MLB

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson had a great day at Minute Maid Park ... rubbing elbows with some huge stars -- from Aaron Judge to CC Sabathia ... even Reggie Jackson!

Deshaun was a special VIP guest of the Houston Astros before they took on the New York Yankees -- and FOX 26's Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) was right there on the field as Watson came face-to-face with the MLB greats.

By the way, Watson is no small dude -- he's 6'2", 215 pounds and looks TINY next to 6'7", 285-pound Judge!

Watson got his own custom jersey and even got to hang with the team during batting practice.

The Dodgers can still win the World Series -- even without star player Corey Seager ... so says W.S. champ and Dodgers analyst Jerry Hairston Jr.

On Monday the team announced that Seager -- the 2016 Rookie of the Year and 2x All-Star -- needed Tommy John surgery ... ending his season.

We called a guy who knows a thing about winning a ring ... Hairston Jr. won a World Series with the Yankees in 2009.

Rest easy L.A., the season ain't over ... 'cause Hairston Jr. says with Cody Bellinger and Clayton Kershaw the team still has enough talent to go all the way.

FYI -- the team is 12-16 ... and in 4th place in the N.L. West.

Pete Rose owes more than $1 MILLION to the IRS ... but you wouldn't know it by looking at his car -- 'cause the ex-MLB star is still pushing a very expensive Rolls-Royce!

TMZ Sports has obtained pics of Rose's Rolls-Royce Wraith -- a car that usually costs about $300,000!

And to make sure people know it's HIS car, Pete got a custom license plate bearing his nickname, "Hit King."

Remember, Rose has admitted in court docs he fell WAY behind in federal taxes and is working to repay Uncle Sam the 7-figure debt he's racked up over the years.

But even debtors gotta BALL OUT IN VEGAS, right?!

A Louisville Slugger bat used in an MLB game by Babe Ruth just sold at Goldin Auctions for just under $200,000!!!

Experts have determined the bat was used during Ruth's 1929 and 1930 seasons ... but the exact game (or games) in which it was used is unclear.

Authenticators were able to confirm the details on the bat (weight, length, style) sync up to the bats Ruth ordered from Louisville Slugger during that time period, Goldin says.

The Hillerich & Bradsby hickory bat weighs 37.8 ounces and is 35.25 inches long.

To compare, Aaron Judge's bat is 35 inches long but only weighs 33 ounces.

Goldin says the final price on the Ruth bat was $196,400. The identity of the buyer has not been made public.

There's more ... an authentic contract Ruth signed with the Yankees in 1934 (his final contract with the Yankees) also sold for $282,325!

He signed the contract with his name, "George H. Ruth."

Pete Rose admits he is more than a MILLION DOLLARS in debt -- but the baseball legend is adamant it has nothing to do with a high stakes gambling problem.

The 77-year-old also claims he has a heart condition and has undergone 3 procedures in the last 5 years.

It's all part of the new docs Rose filed in his nasty divorce war with his estranged wife, Carol Rose ... who recently claimed Pete still makes $100,000 per month, yet still owes massive gambling debts.

"I have NO gambling debts," Rose writes in the new court filing obtained by TMZ Sports.

Pete also claims the $100k number is just wrong ... he only makes $54k per month and sends $20k to Carol as part of his monthly support obligation.

As for his IRS debt, Rose says he owes Uncle Sam more than $1,000,000 -- but notes he's been paying $20k per month to make things right.

Pete says he's been trying to officially end his marriage to Carol since 2008, but Carol keeps dragging things out.

Challenge: Forget how you feel about Curt Schilling and judge this post purely on art. Good?

The ex-MLB star-turned-political firebrand got a brand new tattoo -- Jesus on the cross -- and he's essentially sharing an arm with JC.

The tat is inspired by Mark 15:33 -- "At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon."

But, the artist designed the tattoo to make it look like Jesus' left arm becomes one with Curt's arm -- and the illusion is actually pretty cool.

Matt Mantei allegedly pushed his wife and threw her to the ground during a fight over a cell phone -- before being arrested for domestic violence ... according to an incident report obtained by TMZ Sports.

We broke the story ... Mantei was arrested for assault and battery in Michigan on Tuesday night. According to the report, Mantei and his wife of 3 months were at home when they began arguing.

In the report, Mantei's wife claims he "grabbed her forearms and threw her to the floor" after trying to grab her phone. Once on the ground, Mantei allegedly got on top of his wife to prevent her from moving ... and squeezed her hands, causing minor injuries to her fingers.

Once Mantei let his wife go, the report says he began "throwing items around the house and tearing things off the wall."

Mantei's wife called 911 and waited for cops to arrive. The report says she had "visible cuts and bruises to her right hand ... and both hands were somewhat swollen."

M.M. appeared in court this afternoon and pled not guilty to misdemeanor domestic violence ... before being released from jail.

He's due back in court next month.

12:21 PM PT -- Mantei appeared in front of a judge (over a livestream) in Berrien County, Michigan ... and plead not guilty to misdemeanor domestic violence.

MM was given a personal recognizance bond ... meaning he will be discharged from county jail without paying any money.

He is due back in court May 2.

Flame-throwing ex-MLB pitcher Matt Mantei was arrested and thrown in jail for assault and battery Tuesday night in Michigan ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Mantei -- a closer with a 100 MPH heater -- played 10 seasons in the big leagues for the Marlins, Diamondbacks and Red Sox. He had a career ERA of 4.07, and racked up 93 saves ... before retiring in 2005.

According to officials, Mantei -- 44 years old -- was booked into the Berrien County Jail Tuesday night on the charge of assault and battery.

It's unclear exactly what led up to the arrest.

Mantei is still in custody.

Alex Rodriguez ain't no dumb jock -- he's a legit business mogul who should be a ROLE MODEL for pro athletes who wanna STAY rich after their playing days are over ... so says Kevin O'Leary.

The "Shark Tank" star says he was REALLY impressed with A-Rod when he appeared on the show last season ... saying, "The guy is, for an ex-athlete, very savvy on business."

In fact, Mr. Wonderful heaped all sorts of praise on the guy for figuring out how to invest and run a company while he was still playing ball ... so the transition was easy.

"He's kind of a model of what should happen to athletes," O'Leary says ... "Learn something while you're in the game, you've got your cash to reinvest it."

Albert Belle is off the hook for allegedly shaking his genitals at a 15-year-old girl while peeing outside of a soccer stadium ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Belle was arrested in Scottsdale, AZ on March 24 and charged with 2 counts of indecent exposure (1 felony, 1 misdemeanor) after officials said he shook his penis at a man and his daughter while relieving himself next to an SUV.

Cops said 51-year-old Belle reeked of alcohol and had been yelled at by the family to stop urinating in public because there were kids present. Belle allegedly responded by shaking his dong at them and yelling at them to stop looking.

Now, officials tell us ... both indecent exposure charges have been dismissed -- but we don't know why.

Belle had also been arrested for DUI during the incident -- but officials never moved forward with that charge.

Yankees fans can boo Giancarlo Stanton all they want ... ain't NOTHIN' gonna stop him from having another huge season -- so says Baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield.

We got the Yankee legend at LAX ... and asked if we should be sweatin' the horrific start from the Pinstripers' $300 MILLION man.

Winfield's response -- hell no!

"It's early in the season ... he's gonna have an extraordinary year," Dave told TMZ Sports.

Ex-MLB star Milton Bradley was ordered into custody at his domestic violence arraignment in L.A. on Tuesday ... and TMZ Sports has the video.

We broke the story ... the 39-year-old former All-Star was charged with spousal battery stemming from a January incident at his L.A. home.

At the time of the incident, Bradley's wife told police he roughed her up during a heated argument and then fled from the scene before help arrived.

Bradley's wife was inside the courtroom on Tuesday for the arraignment and sat next to Milton in an apparent show of support ... along with his attorney, Nareg Gourjian.

But, Milton got no special treatment -- the judge ordered L.A. County Sheriff's Deputies to handcuff Bradley and take him into custody. Bail was at $175k -- higher than normal due to a prior domestic violence conviction.

FYI -- Bradley spent 15 months behind bars after he was convicted of beating up his previous wife.

Luke Terry -- the 15-year-old catcher who only has one arm -- CAN HIT ... and TMZ Sports has the incredible video!!!

Video of Terry playing catcher went viral this week ... showing the athlete catching the ball with his mitt and then flipping it to himself to throw back to the pitcher.

The footage inspired millions of people, including Deion Sanders who reached out to Terry to send him new, high-quality baseball gear.

We spoke with Terry who says his baseball dreams include playing at the college level and then GOING PRO, BABY!!!

"I'd like to play in the MLB, too," Terry says ... noting he's always had a passion for the sport.

But, the best part of this story is listening to Terry's approach on life -- and how he HATES the word "can't."

In fact, Terry says he feels like a superhero when he goes out on the field and competes -- because he knows other kids look up to him and he's all about being a positive role model.

Jose Fernandez and a passenger killed in his fatal boat crash were both drugged before the incident as part of a robbery scheme ... this according to a lawyer for the ex-MLB star's estate.

Attorney Ralph Fernandez has filed new documents in the wrongful death case brought against the Miami Marlins pitcher -- claiming he was carrying $15,000 in cash in a backpack on the night of the incident ... which made him a target for thieves.

Fernandez claims he and Eduardo Rivero were "unwitting recipients of a spiked drink or a mickey of sorts" in a plot to disorient them and steal the money.

Fernandez, Rivero and Emilio Macias were killed in Sept. 2016 when Jose's boat crashed while traveling at an extremely high speed. Investigators say Fernandez's body tested positive for cocaine and booze.

The families of Rivero and Macias filed a civil suit against Fernandez's estate each seeking $2 million.

But, Jose's attorney claims investigators found NO evidence of drug paraphernalia or drug residue at the crash scene ... supporting his theory that the player was drugged without his knowledge.

Fernandez also claims the investigative body handling the crash refused to consider the possibility Jose was not driving the boat. For the record, the boat was owned by Jose.

Justin Verlander won the World Series ... Kate Upton is winning at life -- if you use giant diamonds to keep score.

The Houston Astros pitcher let his supermodel wife rock his brand new World Series ring -- on the same hand as her massive engagement ring ... and it's a kind of photo that would make Drew Brees blush.

The World Series ring -- which Verlander got on Tuesday -- is 10.40 carats with 214 diamonds, 16 natural blue sapphires and 9 natural orange sapphires.

The ring has 11 custom diamonds that make up the "H" on the top of the piece -- one for every playoff victory ... and 101 diamonds overall on the top (one for every regular season win).

There are 56 diamonds which surround the "H" -- representing each season the Astros played until the first franchise title.

The engagement ring is reportedly 8 carats and worth $1.5 million.

Good Lord.

Giancarlo Stanton had a MONSTER Yankees debut -- SMASHING 2 home runs -- and TMZ Sports talked to NYY's legendary radio announcer, John Sterling ... about his polarizing Stanton HR call.

Sterling -- who's announced every Yankees game since 1989 (almost 5,000 in a row) -- is known for his over the top home run calls. One's like ...

"An A-Bomb! From A-Rod!" (Alex Rodriguez)

"He's Judge and jury, and this is judgment day!" (Aaron Judge)

So, when the ball left Stanton's bat ... and John belted out "Giancarlo, non si può stoparlo! It is a Stantonian home run" ... there was mixed reaction.

Why Italian? What's it even mean?