MLB

He's 3 years older than the AARP minimum age, but 53-year-old Rafael Palmeiro is still playing pro baseball -- signing a new deal with an independent league team in Texas!

The 4-time MLB All-Star has agreed to play for the Cleburne Railroaders of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball.

What's really cool ... he'll be teammates with his 28-year-old son, Patrick!

Palmeiro REALLY wanted to get a shot with an MLB team, but since that didn't happen ... he signed with the Railroaders.

"Nobody gave me a chance to go to spring training," Palmiero said in a text message to the Dallas Morning News ... "so I will just take this path."

How awesome is this?!

We just got Yankees manager Aaron Boone rushing to Yankees Stadium for Tuesday night's big game against the Boston Red Sox -- and he was cool enough to talk to our guy!!!

The big talk -- the rivalry ... which has gotten more intense this season for two reasons -- the Yanks and Sox have the best records in baseball PLUS the teams got into a brawl the last time they faced off in April.

So, with pride and 1st place on the line ... how does Boone feel about the situation?

"It's always big when these two teams get together," Boone said.

"They're a great team. We think we have a good team ... so it's fun to be a part of."

As for concerns that tonight could get violent?

"Nah, all good ... hopefully we'll just see a lot of good baseball."

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Roberto Osuna was arrested for assaulting a woman Tuesday morning ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports.

Our sources say cops got an emergency call during the alleged attack and raced to the scene.

Once they got there, Osuna was arrested for assault -- we're told the alleged victim is in a relationship with the MLB star.

Osuna has since been released from custody -- he's due back in court on June 18.

The 23-year-old was an All-Star in 2017 and was a prodigy as a child.

He signed with the Blue Jays when he was only 16 years old and became the youngest pitcher in team history to appear in an MLB game.

After undergoing surgery to save his testicles, St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina should avoid stimulation to that area for at least 6 weeks ... so says the doctors from "Botched."

Dr. Terry Dubrow and Dr. Paul Nassif were both shocked to learn about the injury Molina suffered when he took a 102 mph fastball to the groin during a game on Saturday.

The team officially described the injury as a "pelvic injury with traumatic hematoma" -- but his brother noted that doctors were able to save both of his testicles during a 45-minute emergency surgery.

So, when we saw the "Botched" docs in NYC ... we asked if they had any advice for Molina's recovery.

"The 'in general' for an injury is R.I.C.E. -- rest, ice, compression, elevation," Dubrow said.

"In this situation, I would recommend ice, not so much compression and stay away from any elevation down there ... if you know what I mean."

A game-used Sandy Koufax Dodgers jersey -- worn during his insane 1963 season -- just sold at auction for nearly $430k ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Koufax was pretty much unstoppable in '63 ... racking up 25 wins on his way to becoming the National League MVP and becoming the first person to win the Cy Young Award by a unanimous vote.

Koufax also won the World Series MVP that year when the Dodgers beat the Yankees.

As for the jersey, it's unclear which specific game it was used in ... but authenticators were able to confirm Koufax used it at one point during the season.

The jersey -- a road jersey -- was also signed by Koufax who wrote, "1963 W.S. Champs."

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.