MLB

Pete Rose says his health is "deteriorating" -- and his income has taken a serious hit -- and he's worried his ex-wife is bleeding him dry.

The ex-MLB star had previously acknowledged that he had heart issues -- with 3 major procedures in the past 5 years -- but now, Rose has filed new docs saying his health is getting worse.

"[Rose] is currently disabled and can barely walk or travel," the 77-year-old said in new court docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

"His health is deteriorating and has a heart condition and on blood thinners."

Rose added, "I am in poor health and disabled ... and have trouble walking."

In addition to his health concerns, Rose also says he lost 2 jobs in 2017 -- he was axed by FOX Sports and Hit King -- and because of that, his yearly income has already dropped by $550,000.

Rose says he still makes $453k per year -- but has major expenses including attorney's fees and other "great debts."

The docs are all part of his nasty divorce with his estranged wife, Carol Rose. Pete is trying to block her from getting more spousal support and attorney's fees.

Alex Rodriguez says he's still holding on to his Hall of Fame dream -- even though he knows his PED scandals cut against him -- explaining, "I want to get in, I hope I get in, I pray I get in."

The ex-MLB superstar opened up to Cigar Aficionado (he LOVES cigars) -- and talked about everything from his shot at Cooperstown to Jennifer Lopez and Derek Jeter.

On the Hall of Fame ... A-Rod says:

"There’s rules, and you have to follow the rules. I made those mistakes, and at the end of the day I have to live by those mistakes."

"Whether I get in or not -- and let’s be clear, I want to get in, I hope I get in, I pray I get in -- if I don’t, I think I have a bigger opportunity yet again."

"And the platform of my mistakes, the good the bad and the ugly, has allowed me to have a loud voice to the next generation, to say when in doubt, just look at my career. The other message is, maybe I’m not a Hall of Fame player, but I get a chance to be a Hall of Fame dad, a Hall of Fame friend."

Those "mistakes" he's referring to ... the TWO incidents involving performance-enhancing drugs.

In 2009, he admitted to using PEDs from 2001 to 2003 while playing for the Texas Rangers. And then in 2013, he was busted for PEDs and was suspended for the entire 2014 season.

Despite the scandals, A-Rod is 4th on the MLB All-Time Home Run list, more than 3,000 hits, 14-time All-Star and a 3-time AL MVP. He has some of the greatest stats of all time.

There's more in the C.A. interview (on newsstands Sept. 25) ... including his friendship with Derek Jeter.

"Derek and I are friends. I’ve known Derek since we were 15 years old," A-Rod said.

"Like all relationships, there’s ups, there’s downs, there’s ups, but where it sits today is where it’s always sat -- with respect."

"I have a lot of love and admiration for Derek, and he’s a 5-time world champion and what I remember most about our relationship is he’s one of the greatest competitors, consummate professionals I’ve ever been around."

Alex also spoke about his relationship with girlfriend Jennifer Lopez ...

"Jennifer, when you talk about power, and you talk about beautiful, both inside and outside. The way she mothers her twins, the way she’s with my daughters. There’s just so much admiration. And what I love about Jennifer is how genuine, how real, and how much she does for others, and how much she inspires others, men and women."

And finally, how would Alex Rodriguez like to be remembered?

Forced to flee to Atlanta to escape Hurricane Florence?

The Atlanta Braves know that must suck ... so they're offering free tix to anyone displaced by the storm.

The club says they're happy to host anyone who had to flee from N. Carolina, S. Carolina or affected parts of Georgia as guests to their next 3 home games against the Nationals on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

They will also offer certain foods at a discounted price.

Braves CEO Derek Schiller says the club knows "how difficult it has been for those who have had to pack up and leave their homes as the storm approaches."

"The predicted areas that will be affected are in the heart of Braves Country so it hits particularly close to home for us."

"We hope we can take their mind off the storm for a few hours by coming to enjoy a game at SunTrust Park. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who are impacted."

Everyone's seen the video of President George W. Bush taking the mound at Yankees Stadium on October 30 -- in the wake of 9/11 -- but the man who caught the pitch is telling us what went down behind the scenes.

TMZ Sports spoke with Todd Greene -- the backup catcher for the Yanks that year -- who not only praised Bush for throwing a strike with the world watching ... but doing it while wearing a bulletproof vest.

The Yankees were taking on the Diamondbacks in Game 3 of the World Series -- the first World Series game back at Yankees Stadium ... and the scene was about as emotional as it could get.

Greene says the secret service had placed bulletproof glass in George Steinbrenner's private owner's box where Bush was watching the game ... and that was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to security.

Greene says the players were essentially on lockdown once POTUS arrived to the stadium.

So, what did Greene say to Bush when he caught the ball? Watch the clip and find out.

By the way, the Yankees won the game 2-1.

If you'd like to donate to the 9/11 Memorial Fund, click here.

Alex Rodriguez became the wealthiest burger store janitor on earth Sunday -- when he busted out the mop and went to town at Wahlburgers ... all because the Yankees got swept by the Red Sox.

It was all part of a bet A-Rod made with Mark Wahlberg during the Yankes, Sox series back in August. If the Yanks lost, Alex had to work at Mark's family burger joint.

Not only did the Yanks lose the series, they got SWEPT -- so, Alex reported for duty on Sunday ... and, to his credit, he did it all with a smile on his face.

"Last month, @markwahlberg and his @RedSox brought the broom out and swept my @Yankees. So today, I got the mop," Alex posted on social media.

"It was time to me to hold up my end of the deal and report for duty to the @wahlburgers location near Fenway Park. Today, I had to do a little bit of everything - greet customers, flip burgers, clear tables, and yes, mop the bathroom floor. But what I thought was going to be a tough day turned out to be a day I really enjoyed."

As for Mark, he gloated.

"Needless to say, Alex failed miserable in his prediction ... So, now he has to show the greatest fans in the world how to get his hands dirty and serve up some delicious Wahlburgers. What do you say Alex? It’s time to go to work, buddy. Start flipping ’em."

Alex says he hopes to make another bet with Mark in the future and get some revenge.

The younger brother of L.A. Dodgers legend Tommy Lasorda died Thursday night in a major car accident involving a police vehicle.

Officials confirm 83-year-old Joseph Lasorda tried to make a left turn in front of a Boca Raton Police Dept. SUV patrol vehicle around 8:30 PM ... and was T-boned by the cop car.

Lasorda was transported to a nearby hospital where he was later pronounced dead. The officer driving the police vehicle was hospitalized for minor injuries and is expected to be okay.

Officials are investigating the incident.

Joseph is survived by his wife Gaetana, 2 children and a grandchild.

51-year-old Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais made a bet with his star pitcher Edwin Diaz -- get 50 saves and I'll swap out my dad hair for your flashy designer fade.

Diaz got the job done on Saturday -- so, Scott got the chop ... and it's all on video.

Diaz and Servais made the bet way earlier this year -- and as Diaz caught fire, it became clear Servais was gonna have to walk the walk or be forever mocked as a chicken.

Well, guess what ... just 3 days after Diaz notched save #50 against the Diamondbacks -- Servais found himself a barber, got in the chair and held up his end of the bargain.

End result? IT LOOKS GOOOOOD!!!!!!

Ex-MLB star Luis Gonzalez says the moment he was asked to be a pallbearer for John McCain was one of the highest honors of his life ... but admits it was weird, since McCain was still alive at the time.

Gonzalez will be one of the 6 men selected to carry McCain's casket at his funeral on Thursday -- and tells TMZ Sports the late Arizona senator had been planning out the event for months.

"I've known for a while," Gonzales tells us ... "[McCain's team] had contacted me a while back, a few months back to ask if I'd be willing to be a pallbearer."

"First of all, it's an honor. And secondly, he was still living at the time so it was a strange request."

Gonzo and McCain have been friends since the days Luis played for the Arizona Diamondbacks -- they would text, talk on the phone and attend events together.

Luis says he was always impressed with McCain's knowledge and enthusiasm for sports -- noting he never wanted to sit in VIP suites in stadiums, he always loved hanging with the people in the bleachers.

"He was a great person who cared about other people."

Justin Verlander's World Series ring nearly came with a $1 MILLION price tag ... 'cause an L.A. restaurant (jokingly) hit him with a HUGE "Dodger Killer" fee!!

The Astros ace -- who crushed L.A. in the World Series last year -- was dining at The Cabana Cafe in Bev Hills when, to his surprise, THE BILL CAME OUT TO OVER A MILLION DOLLARS!!

As Verlander read over the receipt, though ... it became clear to him, he just got punk'd.

"Beverly Hills Hotel really making me pay for that World Series win 😂😂," Verlander said of the massive charge.

"Thanks for the great lunch as always!"

As for why Verlander's grubbin' in L.A. this weekend ... he's in town for a series with the Angels.

So, rest easy, Dodgers fans ... for now.

Derek Holland has issued an apology for doing an insensitive Asian impression on an MLB talk show ... saying, "It's embarrassing what I did."

The San Francisco Giants pitcher went on MLB Network's "Intentional Talk" on Wednesday and brought along Giants staffer Haro Ogawa to be his "hype man."

Yet throughout the interview ... Holland solely used Haro as a prop for the offensive jokes ... including using an Asian accent and several martial arts-style bows.

After the Giants' win over the Mets on Thursday, Holland apologized vehemently for the offensive bit.

"I want to be held accountable for everything I've done and caused with all of this," Holland said.

"It's embarrassing what I did. I was just trying to have some fun. Haro and I just entertaining and just trying to take it to a different level and make the interview a little more exciting and I obviously crossed the line with that."

"Whatever I have to do to take care of the situation, I will do it."

Holland -- who also said he apologized personally to Ogawa and Japanese bullpen catcher Taira Uematsu -- made sure to tell reporters the act was solely his idea.

The Yankees, Red Sox rivalry continues ... this time, Darryl Strawberry thinks Pedro Martinez was out of line when talking about the Baby Bronx Bombers.

It's all over a tweet Pedro posted on Tuesday, saying, "The Yankees don’t seem to have the energy of a winning team. I understand some key players are injured, but they don’t seem to be hustling out there."

We asked Straw (who famously played for the Yanks) if he thought Pedro (who played for the Sox) was just trying to motivate the talented squad -- but Darryl wasn't havin' it.

"I don't know why former players always have something to say about other teams," Darryl said ... "It's not really important for us to be able to say things about the teams. You just wish them well!"

So, how does Darryl feel about the Yanks this season? He admits he doesn't really "deal with baseball anymore" ... but thinks the Yanks are only scuffling 'cause of injuries.

You can tell who won the Dodgers vs. Cardinals game just by looking at Jon Hamm and Jason Bateman.

Hamm -- easily one of the biggest Cards superfans on the planet -- had a front row seat for St. Louis' 5-2 win over Bateman's Dodgers on Tuesday ... and he made sure J.B. never heard the end of it.

The Dodgers are currently in a tight race for the playoffs ... but have lost 7 of their last 10 games (which might explain why Bateman looks like he just saw a dog get hit by a car).

It wasn't all sadness for Bateman, though ... at least he got to see Manny Machado hit a dinger.

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez continued their PDA-fest after the MTV VMAs ... dancing on each other at a NY hot spot and TMZ Sports has the video!

J Lo was honored with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the show -- one of the biggest moments of the night.

Lopez performed a medley of hits including "Ain't It Funny" and "I'm Real" with Ja Rule -- while A-Rod watched gleefully from the crowd.

In fact, there was a hilarious gif of Alex's face lighting up as he watched J Lo twerk her ass off during the performance.

After the show, the couple hit up Beauty and Essex in New York City -- where they continued to dance the night away together while the DJ played some of Jen's hits ... along with other hip-hop classics.

Lopez even rapped along to a Cardi B song while the crowd cheered her on.

Winning the MJ Video Vanguard Award is a big deal -- J Lo now joins an elite group with the likes of David Bowie, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Rihanna, Janet Jackson and more.

Jenny arrived to the show with her two kids -- but put them to bed before she hit the after-party.

Hey, mama's gotta let loose!

Chicago White Sox manager Rick Renteria was transported to a hospital in Minnesota on Monday after falling ill at Target Stadium ... but he appears to be okay.

Renteria and the Sox were gearing up to play the Twins on Monday when Rick began to feel lightheaded, according to the AP.

The team didn't mess around -- and the 56-year-old was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center for treatment.

The good news ... the team told the AP preliminary test results are good and he doesn't appear to be in danger.

In the meantime, Joe McEwing will take over for Renteria.

It's a tight race in the NL West ... but Eric Karros says he's 100% convinced the Dodgers will scrap together a late season push and make the playoffs.

Also, he's super biased.

Karros -- the L.A. Dodgers' all-time home run leader -- has been involved with the Dodgers organization since 1991. So, he bleeds Dodger Blue, but he also knows when a team is doomed.

So, with the Dodgers currently 1.5 games out of the NL Wild Card spot with only 37 games left in the season ... and only winning 4 out of the last 10 games ... we asked if it's time to stick a fork in 'em.

Here's something you don't see everyday ... a nun that could probably come out of the bullpen for the White Sox if she tightened up her curve ball.

Sister Mary Jo Sobiek of Marian Catholic High School was tasked with throwing out the first pitch Saturday at Guaranteed Rate Field in honor of her institution. Perhaps to everyone's surprise ... she dished out a wicked toss from the mound to kick off the game.

It wasn't just the pitch that impressed ... Sister Mary Jo also had a nice little arm trick up her sleeve -- knocking the ball off the inside of her elbow and catching it again. BADASS!!!!

Sadly, the Sox couldn't ride SMJ's coattails to a win -- they ended up losing to the Kansas City Royals, who are last place in their division. At least we got a nice follow-up sister act in Chicago though!