MLB

NY Mets ace Marcus Stroman is FURIOUS with NASCAR driver Kyle Larson for saying the n-word ... saying he should never race again and deserves to have his ass kicked.

Of course, the 27-year-old dropped an n-bomb during a virtual race on Easter Sunday ... apparently not realizing his audio was streaming out to thousands of people on Twitch.

Larson -- who later apologized for the slur -- was suspended by NASCAR, lost sponsorships, and was booted from his team.

Enter, Stroman -- whose parents are black and Puerto Rican. He's so pissed off about the incident, Stro wants to throw down with Larson in the Octagon.

"He should never be allowed to race again in @NASCAR," Stroman tweeted.

"Said that derogatory word so nonchalantly. Your apology doesn’t matter."

"Post-career...I’ll fight this man in a @ufc event for charity. He needs his ass beat. Would love to hear him say that word in the octagon."

Other athletes also went after Larson for his slur ... including Reggie Bush, who tweeted "apologize deez nuts."

"We not buying it and wear that racist badge with honor don’t hide we need to see who you really are!"

New York Yankees co-owner Hank Steinbrenner has died, his family confirmed. He was 63.

Hank had been battling an illness for a while -- but according to the NY Post, it was NOT related to COVID-19.

Steinbrenner was reportedly surrounded by family at his home in Clearwater, Florida when he passed. Hank is survived by his brother, Hal, and their two sisters, Jennifer and Jessica. He also has 4 children with his ex-wife.

Hank famously took over much of the ownership duties after his father, George Steinbrenner, passed away in 2010. In recent years, his brother, Hal, has taken over the role of "boss."

But, while Hank was in charge, he was known for being big and brash like his dad -- never afraid to speak his mind in public.

In fact, Hank famously made headlines back in 2008 when he took aim at the rival, Boston Red Sox.

"Red Sox Nation?" What a bunch of bush*t that is," Steinbrenner told The New York Times' Play magazine.

"That was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN, which is filled with Red Sox fans.

"Go anywhere in America and you won't see Red Sox hats and jackets, you'll see Yankee hats and jackets. This is a Yankee country. We're going to put the Yankees back on top and restore the universe to order."

Funny, we feel like that's the quote Hank would want to end this post -- so we'll leave it at that.

RIP

Rob Manfred -- the most powerful man in baseball -- is taking a multi-million dollar salary cut as MLB struggles with the massive financial blow dealt by coronavirus.

The MLB honcho -- along with other top league execs -- are reportedly taking a giant 35% haircut on their checks ... 'cause no baseball means no revenue.

Manfred is rumored to make around $11 million a year ... so a 35% cut is almost $4 million a year.

The bright side? Even though the baseball season is suspended, the league is committed to paying all other employees their full salary through the end of May.

By then, MLB's hoping to get back on the field ... playing ball.

League executives have been discussing a plan where all 30 teams would play in Arizona -- beginning in May -- in front of fan-less stadiums.

THIS IS SAVAGE!!!!

Alex Bregman's fiancee decided to spice up quarantine time with a neck-cracking prank on the MLB star ... and it's gnarly and hilarious all at the same time!!

The gag began with the Astros third baseman's soon-to-be wifey placing a piece of dry pasta in her mouth and calling Alex over to help her "crack her neck."

Bregman -- who, by the way, didn't want to come because he was working on a puzzle -- showed up and pressed on the side of her head.

That's when Reagan chomped down on the pasta -- making a sick cracking noise -- AND IT SCARED THE HELL OUT OF ALEX!!!

Watch the clip ... the 26-year-old 2019 AL MVP candidate jumped back several feet with a look of sheer terror on his face!!!

Reagan quickly showed him it was all part of a TikTok video ... and Alex couldn't have been more displeased, calling it "stupid!"

Don't worry ... we're sure Alex got over it -- because, well, how could you stay mad at this?!?!

If you've ever had the dream of buying a tainted World Series ring, now's your shot ... 'cause a 2017 Houston Astros ring is hitting the auction block ... and it ain't gonna come cheat cheap!!!

Goldin Auctions says the 10k ring belonged to team scout David Brito ... who's the first person to present a 2017 Astros ring for auction.

No word on if the decision to part ways is a conscience thing ... considering the championship was at the heart of the sign-stealing scandal that's left manager A.J. Hinch, then-bench coach Alex Cora and player Carlos Beltran out of the job.

Speaking of ... not only is the ring decked out in orange and blue sapphires ... it also features one of the most ironic phrases for this particular ring, "Earned History."

The L.A. Dodgers might have an issue with the word "earned," there.

We're told this ring -- despite all the surrounding drama -- could fetch anywhere from $20k-$60k.

So ... the next question is -- who's gonna buy it?? A die-hard fan? A pissed off baseball nut who wants to destroy it? A Dodgers player who thinks they deserve it?

Ex-MLB star Josh Hamilton is now facing up to 10 YEARS behind bars ... this after the former MVP was formally indicted on a felony child abuse charge earlier this week.

Hamilton is accused of brutalizing his 14-year-old daughter back on Sept. 30 ... after he allegedly turned into a monster over a comment she made that ticked him off.

Court records, obtained by the Dallas Morning News, show a Tarrant County grand jury officially indicted the 38-year-old former Texas Rangers player on Monday.

Hamilton is now facing between 2 and 10 years in prison if he's convicted of the charge.

As we previously reported ... Hamilton turned himself in to authorities in October after his daughter told law enforcement he threw a full water bottle at her chest and later hit her during an argument at their home.

In the arrest warrant, obtained by TMZ Sports, the girl alleges Hamilton pushed her, hit her with an open hand and closed fist, left scratches on her and even tore her sweatshirt during the incident.

Hamilton's daughter also claims the ex-outfielder told her, "I hope you go in front of the f*cking judge and tell him what a terrible dad I am so I don't have to see you anymore and you don't ever have to come to my house again."

Hamilton has adamantly denied the allegations, with his attorneys telling the Dallas Morning News, "[He] is innocent of the charge against him and looks forward to clearing his name in court."

One of the first bats used in Lou Gehrig's Hall of Fame career has a new owner ... and the going price was a staggering $1 MILLION!!

Heritage Auctions tells TMZ Sports ... Gehrig first started using the bat during his college days at Columbia University -- and continued to use it with the Hartford Senators and earliest New York Yankees days.

The Hillerich & Bradsby stick features Gehrig's last name in block letters on the side of the bat ... as well as a message from the manufacturer, "40 oz., Lou Gehrig, 4-22-25."

The bat was NOT made on 04/22/25 ... we're told the date represents when Gehrig brought the bat back to the factory to have duplicates made.

“It was one of Gehrig’s favorite bats and one he likely used over several seasons," Chris Ivy of Heritage says. "I believe that it’s the most significant Gehrig bat in the hobby."

Of course, as TMZ Sports previously reported ... old bats that used to belong to legends sell for INSANE prices ... with Babe Ruth's 500th home run bat going for more than $1 million.

Final price tag for Gehrig's bat?? $1,025,000.

No word on who the lucky buyer is ... but they just got an AWESOME piece of sports history.

Al Kaline -- an MLB Hall of Famer who was affectionately known as Mr. Tiger -- has died at the age of 85.

A family friend of the Detroit legend confirmed the news with the Detroit Free Press on Monday ... although a cause of death was not immediately known.

Kaline was an unbelievable baseball player for the Tigers from 1953-1974 ... making 18 All-Star games and earning 10 gold gloves.

The former outfielder logged 3,007 hits, had a career batting average of .297 and slugged 399 home runs. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1980 ... and his No. 6 was retired by the Tigers that same year.

Kaline also has a statue at Comerica Park in Detroit.

"Such a kind and generous man who meant so much to so many," former Tigers ace Justin Verlander said Monday. "I hope you knew how much I enjoyed our conversations about baseball, life, or just giving each other a hard time."

"I am honored to have been able to call you my friend for all these years.  R.I.P. Mr Tiger, Al Kaline."

The baseball legend worked in some capacity with the Tigers up until his death ... holding various roles as either an announcer, coach or front-office exec.

#RIP

Colorado Rockies legend Todd Helton was sentenced to 2 days in jail over a 2019 incident ... this after the 46-year-old pleaded guilty to DUI in court last month.

Todd was busted in Knoxville, Tenn. on March 18, 2019 after cops say the former MLB first baseman lost control of his truck and crashed it into a telephone pole.

Officers say when they arrived on scene ... Helton was being taken care of by emergency medical personnel -- and had admitted to taking Ambien before getting behind the wheel.

But, in the police report, cops say they found a plastic cup that reeked of booze inside his ride ... and eventually, they issued a misdemeanor DUI citation to the ex-baseball player.

Helton entered a treatment program immediately after the crash after expressing remorse for his actions, but the case dragged on in court for nearly a year before he finally cut a plea deal with prosecutors on March 10.

A spokesperson for the Knox County district attorney's office tells TMZ Sports that in exchange for pleading guilty-as-charged to DUI ... he received a sentence of 48 hours in custody.

Helton also received 11 months and 29 days on unsupervised probation, a $350 fine and got his license suspended for 1 year. Helton was also ordered to attend a Victim Impact Panel.

We reached out to Helton's attorney for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Of course, this was not Todd's first run-in with DUI trouble ... he pleaded guilty to driving while ability impaired back in 2013 in Colorado.

Fantasy baseball nerds, get your rankings out ... Oakland A's legend Dave Stewart tells TMZ Sports rookie Jesus Luzardo is going to have such a huge year, he's a Cy Young dark horse!!

"Luzardo, I think coming into this season obviously is the odds-on favorite to win the Rookie Of the Year," Stewart says. "And, I don't hesitate to take it a little bit further -- I wouldn't be surprised to see him as a Cy Young candidate."

If you haven't heard of Luzardo yet ... you probably should have, because the 22-year-old is arguably the top pitching prospect in baseball and appears poised for a monster first full season in the MLB.

In fact, in just 8.1 innings of spring training ball last month, before the MLB suspended play due to coronavirus ... Luzardo struck out 13 while walking 1 and only giving up 1 earned run.

When we asked Stewart about the kid ... he couldn't have loved the prospect's game more -- but says another rookie on the A's staff is going to impress as well!

"What's a shame is you've got also A.J. Puk," Stewart says. "So, you've got Puk and Luzardo, and they're going to be competing with each other for that Rookie of the Year."

Astros ace Justin Verlander is about to be donating a boatload of money for the next couple months to coronavirus charities -- and a lot of people have radically differing thoughts on it.

The pitcher and his wife, Kate Upton, took to IG Saturday to announce ... in light of the MLB continuing to pay its players for at least the next couple months -- per Justin himself -- he says he and Kate have decided to donate those funds toward COVID-19 relief efforts.

They say they'll choose different charities each week for each check, and announce them on their pages. There are tons to choose from these days, so no shortage of good orgs.

Now, time for some math ... 'cause Justin's donations are going to be staggering based on the numbers of his most recent contract with the 'Stros. He got signed to a 2-year, $66 million extension recently (good through the '20 and '21 seasons) and if you break that down -- it's about $634k a week. If he donates for two months ... $5 mil, more or less.

Probably more.

As for how folks received this very gesture ... a truly mixed bag, with lots of people responding drastically different depending on whose feed you check. If you hop on over to Justin's IG page, it seems to be nothing but love in his comments. Not so on Twitter ...