MLB

Yasiel Puig is clearly hoping he hasn't taken his last at-bat in the Major Leagues ... the former Dodgers superstar tells TMZ Sports he'd still like to return to the MLB following his current stint in Korea.

The 31-year-old, who hasn't played in an MLB game since suiting up for Cleveland in 2019, says he's very happy with how things are going in the KBO League -- but he said, candidly, "It's better to be in Los Angeles or in MLB."

Puig, though, knows he has to prove some things in Korea before he can get another look with an MLB team -- and he seems determined to make that happen.

"God put me in this spot to do the best I can to show people that I've changed from five or six years ago," the outfielder said.

Puig has been playing for the Kiwoom Heroes this season after signing with the team as a free agent this offseason, and he's been doing well, hitting .259 with 13 home runs in 85 games.

But, Puig admits some of his old issues are still cropping up on the diamond -- and he's trying his best to eliminate those so he can eventually get back in an MLB team's uniform.

Puig said if it takes another year in the KBO to ultimately show he deserves another shot in The Show -- he'd do it, telling us he's very grateful for the time he's had so far in Korea.

The corn rows out at the "Field of Dreams" game won't be without the late Ray Liotta after all -- the actor who starred in the 1989 film will be recognized during the MLB's big event, TMZ Sports has learned.

Our sources tell us ... there's going to be some sort of homage to Liotta during the Reds vs. Cubs game on Thursday night in Dyersville, Iowa.

Unclear exactly what the nod will feature ... but Liotta, who played Shoeless Joe Jackson in the movie that the stadium and game are based on, is going to have some kind of presence at the field.

Liotta has already received some "Field of Dreams" love this month -- Kevin Costner, who starred alongside Ray in the movie, penned a sweet message to his friend on his Instagram earlier this week, remembering him and his famous role.

"In honor of MLB at Field of Dreams this week, I wanted to share some memories from the movie," Costner said in the post, "but more importantly remember the amazing Ray Liotta."

"'Shoeless Joe Jackson' will be out there with all of us for a great night of baseball in the fields of Iowa."

As we reported, Liotta sadly passed away in the Dominican Republic in late May. He was 67 years old.

RIP

Trevor Bauer's assault accuser is firing back at the MLB star after he sued her earlier this year ... filing a countersuit for battery against the Cy Young winner in Los Angeles.

Lindsey Hill, from San Diego, filed a lawsuit for sexual battery and battery in federal court on Tuesday, again alleging 31-year-old Bauer beat her up on two occasions during sex, punching and choking her.

Bauer's always adamantly denied the allegations, maintaining he and Lindsey had a consensual, sexual relationship. The L.A. county district attorney's office investigated Hill's claims and opted not to file charges against the Dodgers pitcher. A judge also denied Hill a restraining order, calling claims in the petition "materially misleading"

In Hill's newly filed civil lawsuit, she claims her "life has been turned into a nightmare by a powerful man who mercilessly battered her and counted on facing no consequences whatsoever for his despicable conduct."

Lindsey claims Bauer got physical with her on two occasions ... in April and May of 2021.

"Last year, disgraced Major League Baseball player Trevor Bauer violently and sadistically abused Hill in the most appalling manner imaginable, sexually battering and battering a defenseless woman."

Hill doesn't specify how much she's seeking in damages.

Back in April 2022, Bauer sued Hill claiming she made up the damaging allegations in an effort to derail his career and secure a payday for herself.

Despite not being charged criminally, Bauer was hit with one of the longest suspensions in MLB history ... two years without pay. Trevor immediately appealed the suspension .. which is still ongoing.

He'd be eligible to return about 20 games into the 2024 MLB season.

The Diamondbacks vs. Pirates game on Wednesday night got a whole lot more interesting in the 8th inning ... when two fans invaded the field -- and juked the hell out of stadium security while they were out there!

The guys jumped from the stands in the middle of a Pirates player's at-bat and raced toward the outfield ... and then caused chaos for several moments.

Video shot from inside of Chase Field in Phoenix shows the men did laps around a bevy of guards who were trying to bring them down -- and at one point, one of the guys even stripped his shirt off.

The highlight of their jaunt, though, came when one of the men evaded a security member so badly, the worker actually fell flat on their face.

But, after running around for nearly a full minute -- the guys gave up, and guards appeared to take them off the field without further incident.

Bizarre scene in the Pirates game on Tuesday night -- a player's phone spilled out of his pocket while he was sliding into a bag ... and his manager was pissed about it!

Pittsburgh second baseman Rodolfo Castro committed the blunder in the fourth inning of the Buccos' tilt with the Diamondbacks ... when he went head first into third base.

As the 23-year-old was reaching the bag safely, his iPhone flew from his back pocket ... and hit the base at the same time as he did.

Castro -- who was just called up from the Minor Leagues for Tuesday night's game -- was initially oblivious to it all, but had to pick it up after an ump pointed out to him that it was on the ground. He then handed it over to his third base coach, who didn't appear pleased.

Following the game, which the Pirates ended up losing, manager Derek Shelton was clearly not thrilled with Castro either ... telling media members, "This was just a kid who made a mistake. It’s just one of those things we move forward from and tell him, 'You can’t do that.'"

Castro, meanwhile, said afterward he felt "horrible" about the incident ... and added that it was completely unintentional.

Of course, outside of the unprofessional look of having a phone out during the middle of playing in an MLB game ... the league has become highly sensitive to technology use in the field of play (thanks, Astros).

The Padres didn't show much fight on the field on Monday night, but their fans in the stands certainly did ... as several men got involved in a wild fracas out in right field.

The melee happened at some point during San Diego's lifeless 1-0 loss to the Giants at Petco Park -- when four people got into a tiff.

It's unclear what started the altercation, but video shows it got violent in a hurry ... when one fan in a Padres jersey attempted to Sparta-kick a man down a row of stairs.

The guy, though, somehow ended up staying on his feet -- and then he dragged the Padres supporter down the stairs himself.

Eventually, two other guys jumped into the fray and began throwing punches.

The men traded blows for a few seconds -- before a bevy of security guards raced into the action to break it up.

Chris Sale's awful season just got a whole lot worse ... the Boston Red Sox revealed on Tuesday he suffered a broken wrist in a bike accident over the weekend and is now done for the rest of the year.

Sale -- who was nursing a finger injury that he sustained after taking a line drive off his hand on July 17 -- had been riding his bike on Aug. 6 when the accident happened, according to the team.

The 33-year-old was diagnosed with a "right distal radius fracture" ... and the Sox said he had to undergo surgery on Monday in Massachusetts to fix the issue.

Sale will now miss the rest of the season, but Boston said it expects him to be ready for Spring Training next year.

This year is certainly one the lefty pitcher would love to forget -- after starting the season on the injured list with a ribcage injury, he had an infamous meltdown in a rehab assignment, and then broke his finger just a few days later.

The Juan Soto trade has now made the Padres so intriguing, even Kawhi Leonard had to make the drive down from L.A. to catch one of the new outfielder's games at Petco Park!!!

The Clippers superstar was spotted sitting in the front row of the Pads' contest against the Giants in San Diego on Monday night ... getting his first up-close look at Soto and the new-and-improved SD team with his own eyes.

Leonard -- who rarely makes public appearances -- showed up to the event with his fam decked out in Padres gear ... and munched on some French fries as he cheered on the home team.

Sadly for Kawhi, Soto and the rest of SD didn't do much ... they only recorded five total hits and lost the game 1-0.

But, don't be too upset for Leonard -- we're sure he found plenty to do after the game ... after all, he spent his college days in San Diego at SDSU, so the guy knows how to have a good time in America's Finest City no matter how the baseball team performs.

Soto and the Padres, meanwhile, will try to put on a better show on Tuesday night when they face the Giants again.

Pete Rose took the field in Philly for the first time in a long time -- which was quickly met with criticism after how he responded to questions about old allegations of statutory rape.

The controversial baseball legend --  who's been effectively banned from the game for life after it was discovered he gambled on matchups while playing -- was trotted out Sunday at Citizens Bank Park, where the org was honoring the 1980 WS team ... including himself.

He got a mixed bag response -- a standing O and lots of cheers, but some boos too.

Mind you, this was supposed to happen a few years ago -- but plans were scrapped after a woman claimed she'd had sex with PR while she was just 14 or 15 in the 1970s.

Rose admitted they had sex while on the Reds, but said he thought she was 16 -- the legal age of consent in Ohio -- and insisted they never left state lines ... so, presumably, it was all kosher, from his POV. That story torpedoed his would-be ceremony in 2017 ... but on Sunday, when it resumed, a reporter asked him about those allegations anew, and it didn't go well.

Inquirer reporter Alex Coffey tweeted, "I asked Pete Rose what he would say to people who say his presence here sends a negative message to women. His response: 'No, I’m not here to talk about that. Sorry about that. It was 55 years ago babe.'"

Of course, that got backlash almost immediately. Coffey further expanded, later saying Rose attempted to apologize to her for the earlier interaction ... but that, too, was seemingly botched. PR reportedly said to her, "Will you forgive me if I sign 1000 baseballs for you?"

Coffey goes on to say that when he was again asked about the old rape claims and questions about it, he reportedly said ... "I'm going to tell you one more time. I'm here for the Philly fans. I'm here for my teammates. I'm here for the Phillies organization. And who cares what happened 50 years ago."

One last gem from Rose ... "You weren't even born. So you shouldn't be talking about it, because you weren't born. If you don't know a damn thing about it, don't talk about it."

Yasiel Puig says he's heartbroken over Vin Scully's death -- telling TMZ Sports the legendary sportscaster was a father figure to him, and the former Dodgers star is crushed he's gone.

"I'm so sad because when I met him when I play in Los Angeles, he's a good person," the 31-year-old said.

"He's like a dad for me. I'm so sad that we lose a great person."

And, remember Puig's nickname, "The Wild Horse"? Scully is the one who gave it to the Cuban outfielder.

Yasiel told us three incredibly influential men from the Dodgers org. are now all gone ... and that's painful.

"Vin is like a father for me," Puig said, "Same to Tommy Lasorda and Mike Brito. We so sad to miss all these three amazing guys. Sad for myself and for all baseball, for Los Angeles."

Brito was a Cuban-American Dodgers scout who played a big part in bringing Puig to Los Angeles. Mike died in July at the age of 87.

We also talked to YP about a moment we captured back in 2017 ... when he ran into Vin on the streets in Beverly Hills in front of our cameras.

"I was so excited," Puig said about the moment.

"I get emotional, but that hit me in my heart like, 'Wow this amazing person is coming to say hit to me, talking to me.'"

And, Puig -- who currently plays for Kiwoom Heroes in the Korean Baseball Organization -- has been raking in honor of Vin.

"I had two homers yesterday and I hit a home run today, too."

"He's inside of me right now. I hit it and give God the thank you because he's next to God and next to his wife right now. I want to give it to him."

No hard feelings, Aaron Judge -- but Roger Maris' son is making it clear to TMZ Sports he'd prefer it if his father's historic home run record was still standing at the end of this year.

Of course, the Yankees superstar is on a torrid HR streak right now -- and appears to be poised to surpass the 61-dinger mark that Maris set way back in 1961.

But, Kevin Maris tells us if Judge were to somehow fall short of the number -- which still stands as the American League record -- he wouldn't exactly feel horrible about it.

"I don't know if anybody likes their record broken at the end of the day," Kevin said, candidly. "But it's nice to see him giving it a good run. Records are made to be broken at some point. If it happens to be this year, you've got to tip your hat to the guy."

As of Friday night, before NY took on the Cardinals, Judge had an astounding 43 home runs on his resume. And, with more than 50 games left, most think the 30-year-old will easily get more than 61.

If it does happen, Kevin says he'll be glad his father's number has been bested by a Yankee -- and added that he's wishing Judge "the best" in his HR hunt.

Royals pitcher Amir Garrett lost his cool during a game Tuesday night -- throwing his drink on a fan who he says had been heckling him.

The shocking incident happened at some point during K.C.'s 9-2 loss to the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago ... when Garrett had clearly heard enough from a fan who he claims chirped him on his way into the dugout.

Video shows as Garrett was heading down the steps to take a seat on his team's bench -- he stopped to engage in an argument with a man in a gray T-shirt.

Suddenly, Garrett reared back and tossed what appeared to be water on the fan -- hitting a young kid with the liquid nearby as well.

Following the game, the 30-year-old reliever explained the interaction on his Twitter page ... saying the fan had "disrespected" him.

"Listen the disrespect is insane in these parks," Garrett said. "I really wish I could go to someone’s work and run my mouth. These are grown men talking slick. How miserable do you have to be with your own life?"

A person claiming to be the fan on Twitter said the altercation happened because he told Garrett that he "stunk" and that another player was better than him.

No word on if either Garrett or the fan will be punished ... the Royals and White Sox have yet to comment publicly on the incident.

The tributes for the late Vin Scully will continue on all day Wednesday -- TMZ Sports has learned the MLB is asking all of its teams to participate in league-wide moments of silence throughout its afternoon and evening slate of games.

Our MLB sources say the moments of remembrance for Vin -- who sadly died on Tuesday at 94 years old -- will take place prior to every contest played on Wednesday.

The first is expected to happen in just a few minutes, before the Blue Jays take on the Rays in Florida. The last, fittingly, is scheduled to go down just prior to when the Dodgers play the Giants at around 6:45 PM PT in San Francisco.

Of course, the tributes almost certainly won't stop there -- because people have been paying homage to the legendary sports broadcaster since news of his death broke on Tuesday evening.

Dodgers fans made a makeshift memorial for Scully at Dodger Stadium -- and athletes and celebs all over have remembered the iconic storyteller on their social media pages.

Scully began calling games in 1950 -- and didn't stop until he retired in 2016. He's regarded as perhaps the greatest baseball broadcaster ever.

Droves of baseball fans eschewed early bedtimes Tuesday night to head out to Dodger Stadium to pay homage to Vin Scully hours after the legend died -- building a makeshift memorial for the former broadcaster while mourning his passing.

Several people lit candles and dropped off trinkets at L.A.'s ballpark -- which, fittingly, sits on Vin Scully Ave. -- well into the early morning hours of Wednesday.

Fans wrote notes, hugged each other ... and even cried -- as they remembered Scully, who passed away at 94 years old at his Hidden Hills home earlier Tuesday.

Others around the globe took to social media to pay tribute to the longtime voice of the Dodgers -- LeBron James wrote a sweet note on his Twitter page, while Magic Johnson also tweeted out an emotional message about Scully as well.

"Vin was the nicest & sweetest man outside of the booth & was beloved by all of our Dodgers family," Johnson said.

"He was just as popular as any Dodger player. His legacy will live on throughout Major League Baseball & he will be remembered as the greatest announcer ever in MLB history. Cookie and I are praying for the entire Scully family and Dodgers fans all around the world."

Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw also called Vin "the best there ever was" following L.A.'s win over the Giants in San Francisco.

Scully, who began broadcasting Dodgers games in 1950, called nearly every one of the franchise's greatest moments up until his retirement in 2016. He's widely considered to be one of the greatest broadcasters of all time.

Vin Scully -- the longtime voice of the Dodgers and legendary MLB broadcaster -- has sadly died at 94 years old.

The team just confirmed the awful news in a statement on Tuesday night, saying he passed away at his home in Hidden Hills. No cause of death was revealed.

"We have lost an icon," Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten said. "The Dodgers' Vin Scully was one of the greatest voices in all of sports. He was a giant of a man, not only as a broadcaster, but as a humanitarian."

Kasten continued, "He loved people. He loved life. He was loved baseball and the Dodgers. And he loved his family."

"His voice will always be heard and etched in all of our minds forever."

Scully initially began calling games for the Dodgers back in 1950, when the team was still located in Brooklyn. He continued to provide play-by-play for the Dodgers following their move to L.A. in 1957, calling nearly every one of the biggest moments in the franchise's history up until his retirement in 2016.

Some of Scully's most famous calls included Hank Aaron's 715th home run in 1974, and Kirk Gibson's epic World Series HR in 1988.

Scully also broadcasted national baseball, golf and football events -- including the 1982 Dallas vs. San Francisco NFC Championship Game. In that contest, Scully had one of his most memorable moments in the football both, calling Dwight Clark’s "The Catch" touchdown.

Scully -- who was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame's broadcaster wing in 1982 -- ultimately broadcasted games for nearly seven decades, before he called his final contest in San Francisco on Oct. 2, 2016.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family during this very difficult time," Kasten said. "Vin will be truly missed.”

LeBron James just commented on Vin's death, saying, "Rest in Power. A City of Angels icon. Another great one who made sports so damn special."

Vin -- whose wife, Sandi, sadly died in 2021 -- leaves behind five children, 21 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

The San Diego Padres just got a whole lot better -- they're trading for Nationals superstar Juan Soto.

MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported the deal just went down minutes ago on Tuesday morning -- with Washington agreeing to send the perennial All-Star along with slugger Josh Bell to San Diego for a bevy of players.

According to Morosi, in return for Soto and Bell, the Nats are getting three of the Padres' top minor league prospects (pitcher Jarlin Susana and outfielders Robert Hassell III and James Wood), along with shortstop C.J. Abrams.

MLB Network insider Joel Sherman added that Padres pitcher MacKenzie Gore and first baseman Eric Hosmer will also go to Washington in the deal.

The trade is being touted as one of the biggest in MLB history -- given just how good Soto is.

At only 23 years old, Soto is already a two-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger winner and a World Series champ. In his five MLB seasons, he has 119 home runs and a career batting average of .291.

The Padres -- who also acquired All-Star closer Josh Hader from the Brewers this week -- will now look to couple Soto with superstars Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado for the foreseeable future.

Yeah, good luck with pitching to that!