MLB

Great news from the Oakland A's -- star pitcher Chris Bassitt underwent a successful procedure to fix his broken face on Tuesday ... and is officially on the road to recovery!!

Of course, the ace took a line drive to the face exactly one week ago against the Chicago White Sox ... which broke a bone in his cheek and required surgery.

Now, the team says their guy has gotten a plate in his face to fix the damage ... going under the knife in Chicago just hours ago.

In fancy medical talk, the team said the doctor "was able to stabilize and plate the tripod fracture with good fixation and debride other small fractured bones from the incident."

In other words, Bassit got fixed up!!

"Chris is stable and resting comfortably and will have follow-up appointments upon his arrival to Oakland," the team said in a statement.

"The A's anticipate Bassitt will return to the Bay Area later this week," the team added.

The Great Bambino has NOTHING on Shohei Ohtani ... so says ex-MLB star David Justice, who tells TMZ Sports the Angels star is flat-out better than Babe Ruth!

The former Atlanta Braves slugger made the eyebrow-raising claim out at a charity softball game in L.A. on Sunday ... explaining he thinks Shohei is just that "special."

Justice also said Babe's insane performances as a two-way player were cheapened a bit 'cause he didn't have to face the same level of talent that Shohei does night in and night out.

"Babe Ruth played against farmers," Justice said ... adding, "Oh, and by the way, [Ruth] only played against one race."

"You didn't play against none of the Negro League players. You didn't play against none of the Asian players. You didn't play none of the Latin players. So, you only played against this population of players."

Don't get it twisted, Justice says he's not hating on Babe ... he just thinks what Shohei is doing now is more impressive.

"I don't want it to sound like I'm hating on Babe," Justice tells us. "It's just that I'm giving extra love to Ohtani."

Shohei is the favorite to win AL MVP this season after he's balled out at both the plate and on the mound ... leading baseball with 40 home runs while also compiling a 2.79 ERA.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is adding to his resume -- two-time MVP, NBA Champ ... and now, part-owner of the Milwaukee Brewers!!!

Just weeks after the Bucks superstar brought Milwaukee its 1st NBA championship since 1971 ... the Brewers announced Antetokounmpo is now taking his talents -- business wise -- to the city's baseball team.

Brewers officials said in a statement the 26-year-old purchased a stake in the org. on Friday ... announcing, "Giannis Antetokounmpo has joined the Crew!"

"The two-time MVP is officially part of the Milwaukee Brewers ownership team. Thank you, Giannis, for your commitment to our team and Milwaukee!"

No word on how many shares Giannis bought or how much they cost ... but we're sure the NBA player could afford it -- after all, he signed a 5-year, $228 MILLION deal last December!

Of course, Giannis ain't the only sports star buying into the MLB recently ... as we previously reported, Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes just bought a part of the K.C. Royals last summer.

A young Yankees fan was drilled in the forehead by a Giancarlo Stanton home run ball on Thursday ... but fortunately, the kid seems like he's going to be OK.

The scary scene all went down during New York's game against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium ... when Stanton hit a laser beam to right field.

The ball was absolutely crushed -- it left the park in less than 3 seconds -- but on its way down, it collided with a kid's face.

You can see in the broadcast footage, the Pinstripes fan tried to get his glove up to make the grab ... but the ball still found its way right to the top of his dome.

Video, though, later showed the fan was luckily able to shake off the knock ... and eventually, he was rewarded with a ball from one of the umps on the field!!

A judge just ruled the woman accusing Trevor Bauer of sexual assault will NOT be allowed to have a permanent restraining order against the MLB star.

The decision came down Thursday morning in an L.A. courtroom after three-plus days of proceedings ... with a judge ordering the temporary restraining order against Bauer must be dissolved.

In announcing her order ... the judge said Bauer "did not exceed limits" that his accuser had set before their two sexual encounters in April and May.

"If she set limits and he exceeded them, this case would be clear," the judge said in the courtroom, according to L.A. Times reporter Steve Henson. "But he did not exceed limits she set."

The judge added, according to Henson, that the injuries the woman suffered during the sexual encounters were "not the result of anything she told [Bauer] she objected to."

The judge also said, per Henson, that Bauer did not pose any potential future threat to the woman.

The decision is obviously a huge win for Bauer -- who's been away from the Dodgers on administrative leave since the temporary restraining order was granted back in June -- though it remains unclear what it means for his potential future in the MLB.

Despite Thursday's ruling, Bauer is still being investigated by the Pasadena Police Dept. to see if he committed any criminal offenses during his encounters with his accuser.

Shohei Ohtani says he was unbothered by the accent Jack Morris used on the broadcast during one of his at-bats Tuesday ... saying, "I'm not offended and I didn’t take anything personally."

"He is a Hall of Famer," the Angels superstar said of Morris through an interpreter on Wednesday night. "He has a big influence in the baseball world. It's kind of a tough spot."

If you missed it ... Morris -- a Detroit Tigers analyst -- was suspended indefinitely Wednesday after he made offensive comments during Detroit's tilt with L.A. on Tuesday.

Just before Ohtani -- who is Japanese -- stepped to the plate in the 6th inning, Morris used an accent that many felt was mocking Asians.

"Be very, very careful," Morris said on the broadcast.

Morris eventually apologized three innings later ... but Bally Sports Detroit ultimately still decided to suspend him, calling the remarks "insensitive."

The Tigers, for their part, backed the decision, saying, "We are deeply disappointed by the comments made by Jack Morris during the broadcast."

White Sox ace Lance Lynn was thrown out of a game Wednesday night ... after he hurled his belt at an umpire during a foreign substance check.

The bizarre scene all went down after the fourth inning of Chicago's tilt with the Oakland A's, when third-base ump Nic Lentz attempted to check Lynn's gear for sticky stuff.

Lynn, clearly upset that Lentz didn't make a quicker effort to get to him before he got to the dugout, left his hat and his glove at the steps for Lentz to check.

When Lentz asked to see Lynn's belt too ... that's when the 34-year-old pitcher took it off and straight-up tossed it at the guy.

Immediately, Lynn was ejected ... and both the right-hander and Sox manager Tony La Russa came out of the dugout to argue.

Alas, Lynn's ejection was upheld ... and after the game, he was NOT a happy man over it all.

"[Lentz] was late getting over," Lynn said, "so I left my glove and my hat, and then while I was going down in the dugout, trying to see the trainers because I'm dealing with something, he yells at me that he needs to see my belt."

"So I toss it up and then he throws me out."

Lynn continued, "Obviously, I hurt his feelings ... he threw me out because I tossed my belt, and I said, 'Well, if you were on time, we wouldn't have this problem.'"

For his part, La Russa didn't necessarily disagree with the call ... saying players shouldn't be throwing equipment at umps.

Detroit Tigers analyst Jack Morris apologized on-air Tuesday night ... after he used an offensive accent before an at-bat by Angels star Shohei Ohtani.

Just before the L.A. designated hitter -- who's Japanese -- stepped up to the plate in the 6th inning of the Halos' game against the Tigers ... Morris tried to be funny on the broadcast by using an accent that many felt was mocking Asians.

"Be very, very careful," Morris said when asked by play-by-play man Matt Shepard how the Tigers should pitch to the hitter.

Morris' remarks were immediately panned on social media ... with critics calling them racist and offensive.

In fact, the backlash grew so loud ... Morris issued an apology for the words just 3 innings later.

"Well, folks, Shohei Ohtani is coming to the plate and it's been brought to my attention, and I sincerely apologize if I offended anybody, especially anybody in the Asian community for what I said about pitching and being careful to Shohei Ohtani," Morris said.

"I did not intend for any offensive thing and I apologize if I did. I certainly respect and have the utmost respect for this guy and don't blame a pitcher for walking him."

Morris -- a former MLB pitcher who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018 -- has been analyzing games on broadcasts for years ... helping call tilts for the Blue Jays, Twins and Tigers.

Oakland A's pitcher Chris Bassitt was taken off the field on a stretcher while bleeding profusely from his face Tuesday night ... after he was terrifyingly struck by a line drive.

The MLB ace -- who was one of the best starters in baseball this year -- threw an offspeed pitch to Brian Goodwin in the 2nd inning of the A's tilt with the White Sox in Chicago when tragedy struck.

Goodwin rocketed the baseball right back where it came from ... and Bassitt couldn't get out of the way in enough time.

Video shows the ball hit the 32-year-old near his right eye area, and he crumpled in pain while his teammates looked on in horror.

Footage shows Bassitt was bleeding heavily from his face ... and he was ultimately rushed to the hospital.

After the game, Oakland manager Bob Melvin didn't take questions from media but said Bassitt was "conscious" the entire time.

"We don't think the eye is a problem at this point," Melvin said. "It felt like it was below it. He's got some cuts. They had to do some stitches."

"He's in a scan and we'll know more about potential fractures tomorrow."

Bassitt was incredible for the A's this season before the injury ... compiling a 12-4 record with a 3.22 ERA.

Get well soon.

Former MLB All-Star Felipe Vazquez has just been sentenced to 2 to 4 years behind bars ... after he was convicted of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl.

A spokesperson for the Westmoreland District Attorney's Office confirmed to TMZ Sports that Vazquez was also sentenced to 2 years probation as well.

The sentencing comes three months after a jury found Vazquez guilty of 15 total charges -- including statutory sexual assault, sexual abuse of children, child pornography and corruption of minors.

As we previously reported, prosecutors alleged that Vazquez had sex with a 13-year-old girl in his Ford Mustang in Pennsylvania in 2017 when he was 26 years old.

Prosecutors say the former Pittsburgh Pirates closer -- who was named an MLB All-Star in 2018 and 2019 -- then sent the girl graphic videos and photos, and messaged her with plans to have sex with her again.

In his trial, 30-year-old Vazquez denied knowing the girl's age ... but did not deny having a sexual relationship with her.

An MLB game was paused for several moments Monday night ... after a fan ran onto the field and pretended to throw pitches on the mound.

The bizarre scene all went down during the Mets vs. Giants game at Oracle Park in San Francisco ... when a guy in a Padres jersey bolted from his seat and jumped onto the field.

You can see in footage from the ballpark ... the guy ran around the infield grass for several seconds before he hopped onto the bump and went through an entire pre-pitch routine.

He toed the rubber, pretended to shake off Buster Posey's signs ... and then made a move toward second base.

Three security guards, though, eventually corralled the dude and tackled him to the ground ... and then escorted him off the field through the dugout.

The woman accusing Trevor Bauer of sexual assault testified in court against the MLB star on Monday ... telling a judge the Dodgers pitcher treated her "like a rag doll" during two sexual encounters in April and May.

The 27-year-old -- who's seeking to obtain a permanent restraining order against Bauer -- spoke on the stand for roughly 4 hours in a Los Angeles courtroom ... and explained in graphic detail how she says Bauer sexually assaulted her.

The woman was questioned by her attorneys (she's expected to be cross-examined by Bauer's legal team as proceedings continue Tuesday) ... and said she was flat-out in "so much pain" after her experiences with the pitcher.

"He was treating me like I wasn't a human being," the woman said.

Bauer's accuser also showed a judge how she says the Dodgers star choked her unconscious with her own hair during their two encounters.

Bauer, meanwhile, sat in the courtroom for the hearing ... and was described as quiet and stoic as the questioning of his accuser unfolded.

Bauer -- who has been adamant the sexual encounters with his accuser were entirely consensual -- is expected to take the stand at some point during the proceedings this week.

As we previously reported, Bauer's accuser obtained a temporary restraining order against the 30-year-old in June ... and is now looking for a judge to make it a permanent one.

A 110-year-old Honus Wagner card -- one of the most coveted pieces of sports memorabilia -- just SMASHED the previous record sale price for a card ... selling for $6.6 MILLION!!

As we previously reported, the "holy grail" 1909-1911 T206 Wagner card recently hit the Robert Edwards Auction block ... and was expected to bring in over $6 million.

Well, that's exactly what happened ... after 26 bids, the card sold for a record price of $6.6 million!!

"This is the Mona Lisa of baseball cards," Robert Edwards' President told us, "and it’s a statement piece of epic proportions."

FYI, the previous record price belonged to a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle rookie card and a LeBron James rookie card that both sold in 2021 for $5.2 million.

The Wagner card -- graded VG 3 (very good) by graders at SGC -- was made by American Tobacco Company ... and only about 50 to 60 are known to exist.

The identity of the (very wealthy) buyer is not known.

During his 21-year career -- mostly with the Pittsburgh Pirates -- Wagner had 3,430 hits, 101 home runs, 722 stolen bases with a batting average of .329!

Honus also shares the NL record for the most batting titles (8) ever.

Another woman accused Trevor Bauer of physically assaulting her during sex, according to the Washington Post, who reports the accuser was granted a restraining order against the star pitcher in 2020.

However, Bauer claims the woman flat out lied ... and says her objective was to extort him out of millions of dollars.

On Saturday, The Washington Post reported a woman from Ohio previously accused the Cy Young award-winning pitcher of choking and punching her without consent while having sex with Bauer in 2017.

The Post also reported TB sent a threatening text to the woman, allegedly writing he didn't "feel like spending time in jail for killing someone" ... continuing, "And that's what would happen if I saw you again."

WaPo say court officials granted the woman a restraining order against Bauer in June 2020 -- after she received the menacing text.

The Post also says they've seen alleged injury photos the woman claims were sustained at the hands of Bauer. When shown the photos, the pitchers reps questioned the validity of the images, according to WP.

But, Bauer -- who himself has not addressed allegations of abuse since being accused in June 2021 -- finally broke his silence Saturday ... addressing accusations brought forth in the Post's story.

TB called the allegations "baseless" on social media, claiming he was the real victim of "a woman who has not only harassed and physically assaulted me but who also attempted to extort me for millions last year in exchange for her not coming forward with false claims."

Trevor Bauer says his assault accuser appeared to have edited her injury photos to make them seem worse than what they were ... and claims the woman later had hopes of striking a "major cash" settlement with the MLB star.

It's all spelled out in fiery new court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, in which Bauer and his attorneys argue his accuser's request for a permanent domestic violence restraining order should be denied.

Of course, the woman claims Bauer gave her black eyes, bruises and other injuries during sex she did not consent to.

In the docs, Bauer's lawyers claim his accuser's text messages and emails to friends and legal team show the woman was not sexually assaulted by Bauer, but rather show she had simply wanted to end the Dodgers pitcher's career.

Bauer's attorneys also claim the woman had hoped to ultimately gain a monetary settlement from Bauer after she had filed for her initial temporary restraining order against him earlier this summer.

In the docs, Bauer's attorneys say the photos that the woman provided in her June TRO request "appear to be edited or filtered in a manner to give a misleading or false impression of her injuries."

They also say messages with her legal team show she had hoped Bauer would "offer me major cash then make me sign an nda" in a settlement.

Bauer's attorneys made it clear in the docs, though, that "no settlements or cash offers have or ever will be made."

Bauer's attorneys reiterated their stance that they believe the two sexual encounters between the baseball player and the woman in April and May were entirely consensual.

"[Bauer's accuser] has taken a proceeding designed to prevent future acts of 'domestic violence,' and turned it into a tool for attracting media attention and attempting to end [Bauer's] baseball career," Bauer's attorneys wrote.

As we previously reported, for weeks, Bauer and his legal team have said the 30-year-old committed no wrongdoing in his encounters with his accuser.

The MLB's Field Of Dreams replica officially has Ray Kinsella's stamp of approval ... 'cause Kevin Costner visited it this week and GUSHED over the ballpark, calling it "perfect."

Costner -- who played Kinsella in the 1989 classic baseball movie -- got a tour of the Dyersville, Iowa field just before the Yanks and the White Sox play there Thursday night, and his reaction was awesome.

The 66-year-old walked through the bleachers and stepped on the infield grass ... and was astonished, looking around in bewilderment at how the MLB made the fictional field come to life for an actual game.

"Wow," Costner said. "Feels perfect. Every bit of it."

Of course, the endorsement is big for the MLB ... 'cause if anyone knows what the Field of Dreams is supposed to look like, it's Costner.

The actor absolutely crushed the role as Kinsella more than 3 decades ago ... helping make the movie and the line "If you build it, he will come" a piece of American history.

As for baseball players ... they're loving the idea of the park and the game too -- with Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz fawning over it all on their visit there this week.