MLB

Longtime MLB announcer Jim Kaat is in some scalding hot water ... after he shockingly made a slavery reference while calling the Astros vs. White Sox ALDS playoff game Friday.

Kaat's comment came in the 2nd inning of Game 2 as Chicago infielder Yoan Moncada stepped up to the plate ... when co-announcer Buck Showalter shared a story about the first time he saw the 26-year-old Cuban star in person.

The ex-Orioles manager said he remembered asking the Baltimore front office, "Can we have one of those" ... to which Kaat replied, "Get a 40-acre field full of 'em."

82-year-old Kaat apologized for the comment a few innings later ... saying, "Earlier in the game, when Yoan Moncada was at the plate, in an attempt to compliment the great player that he is, I used a poor choice of words that resulted in an insensitive and hurtful remark and I'm sorry for that."

Kaat is getting grilled for the cookie cutter apology ... with many calling him out for apparently reading the statement off a piece of paper.

The comment comes just months after Detroit Tigers announcer Jack Morris was suspended for using a mocking accent during a Shohei Ohtani at-bat.

A signed photo of "Shoeless" Joe Jackson -- one of the rarest pieces of baseball memorabilia EVER -- just sold for a small fortune at auction ... fetching the seller a staggering $1.47 MILLION.

The picture -- sold by Christie's and Hunt Auctions in New York -- is considered a Holy Grail when it comes to Jackson items ... given the fact that the guy rarely ever signed anything.

Historians say the all-world baseball player was illiterate and struggled to read and write his own name ... so anything with his autograph is considered sublimely valuable.

In fact, his signature is so rare, reps at Christie's say this is the only Jackson autographed photo still known to exist in the world.

The signature has been given a 9 out of 10 grade ... while Christie's officials say the photo -- which features Jackson throwing a ball at spring training in 1911 -- has "minimal surface wear and no mentionable defects."

The picture had previously sold at auction back in 2015, going for just $179K.

Of course, the piece is also super valuable because Jackson is considered arguably the best -- and most infamous -- baseball player of all-time.

He batted .356 in his 13-year career ... but was also banned from baseball in 1921 for his alleged role in fixing the 1919 World Series.

Think Max Scherzer is nervous about the Dodgers' Wild Card game?

Think again ... 'cause the L.A. starter cruised to the stadium Wednesday in flip-flops and shorts -- showin' he's absolutely CHILLIN' before the win-or-go-home matchup with the Cardinals!!

The Dodgers posted a glimpse of Scherzer's pregame 'fit just hours before he's set to take the mound in L.A.'s biggest game of the season ... revealing the pitcher ditched a suit and tie and instead rocked his comfiest attire to the ballpark.

Of course, pregame looks don't always offer accurate glimpses into the future ... but it's clear as day, Scherzer is feelin' gooooood before his big start.

That, obviously, ain't the best news for St. Louis fans ... because Scherzer has already been lights out since being traded to the Dodgers from the Nationals over the summer.

In 11 starts for L.A., Mad Max has posted a 7-0 record with a 1.98 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 68.1 innings pitched.

Cleveland fans looking to honor the team's history will be able to get their hands on old merchandise AND help out a good cause at the same time -- 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the Guardians will continue to roll out Indians merch ... with proceeds going to charity.

Cleveland played its last game as the Indians on Sunday ... with the organization officially rolling out its new branding as the "Guardians" at the conclusion of the 2021 season.

We're told the Indians brand will not vanish forever, however -- fans will be able to get as many t-shirts, jerseys and other memorabilia sporting the old nickname as they please ... and our sources tell us the team plans to donate those items' proceeds to charity.

FYI -- Cleveland elected to do this in the past after retiring "Chief Wahoo" in 2018 ... by keeping items with the mascot on shelves and writing a check to Native American organizations.

Our sources say the team is hoping to help a similar cause this time around with Indians gear ... but nothing is set in stone just yet.

As for the Guardians, the team introduced the new look with a video narrated by Tom Hanks back in July ... showing off new jerseys, logos and font stylization.

Baseball fans have a chance to straight-up buy an autographed Babe Ruth photo that's over 100 years old ... if they got a solid $54k lying around.

TMZ Sports has learned ... a rare photo of The Bambino has been hidden in a private collection until recently ... and is being sold by Moments In Time.

In the photograph, you can see Ruth rockin' a Red Sox uniform -- when he played for them from 1914 to 1919 ... and we're told experts believe it was signed while he was a member of the Boston organization, which would make this pic 100+ years old!!!

The former outfielder left a message on the bottom left corner of the pic, reading, "To Sal, Sincerely Babe Ruth."

This one-of-a-kind piece can be all yours for only $54,000 -- and, we say "only" because a handwritten letter by Ruth to his mistress sold for over $201k at auction in April.

This is unquestionably a great deal for Ruth fans who want to possess a token from the beginning of his legendary baseball career.

Ruth won his first three of seven World Series in Boston as a left-handed pitcher before becoming a star outfielder with the New York Yankees from 1920 to 1934.

Dusty Baker partied like he was in his 20s again to celebrate his Astros' division-clinching win Thursday night ... chugging champagne straight out of a cleat!!!

The 72-year-old manager drank the bubbly in Houston's locker room after scoring the big 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays ... and check out the video -- it's both gross AND awesome!!!

Just minutes after the 'Stros had locked up the AL West crown, Baker and the guys hit the showers ... and the players lost their minds when their manager pulled off the shoey.

Of course, Baker had good reason to celebrate ... it's the FIFTH different team he's led to a division title in his legendary managing career.

"That was the hardest but greatest year ever for me," Baker told the guys before drinking out of the shoe. "I love you guys, man!"

As for the rest of the 'Stros -- seems they got in the shoe booze game as well ... 'cause they, too, had cleats and alcohol out just before Baker took his sips!!

No worries about hangovers, either ... playoffs don't begin until next week.

One of the men accused of helping orchestrate the 2019 shooting of David Ortiz has been killed in the Dominican Republic, police announced earlier this week.

Authorities in the D.R. say Luis Alfredo Rivas-Clase -- who was one of at least 12 men who allegedly plotted to kill the Red Sox legend -- died after being gunned down in broad daylight over the weekend.

Cops say Rivas-Clase was shot outside of a shopping center ... adding that investigators found 27 bullet shells when they arrived at the scene.

According to D.R. media outlet Listin Diario, witnesses say Rivas-Clase was chased by his attackers in a car and eventually gunned down after he crashed and tried to flee.

It's unclear if the alleged murder had anything to do with the Ortiz case.

As we previously reported, cops in the D.R. say multiple men -- including Rivas-Clase -- attempted to kill Ortiz while he was sitting outside a bar in June 2019.

Rivas-Clase was the last of the suspects still at large -- cops say they had found, arrested, and thrown in jail all of the others, including the alleged shooter.

Devin Williams -- one of the best relief pitchers in the MLB -- punched a wall and broke his hand over the weekend ... and is now likely out for the rest of the season.

The 27-year-old explained the situation to reporters on Wednesday ... saying the injury happened shortly after the Milwaukee Brewers clinched the NL Central division Sunday night.

Williams said he went out to have a few drinks to celebrate the playoff berth ... but for some reason, became enraged on his way home and socked a wall.

Williams said he tried to pitch with the injury this week ... but just couldn't -- and was later diagnosed by team docs with a broken hand that will almost certainly require surgery.

"I'm pretty upset with myself," said Williams, who's expected to now miss all of the Brewers' playoff games. "There's no one to blame but me."

"I feel like I've let my team down, our coaching staff, our fans, everyone. I know how big of a role I play on this team and there's a lot of people counting on me. But I guess all I can do now is cheer my team on and learn from it and not make that same mistake in the future."

The blow is a significant one for Milwaukee -- Williams is a big reason the team had World Series aspirations this year. In 58 games, the right-hander posted a 2.50 ERA with a staggering 87 strikeouts.

Here's the funniest video you'll see all day ... Pedro Martinez was so upset over the umpiring in an MLB game Tuesday night, he straight-up cussed live on-air!!!

Martinez was breaking down the S.F. Giants' game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on MLB Network when he noticed pitcher Luke Weaver appeared to make an illegal move on the mound.

The Boston Red Sox legend argued the movement should've been called a balk -- and when his co-host explained Weaver's never been called for one before in his career ... Pedro snapped!!

"Well," Martinez said, "the umpires don't know s*** about what they're doing!!"

The outburst was so funny, fellow analyst Harold Reynolds could not stop laughing -- and eventually, Martinez had to say he was sorry for the foul language.

"I'm sorry," Pedro said with a big grin. "I apologize. What can I say?"

A woman and her child fell from near the top tier of a multi-story baseball park in San Diego -- a plunge that killed both of them ... and now cops are reportedly calling it suspect.

The horrific incident happened Saturday afternoon not too long before the Padres were set to play at their home field, Petco Park -- when a mother and her 2-year-old son went over an edge on the third level concourse somewhere ... with witnesses claiming the kid went first.

According to the Union-Tribune -- which spoke to eyewitnesses claiming to have first and second-hand accounts -- the mother and son were in a picnic area looking out onto the street side of the stadium, and somehow the boy toppled over a ledge ... and his mother went jumping after him, trying to grab on. The husband is also said to have been on-site.

Their fall amounted to about 6 stories in height, and they landed on Tony Gwynn Drive. Cops immediately showed up and launched an investigation -- so far, they don't know if it was accidental or intentional, but they are saying the deaths appeared to be suspicious.

Onlookers were horrified, and it was quite a scene -- but weirdly enough, the game's start time wasn't delayed ... and the Pads took the field promptly at 4:15 PM PT.

All hell broke loose at a recent Los Angeles Angels game ... when multiple fans grouped up to unleash a beating on a spectator -- and it was all caught on video.

No word on what started the chaos, but it appears a man in a white long-sleeved shirt was the center of it all ... with one fan throwing a huge batch of popcorn at the dude's face ... and another throwing a drink.

A woman -- who fans believe is the spectator's girlfriend -- is seen reaching over several rows of seats in hopes of bringing the guy out of the line of fire ... but that's when things get much worse.

It looks like at least 4 Angels fans rush over to continue the altercation ... unloading punch after punch on the guy from the level above.

What's even crazier ... the alleged girlfriend was still latched onto the male spectator as he got pummeled by the group of Angels fans.

That's when the video ends, but the violent altercation appeared all but over ... despite event security getting involved.

Fans have been getting into fights left and right in recent weeks -- from Browns tailgates to Cowboys and Chargers backers to Bears and Rams supporters getting in scuffles.

We've reached out to cops and the Angels to get more details on the incident and will update you once we hear back.

Former MLB superstar Darryl Strawberry says his teenage granddaughter went missing Wednesday in Nevada ... and the 8x All-Star is pleading for help finding her, and prayers to keep her safe.

59-year-old Strawberry took to social media to get the word out, writing ... "This is our granddaughter MyLisa who is missing right now! Please Please Pray for us as we desperately need your prayers! Thank You!"

MyLisa -- who was born in 2007 according to an online bio -- was last seen on September 22 around 7:15 AM. She was wearing all black at the time ... with a pair of white Jordans.

MyLisa's mom is Darryl's reality TV star daughter, Diamond Strawberry.

Diamond also went to Instagram to ask for help.

"PLEASE REPOST!! PLEASE SHARE!!!! Please help us bring MyLisa home!", she wrote, along with a description of MyLisa.

If you have any info on MyLisa's whereabouts, the Strawberry's are asking people to please call the Henderson Police Department at (702) 267-4555.

Blue Jays pitcher Ryan Borucki has just been banned 3 games ... after MLB officials say he purposely drilled Rays' outfielder Kevin Kiermaier in a game Wednesday night.

Borucki plunked the Tampa Bay star in the 8th inning of Toronto's tilt with the Rays ... and EVERYONE in the building knew it had gone down because of Kiermaier's card-stealing antics earlier in the week.

If you missed it, as Kiermaier was sliding into home plate during the two teams' game on Monday ... a game plan card fell out of Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk's wristband.

Kiermaier saw the piece of paper, picked it up, and reportedly refused to give it back to the Blue Jays -- which REALLY ticked off the org.

So much so, Borucki ended up firing a 93 MPH fastball into the guy's back on Wednesday as a clear retaliation shot ... and then he was promptly ejected.

The MLB obviously felt the tossing wasn't enough punishment though ... 'cause it tacked on an additional 3-game ban Thursday evening.

The MLB also hit Borucki's manager, Charlie Montoyo, with a one-game suspension and an undisclosed fine as well.

Incredible scene on the baseball diamond in Oakland Thursday ... Chris Bassitt returned to the mound just a few weeks after a comebacker broke his face -- and he dominated!!

The A's star pitcher -- who was seriously injured during a game against the White Sox on Aug. 17 -- took the hill for the first time since the freak play ... and threw 3 scoreless innings against the Mariners.

He also struck out four and only gave up one hit ... and the crowd in Oakland was THRILLED to see it all.

Of course, it was hard to fathom seeing this scene just a month ago ... 'cause Bassitt was hit so hard by a line drive, he needed a plate put into his face to stabilize the damage.

The 32-year-old, though, worked his ass off to come back to give Oakland just what it needed ... and, now, the A's currently lead 4-1 in the fourth inning.

Move over, 50 Cent, there's a new worst first pitch of all time ... courtesy of Conor McGregor's ceremonial toss at the Cubs game on Tuesday!!!

The sharply-dressed UFC superstar strutted to the mound for the first pitch before the Cubbies faced off against the Minnesota Twins at Wrigley Field ... and chucked his attempt about 20 feet to the right of home plate.

As Harry Doyle would say, it was "juuuuuust a bit outside."

On a positive note, McGregor's repaired leg looked great!

The fighter was a great sport about it all ... dapping up Cubs infielder Patrick Wisdom after the wild pitch.

Of course, this is Conor we're talking about ... so we're assuming (and hoping) he was just trying to give fans a fun time.

Then again, we've seen him throw a football before ... and he was mocked incessantly for that, too.

It's a safe bet Conor's pitch will now take honors for "worst first pitch ever" from Fiddy, who had a straight-up embarrassing toss that went wide left before a Mets game in 2014.

Conor's been living it up while rehabbing his leg ... from hanging with Justin Bieber to attending the VMAs (where he also tested out his arm with a different object) and hitting up just about every hotspot L.A. has to offer.

Never change, Conor ... but maybe try some practice throws next time???

Sad news ... Tommy Lasorda's widow, Jo, has died at 91 years old -- just a few months after the MLB legend's passing.

The Dodgers announced Jo -- who had been married to Tommy for 70 years -- died Monday night at her home in Fullerton, CA. They added she was "surrounded by her loved ones."

"We send our deepest condolences to the Lasorda family at this time," the Dodgers said.

Jo and Tommy met at a minor league baseball game and later got married in 1950. They had two children together.

They were often spotted at Dodgers games together ... even well after Tommy's retirement in 1996.

As we previously reported, Tommy -- one of the greatest baseball managers in the history of the game -- tragically died in January after suffering a heart attack. He was 93 years old.

Funeral services for Jo have yet to be announced.