MLB

The hatred for the cheating-ass Houston Astros looks to be still rolling along smoothly ...

Here's video of Arizona Diamondbacks closer Archie Bradley appearing to flip off the 'Stros after a huge home run Wednesday night ... and it's pretty hilarious!!!

In the 5th inning of the D'Backs' rout of Houston in Phoenix ... Nick Ahmed blasted a moon shot bomb deep to left-center field that had Arizona's players going crazy.

The camera panned around to everyone while Ahmed was rounding the bases -- and when it got to the Diamondbacks' bullpen, you can see Bradley clear as day pumpin' a middle finger toward the diamond.

Was it directed at the 'Stros players? Seems like it. Was it because Houston was caught in a massive sign-stealing, cheating scheme that rocked baseball? Probably.

Bradley hasn't addressed the single-barrel salute with media yet ... so it's all unclear at the moment.

What is clear, though ... is everyone still hates the Astros for their roles in a 2017 cheating scandal.

Remember, Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly was just suspended 8 GAMES by MLB after he almost incited a brawl by nearly beaning both Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa in a game last week.

Ya don't buy a car without checkin' under the hood, right?

And, if you're Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez, ya don't buy a pro baseball team without checking out the stadium!

That's what J-Rod did on Wednesday -- getting a VIP tour of Citi Field in Queens as part of their plan to buy the team.

J Lo -- sporting a flowing white sundress -- led the charge with A-Rod and a few other businessy-lookin' dudes.

As we previously reported, the power couple has been gunning to buy the team for months -- and recently linked up with some rich partners to add to their ownership group.

The most recent addition to Alex and Jen's team is Mike Repole -- who co-founded BodyArmor and Vitaminwater. He's rich and also a life-long Mets fan.

They had previously brought on a dream team of current and former NFL ballers including Travis Kelce, Brian Urlacher, Joe Thomas, and DeMarco Murray.

There are two NBA stars in the group as well -- Washington Wizards beast Bradley Beal and Denver Nuggets center Mason Plumlee.

J Lo and A-Rod had previously tried to buy the Mets for around $1.5 billion -- but it didn't exactly work out since the Wilpon family (which owns the team) was hoping to get around $2.5 billion.

Hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen was the front-runner to buy the team -- he's loaded and has already made a $2 billion bid, according to the NY Post.

But, ESPN says the Wilpons would prefer to sell to Lopez and Rodriguez if they can come closer to the top bid.

As if 2020 couldn't get any weirder ... the Minnesota Twins vs. Pittsburgh Pirates game was paused Tuesday afternoon -- and it's all 'cause a drone flew over the field.

The scene was wild ... in the middle of the fifth inning, umpires pulled players off the diamond when they noticed a flying object cruising high above Target Field in Minneapolis.

The drone hovered over the ballpark for several minutes -- causing a lengthy delay in the game.

Of course, drone flying over ballparks during play is illegal even without fans in attendance -- the FAA still prohibits it -- and MLB was obviously worried about player safety.

No one was hurt, however ... and the unmanned aircraft eventually left the scene and play resumed.

MLB star Yadier Molina says he's one of several St. Louis Cardinals dealing with coronavirus ... announcing Tuesday he tested positive even after following all the proper protocols.

The 38-year-old -- who some expect to be a lock for baseball's Hall of Fame -- said in a statement in Spanish on social media he's disappointed to have contracted the virus.

But, the catcher added he's doing everything possible to return to the team ASAP.

"As I recover," Yadi said, "I request that my privacy and that of my family be respected during my absence from the team."

The Cards said in a statement in addition to Yadi ... infielders Paul DeJong, Edmundo Sosa, and Rangel Ravelo, and pitchers Junior Fernández and Kodi Whitley have also agreed to publicly come forward with their positive diagnosis.

As we previously reported, the Cardinals are currently dealing with at least 13 cases of coronavirus on their team ... with GM John Mozeliak saying some have experienced symptoms like "headaches, coughs, sniffles, and low-grade fevers."

The Cards have had several games postponed due to the outbreak ... with their series against the Detroit Tigers this week already being moved.

The mess continues for the St. Louis Cardinals -- 13 members of the organization have tested positive for the coronavirus ... and the team's upcoming 4-game series with the Detroit Tigers has been postponed.

MLB confirmed ... 7 players and 6 staffers returned positive COVID-19 tests within the past week.

The team will remain in Milwaukee -- where they have been quarantined since Thursday -- until medical officials clear them to travel.

The Cards were supposed to play the Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit beginning August 4th -- but now, that has been pushed.

The plan, according to MLB, is for the Cardinals to "resume its regular schedule on Friday against the Chicago Cubs in St. Louis."

And, in unrelated bad news, the highly-anticipated Field of Dreams game between the Cards and White Sox in Iowa -- scheduled for August 13 -- has also been canceled due to a "logistical problem," according to the Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

The NY Mets are concerned about their star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes -- saying he didn't show up to the ballpark for Sunday's game -- and hasn't checked in with team officials.

In other words, they're concerned he may have gone missing.

The Mets are currently playing the Braves in Atlanta. Cespedes WAS in attendance for Saturday's game ... but never made it back to the field on Sunday.

The Mets issued a statement saying ... "As of game time, Yoenis Céspedes has not reported to the ballpark today. He did not reach out to management with any explanation for his absence. Our attempts to contact him have been unsuccessful."

Everyone's hoping there's a simple explanation for the situation ... like YS overslept his alarm -- but obviously, there are much more serious concerns at this point.

34-year-old Cespedes is a 2x All-Star and one of the most important players on the Mets.

TMZ Sports has obtained police footage of the moment cops busted MLB catcher Reese McGuire for allegedly masturbating in public ... and it's SUPER AWKWARD.

First off, police say cameras malfunctioned in the process of recording the video, which is why most of the picture is black ... but you can still hear audio of McGuire's encounter with officers in a strip mall parking lot in Dunedin, Fla. on Feb. 7.

The conversation begins with cops asking the 25-year-old Toronto Blue Jays player if he was aware that people had called them saying they had seen him while he was half-naked in his car pleasuring himself.

McGuire tried to explain the situation ... before telling the cops, "I realized, what an idiot. What a dumb place to be hanging out."

That's when one of the officers asked the MLB player straight-up, "Why would you come to a parking lot just to masturbate?"

Reese responded, "I just, I don't know."

To his credit, McGuire went on to tell the officer he was SUPER sorry for the incident ... saying, "I've realized that I made a mistake having my pants down and doing what I was doing ... I really am apologetic. And, I know I shouldn't have been doing this."

McGuire was eventually charged with 1st-degree misdemeanor exposure of sexual organs and was facing up to 1 year in jail if convicted.

Reese, though, cut a deal with prosecutors earlier this month ... pleading no contest to a reduced 2nd-degree misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct.

In exchange, a spokesperson for the State Attorney's Office in Pinellas County told us his punishment was nothing more than fines and court costs.

Nic Naitanui -- Aussie Rules football's biggest star -- successfully completed 5 weeks in a bubble environment Down Under ... but cautions the mental health side of things is a real concern for athletes.

FYI, the Australian Football League (AFL) is currently running a hub system -- where teams are quarantined in separate bubble environments throughout the country.

Entry into each bubble requires 2 weeks of quarantine followed by strict testing -- and then it's off to a secure site, which in Nic's case was a Top Flight hotel.

The West Coast Eagles star admits it was "pretty tough" to adjust at first -- but he got into a routine and ultimately played really well on the field.

Now, Nic says sports leagues from all over the world have been contacting the AFL and the individual teams for advice on how to successfully pull off a bubble ... and he's got some solid tips.

The biggest warning, per Nic, is mental health for the players.

"The mental health side of things is massive because you are deprived of that social interaction with your family and friends and what not."

"I can tell why people probably do sneak out of the bubble. I see with the NBA boys because they're used to having that freedom and livelihood to do what they want and now you're being told -- its almost like a prison, albeit, a 5 star prison!"

The big question for us ... will the NFL follow the AFL's lead before time runs out?

The NBA, like the AFL, is having tremendous success so far in their bubble.

Patrick Mahomes will THRIVE in his new MLB ownership role ... so says George Brett, who tells TMZ Sports he's pumped for the NFL superstar to join the Royals' org!!

"They do things a little bit different here," says the K.C. legend, who's now in his 27th season as the team's VP of baseball operations. "Your family is number 1, baseball is number 2."

"And, I think he's going to fit right in with the ownership group and with the Royals culture that they have within the ball club."

Pat just used a portion of his new $500 MILLION contract to buy into the Royals this week ... and Brett says he couldn't be happier to welcome the Chiefs QB to the team.

In fact, the Royals G.O.A.T. says the two are actually golfing buddies ... so he knows Pat well -- and he tells us he's certain the move will be good for both the Royals and the NFL superstar.

"I'm sure everybody in Kansas City is real excited," Brett says. "Because, like me, they've adopted Patrick Mahomes."

By the way, we asked George about Mahomes' baseball prowess ... and the Hall of Famer told us from everything he's seen, he believes the 24-year-old could've been a hell of a pitcher.

But, if Brett had to face Pat in his prime? Ya gotta hear George tell us how that would've been an absolute laugher ...

Scary scene on the diamond Thursday ... MLB ump Joe West took an accidental bat to the side of the head -- and was forced to leave the game after he couldn't stop the bleeding.

It all went down just a few minutes ago in the Nationals vs. Blue Jays game in D.C. ... when Toronto star Bo Bichette swung at a pitch but accidentally let the bat slip from his grasp.

The piece of lumber went backward, connected right to the side of 67-year-old West's head ... and immediately, players signaled for trainers to rush over.

West was bleeding profusely from his ear area ... and despite medical personnel pressing a towel on the wound -- he was forced to go into the locker room for further treatment.

It should be noted ... West didn't seem out of it, and cameras actually caught him smiling -- but there's been no official update from MLB on his status yet.

The Philadelphia Phillies have brought all team activities to a screeching halt ... after 2 members of the organization tested positive for the coronavirus.

Remember, the Miami Marlins announced a serious COVID-19 outbreak after playing a series in Philly over the weekend ... with at least 19 reported cases as of Thursday morning.

The problem -- some Marlins players reportedly found out they tested positive for COVID prior to Sunday's game against the Phillies ... but the rest of the team decided to play anyway.

Now, the Phillies are reporting 2 members of the team -- zero players -- have tested positive ... and are taking no chances at letting things get worse.

The team says it's shut down all team activities "until further notice" ... which also leaves the Phillies' weekend series against the Toronto Blue Jays up in the air.

The Phillies' series against the Yankees was postponed due to the COVID outbreak ... but MLB commish Rob Manfred says the outbreak is "no nightmare."

NFL star DK Metcalf wanted to honor some of his Black heroes -- from MLK to MJ -- so he flew in a tattoo artist to ink their faces on his body.

Michael Jordan. Jackie Robinson. Martin Luther King, Jr. Muhammad Ali.

All of these legends are now immortalized on the Seahawks WR's left leg -- and the artwork is pretty incredible.

In fact, we're told the 22-year-old only trusted one guy to apply the ink -- Wade Gracia from Pharos Ink in Santa Ana.

But, since Metcalf is based Seattle -- where he's been getting ready for the 2020 NFL season -- he FLEW IN the artist to get the work done at his home.

We're told Gracia took 3 trips to Seattle to complete the job.

We know what you're thinking -- what about COVID?!

We're told Gracia took COVID tests before each time he flew to Seattle and tested negative each time.

Gracia also added two tattoos to DK's stomach -- one reads, "One of One" and the other says, "Top Predator."

Dog piles OUT ... air fives and no-touching circles IN?!?

The S.F. Giants got SUPER creative with their celebration of Mike Yastrzemski's walk-off home run Wednesday ... ditching home plate mobs for a socially distanced party!!!

The scene was hilarious ... in the bottom of the 9th, tied at 6-6 with the Padres, Carl Yastrzemski's grandson hit a moonshot to right that gave the Giants their 3rd win of the season.

Under normal circumstances ... Yaz would've been downright tackled once he finished rounding the bases -- but in a pandemic?? IT WAS A SOCIAL DISTANCE FIESTA, BABY!!

Check out the clip ... the Giants stormed home plate -- but then did nothing more than circle around Yastrzemski and bounce up and down!!

How's this for an amazing tribute!?!?

L.A. Angels outfielder Brian Goodwin threw on custom cleats to honor Kobe Bryant and Nipsey Hussle for his game Wednesday ... and then he balled out of his mind at the plate!!!

29-year-old Goodwin -- who's often publicly spoken about his love for the Mamba and Nipsey -- pulled out the fresh Under Armour kicks for the Halos' home matchup against the Mariners.

The spikes were pretty amazing ... one was all yellow and featured depictions of Kobe, his old jersey #8, and the L.A. Lakers logo.

The other, meanwhile, was baby blue with a black and white checkerboard ... and also featured a picture of Nipsey and a cursive "Crenshaw."

But, when Goodwin took the diamond in the cleats ... he took the tribute a step further, going 2-for-4 at the dish with a double, a home run and 3 RBIs!

The dinger was particularly impressive ... it traveled well over 400 feet -- and Goodwin made sure he showed off the cleats as he emphatically stepped on home plate.