0 Fuxgivin" jersey -- in the outfield stands ... resulting in a violent scuffle.

Houston, though, got the last laugh ... at least in Game 1 of the teams' 2-game series this week -- 'cause it ended up beating the Dodgers 3-0.

Game 2 kicks off Wednesday night at 6:40 PM PT ... with Max Scherzer set to make his L.A. debut.

So much for home-field advantage.

A massive crowd of Dodgers fans flocked to Minute Maid Park in Houston to watch L.A. take on the Astros on Tuesday ... and trolled the living hell outta the home team over the infamous cheating scandal!!

It was the first time fans were in attendance for a Dodgers vs. Astros game in Houston since the 2017 World Series -- which, of course, many believe was tainted due to the 'Stros' elaborate electronic sign-stealing operation.

"Cheaters!" chants? Check. Mean signs? Check. Blowup trash cans? Check. Dominant win for the Dodgers? Big ass check.

The scene was insanity as Clayton Kershaw led L.A. to an easy 9-2 win ... and you gotta think the Dodger fans taking over the stadium had to play a part in it.

Of course, Dodgers players and fans have refused to forgive the Astros for robbing them of a title in '17 ... and let their hatred ring from start to finish.

The signs were aplenty -- with fans saying things like "Read this sign ... you cheated!" and making references to the trash can that was used in the operation as the real MVP of the series.

Dodgers star Justin Turner was a huge fan of the support ... saying, "It was awesome. Some of the guys said tonight it finally felt like we were playing real baseball again."

"We knew it was going to be loud. We knew there was going to be energy in the building tonight. Our Dodger fans obviously traveled really well."

But, bad news for the 'Stros ... Pantone 294 -- the group that organized the takeover -- is teasing it's only gonna get worse for Houston on Wednesday night.