MLB

S.F. fans might be hurting right now, but there's something to look forward to for next season ... 'cause UFC star Nate Diaz says he wants to throw out the first pitch at a Giants game -- and put Conor McGregor's toss to shame!!

Of course, Diaz's nemesis had one of the worst ceremonial first pitches EVER back in September ... chucking the ball wide right of the plate, but claiming it was actually great.

So, when we spoke with the 36-year-old at the Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury fight last weekend -- before the Giants' heartbreaking exit from the postseason -- we asked if he was gonna try to get the same honor at Oracle Park.

Diaz disses McGregor with his response -- saying if he does get the opportunity, he's gonna hit the target!!

When we asked if his pitch will be better than Conor's, Diaz made it clear he'd look like Logan Webb out there on the mound.

David Ortiz has a message for all of the Yankees' fans blaming Aaron Boone for their disappointing season -- STOP IT.

TMZ Sports got the Boston Red Sox legend out in Beverly Hills this week to talk about his old rival's team ... and he made it clear, Boone is not to blame for New York's early playoff exit this year.

"Managers don't play, man," Ortiz said. "Managers just make moves."

Instead, Ortiz said if the Yankees want to be successful, they just need to work on "chemistry."

"If you don't have chemistry, it doesn't matter if you have talent," Ortiz said. "They have the talent, they just need to work on their chemistry. I think they'll be all right."

Many New York fans would disagree ... Pinstripes supporters have been clamoring for the team's brass to fire Boone ever since the Yanks disappointingly dropped the AL Wild Card Game to the Red Sox.

Boone has been safe for now ... which Ortiz appears to think is the right call in New York, despite what fans may believe.

Max Scherzer won the NLDS for the Dodgers ... and then he lost his shirt partying -- and the whole scene was EPIC!!

The Dodgers' ace came into L.A.'s win-or-go-home game in the 9th inning against the Giants on Thursday night ... and closed the door on San Francisco, securing the 2-1 win to move his team on to the NLCS.

And, just a few minutes after the stellar performance, Scherzer ditched his shirt and partied hard on the field!!

With a beer in hand, sandals on his feet and goggles on his forehead, Mad Max fired up Dodgers fans who had stayed in the crowd -- yelling and pacing down the first base line.

Apparently the drinking and festivities only went on harder from there ... 'cause Scherzer told media members "we can party hard tonight" -- and video from the team's locker room showed they did just that.

The dudes poured champagne and beer all over each other, and we're sure they drank a lot of it too.

If you're wondering, Game 1 against the Braves ain't 'til Saturday ... so plenty of time to sleep off any hangover.

Ex-MLB catcher Ray Fosse -- famous for the wild play at home plate with Pete Rose in the 1970 All-Star Game -- died at 74 years old on Wednesday.

The Oakland A's announced the sad news ... saying they were "heartbroken" over the passing.

"Few people epitomize what it means to be an Athletic more than Ray," Oakland officials said in a statement. "He was the type of franchise icon who always made sure every player, coach, colleague, and fan knew that they were part of the Oakland A's family."

Fosse -- who worked as an analyst breaking down A's games following a 12-year MLB career -- said in August he had been fighting cancer for over a decade.

Sadly, after battling the disease for years, he passed away this week.

"We send our deepest condolences to Carol, Nikki and Lindsey, his family and friends during this difficult time," the A's added. "We'll miss you, Ray.”

Fosse was a two-time All-Star, a two-time World Series champ, and a two-time Gold Glover ... but he was perhaps best known for a collision with Rose in the 1970 Mid-Summer Classic.

In the game, Rose trucked through Fosse to score the winning run ... and it ultimately altered Fosse's career and life.

The catcher suffered major injuries during the play -- ones that affected the rest of his playing days -- though he still was able to play effectively for several more years.

Fosse ultimately finished his career with 61 home runs, a .256 batting average and 324 RBI.

"My deepest condolences to the Fosse family," said Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley, who not only played with Fosse but worked with him as an A's analyst as well.

"Ray was a dear friend. I cherished our long history and will miss him dearly. Oakland Coliseum will never be the same without Ray."

While the Dodgers were fighting for their playoff lives against the Giants Tuesday -- their fans in the stands were fighting each other, landing punches in a wild skirmish that was all caught on video.

At some point during L.A.'s playoff game with San Francisco at Dodger Stadium ... several fans got into an altercation in a walkway at the venue that turned violent.

In the footage, you can see two men -- both dressed in Dodgers gear -- argued with each other ... before one of the men unloaded a right on the other's face.

All hell then broke loose, 'cause the two guys began wrestling with each other and throwing more punches.

Eventually, another Dodgers fan came in and threw a huge haymaker that appeared to land flush.

Finally, after several seconds of fighting, security guards raced into the fracas to break it all up.

It's unclear if anyone was injured ... or if any arrests were made.

As for the action on the field -- the Dodgers won their fight with the Giants, 7-2, and will now face their rival in a winner-take-all Game 5 on Thursday.

Tommy Pham is finally revealing what his back looked like the night he was stabbed at a strip club in San Diego ... and it's GRUESOME.

The Padres star remembered the one-year anniversary of his stabbing by posting a photo of his slash wound ... and you can see, the 33-year-old is clearly lucky to still be alive today.

The picture shows Pham was gashed by a blade from the back of his right hip all the way to the back of his left hip -- leaving a deep, bloody wound.

As we previously reported, Pham was stabbed after he got into an altercation with several people in the parking lot at Pacers Showgirls International on Oct. 11, 2020 ... and he says he needed 200 stitches to close the wound.

Pham -- who ended up suing the club over the incident, claiming its employees and security didn't do enough to help protect him -- ultimately made a full recovery and played well in 2021.

The outfielder logged time in 155 games, hitting 15 home runs and stealing 14 bases ... and based on his social media post Monday, it's obvious he's proud of what he overcame.

Chipper Jones' baseball skills have apparently deteriorated over the years ... 'cause the MLB legend just embarrassingly fumbled an attempt at catching a foul ball Monday.

The former Braves star's gaffe just went down in the second inning of Atlanta's playoff tilt with the Brewers ... when Milwaukee 2nd baseman Luis Urias hit a pop fly toward the ex-3rd baseman, who was sitting just a few rows behind home plate.

The ball was hit sky-high ... and despite camping underneath it and having a Hall of Fame baseball resume -- Chipper muffed the grab!!

The ball clanked off the 49-year-old's mitt ... and it ain't hard to see in the broadcast footage that he was pretty embarrassed.

The game's announcers had fun with the moment, with one ruling it an error -- and the other adding, "Poor Larry. That's going to be all over the place today."

In Chipper's defense, he hasn't played in a Big League game in 9 years ... so the debacle is at least kind of forgivable.

White Sox pitcher Ryan Tepera clearly believes the Astros haven't stopped cheating despite being busted in 2020 ... telling reporters Sunday he thinks something fishy is still happening in Houston.

Tepera made the insinuation following the Sox's first playoff victory over the 'Stros ... saying he can see a tangible difference in Houston's offense at Minute Maid Park vs. away from it.

"It's a different game here at our field," Tepera said. "You play at Minute Maid, and they’re doing something over there that's a little different."

Tepera said the Astros' swings and misses on pitches -- they struck out 16 times on Sunday in Chicago vs. 16 total times in the first two games of the series in Houston -- tell the whole story.

"I mean, it is what it is," said Tepera, who threw two scoreless innings in the White Sox's 12-6 win in Game 3 of the ALDS. "They've obviously had a reputation of doing some sketchy stuff over there. We can say that it's a little bit of a difference."

"I think you saw the swings and misses tonight compared to the first two games at Minute Maid."

Of course, the Astros are no strangers to cheating allegations ... they were found to have used an illegal sign-stealing system back in the 2017 and 2018 seasons that ultimately caused Houston to fire manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow.

The team has obviously insisted there's been no cheating since ... but Tepera certainly seems to believe otherwise.

Tom Cruise may be one of the biggest movie stars in the world, but Saturday night he was just a fan at a baseball game.

Cruise hit up Oracle Park in San Francisco where the Giants squared off against the Dodgers, where he paid $1k for a seat. You gotta watch the video ... as fans notice him and start fawning ... Cruise handles it like a pro. He's gracious, even chatty with everyone.

At one point, he takes to a dude behind him and they talk about where the guy is from, and Tom is fully engaged.

There were celebs on hand ... Tom and Danny Glover hugged it out between innings.

He was also seen fist bumping fans, and everyone seems stoked.

BTW ... in one of the photos you see what looks like an injury on the side of his face, near his ear. Could be a remnant from the latest "Mission Impossible" movie.

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.