MLB

Bill Belichick is just like everyone else in New England, mourning the death of Boston Red Sox legend, Jerry Remy ... who passed away after a year 13-year battle with cancer over the weekend.

The Patriots coach ended his weekly interview on WEEI ... memorializing the 68-year-old former player (infielder) and broadcaster of over 3 decades.

“Before we sign off, I just wanted to say to all of our fans out there, who are mostly Red Sox fans, how much we all are saddened by Jerry’s passing and how much he meant to all of us, the connection that he was to the Red Sox, his voice in the game and (how great) it was for the fans,” Belichick told the guys.

The 6x Super Bowl-winning head coach continues ... “He meant so much to Boston sports as a player and as an announcer, and his commentary of the game and insight into the game."

"We’ll all miss him. I know our fans are Jerry Remy and Red Sox fans, too, so our sympathy goes out to the Remy family. I just want to express my and all of our appreciation for all that he did to make Boston sports enjoyable and exciting for all of us. We’ll certainly miss him.”

The Red Sox also released a statement on Remy's death, with team owner John Henry saying ... "We are saddened by the loss of a beloved player, broadcaster, and 13-year cancer warrior."

Remy -- who played 7 seasons for the Sox as a 2nd baseman -- was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame in 2006.

Jerry -- who was born in Massachusetts -- was last seen at Fenway on October 5 for the Wild Card game against the New York Yankees. He threw out the first pitch to former teammate and broadcast partner, Dennis Eckersley.

Luis Robert's $1 million Lambo now officially matches his flashy game -- 'cause the MLB player just got the ride covered in a Naruto wrap ... and it's awesome!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the Chicago White Sox star is a huge anime fan, so he sought out Alex Vega from The Auto Firm in South Florida to get the ride tricked out.

And, it didn't take long for Vega to deliver a masterpiece ... 'cause he wrapped the thing head-to-toe with images from the cartoon -- and it all actually glows in the dark!

You can see in photos of the whip, the hood has Naruto and Sasuke on it -- and near the headlight is where the ride's wrap lights up at night.

We're told the custom job cost around $10,000 to do ... but don't worry, Robert's wallet can take the hit.

The rising MLB superstar signed a staggering 6-year, $50 MILLION contract with the Sox back in 2020 -- before he had ever even taken an at bat in the Major Leagues.

The Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves are duking it out in the World Series ... so there's no time like the present to highlight the gorgeous wives and girlfriends on each team!!

Astros ace Justin Verlander might be injured this season, but his model wife, Kate Upton, definitely still counts for recognition -- even if she won't be in the crowd cheering on.

Same goes for the Braves' side -- Eva Luccia is dating Ronald Acuna Jr., who's also injured ... but if ATL wins it all, the dude gets a ring ... so it counts!!

Daniella Rodriguez is married to Houston shortstop Carlos Correa, who's NOT injured ... so there's no debate here.

There's more -- Liliana Armas, who's married to Atlanta Braves outfielder Guillermo Heredia, and Reagan Howard who is married to 'Stros infielder Alex Bregman also highlight the list.

Yasiel Puig has settled his sexual battery case after cutting a check to his accuser, TMZ Sports has learned.

We broke the story, a woman -- ID'd as Jane Roe in court docs -- alleged the former L.A. Dodgers star forced her into a bathroom while at a Lakers game at Staples Center in 2018 and was sexually inappropriate with her.

The woman claimed she did not know Puig before the incident ... and eventually sued him in 2020 over it all, asking for more than $50,000.

At the time, Puig denied any wrongdoing ... saying in a statement, "The fact is that I had consensual sex with a woman I met at a Lakers game after she propositioned me."

He continued, "Afterward, we talked about going out together, but she said she did not want her fiancé to find out. We messaged each other afterward and planned to get together again, but we never did. She's now suing me based on completely made-up allegations."

The two battled it out in court over the last year ... but sources tell us the sides settled this week after Puig paid the accuser an undisclosed amount.

Court documents confirmed the settlement.

We've reached out to Puig's attorneys for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

As for the accuser, her attorney, Vince Finaldi, tells us the case "has been resolved to the satisfaction of all parties."

Puig, meanwhile, has been out of the MLB since 2019 ... when he last played for the Cleveland Indians.

Miami Marlins pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. -- one of the best managers of arms in baseball -- had surgery this month to remove his prostate and lymph nodes after being diagnosed with cancer last February.

Thankfully, though, Stottlemyre says he's recovering well and is optimistic about his prognosis.

The 57-year-old revealed to the Miami Herald this week that after feeling rundown toward the end of 2020 ... doctors ran tests on him and discovered prostate cancer.

The pitching coach said he kept it all a secret during this past season ... explaining only team CEO Derek Jeter, general manager Kim Ng and coach Don Mattingly were the only ones who knew of his battle.

"I didn't want anyone to know," said Stottlemyre, who added even his team's aces weren't aware. "I didn’t want people feeling sorry for me."

Stottlemyre says doctors quickly identified that he needed surgery in order to remedy the situation ... and he had initially planned to have the operation done during the All-Star break in July.

But, Stottlemyre explained he ultimately waited 'til this month to go under the knife ... saying the cancer was slow-developing enough to hold off until after the season.

"We talked about the risk of waiting, and because it was a relatively slower-growing cancer, they inevitably decided it was OK to have it after the season," Stottlemyre said.

"I wanted to do it during the All-Star break, but I wanted to be there for my pitchers so I chose to do it after the season."

Stottlemyre says the operation was intense -- "my insides are obviously a mess" -- but he's exercising daily and is planning to return to Miami's coaching staff in 2022.

"I feel good," said Stottlemyre, who's been coaching for the Marlins since 2018. "I'm walking five miles a day and I'm going to stay in shape and I am going to return to Miami."

A St. Louis Cardinals prospect is fortunate to be alive today ... 'cause he was involved in a horrifying bear attack earlier this month, but thankfully, he escaped with only minor injuries.

The terrifying incident went down in Wisconsin ... when Dalton Roach -- a pitcher for the Cards' Double-A affiliate, the Springfield Cardinals -- was trying to hunt some deer.

Roach told the Leader-Telegram at one point during his outing while he was in a hunting perch, a bear got close to his tree -- and then shockingly began to climb up it.

"The next thing I know I can hear him right behind me and feel him breathing on my back," said Roach, who shot video of the bear while it was on the ground.

"Then I feel a paw on my lap. He just kind of left the paw sitting there."

A few seconds later, Roach said he felt the bear biting him -- so he made an attempt to get big and scare off the beast, and fortunately, it worked.

"Luckily, he kind of leaned back, seemed to say, 'What the heck?'" the 25-year-old pitcher said, "and eventually got out of the tree."

Roach said he went to the hospital to have the wound cleaned out and to get some precautionary shots -- but he added the injury shouldn't affect his baseball career going forward.

"I'm very fortunate that this whole scenario went the way it did," Roach said, "and now I have a heck of a story to tell."

Barry Bonds' historic 500th home run ball -- launched into McCovey Cove during the 2001 MLB season -- is on the auction block ... and is expected to bring in around a quarter-million bucks!

Of course, the 500 Home Run club is one of the most prestigious groups in all of Major League Baseball ... consisting of just 28 legendary sluggers like Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and the home run king himself, Bonds.

The ball Barry crushed off Dodgers pitcher Terry Adams on April 17, 2001 is now available for bidding at SCP Auctions (the same people who sold Ruth's 500th home run bat for $1 million!)

FYI, Bonds '01 season is arguably the greatest in the history of the sport. Barry slugged 73 home runs, had 137 RBI (even though he was walked 177 times, many intentional), had a batting average of .328, an on-base percentage of .515, and an astronomically high OPS (On-base + Slugging %) of 1.379.

Ridiculous, absurd ... there are no words for Bonds' domination.

Barry ultimately hit 762 home runs ... making him the all-time leader.

Regardless of the fact BB launched hundreds of more long balls after that night in April ... his 500th shot is still monumental because the mark represents admittance into an ultra-exclusive club.

If you wanna own the ball -- which is being consigned by the actual fan who scooped the ball out of the water in the San Francisco Bay -- you only have a few days left to bid.

BTW, speaking of exclusive clubs ... SCP is also auctioning off Affirmed's Triple Crown trophy from 1978 -- when the thoroughbred won the Kentucky Derby, The Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes.

Not a horse racing fan -- but also very wealthy? The Holy Grail of baseball cards, the Honus Wagner T206 card is also on the block ... and is expected to bring in OVER $2 million.

All of the auctions close on Saturday.

Houston Astros closer Ryan Pressly is now warming up in the ... arm barn???

If PETA had its way, those words would be muttered at some point during this month's World Series ... 'cause the org. is urging the MLB to stop using the term "bullpen" to describe the place where pitchers warm up.

PETA explained its stance in a news release Thursday ... saying "bullpen" is insensitive to cows. The org. said baseball should instead use "arm barn" to avoid the issue.

"Words matter, and baseball 'bullpens' devalue talented players and mock the misery of sensitive animals," PETA exec Tracy Reiman said.

The org. added that it's all a problem because bullpens are places where cows go before they're slaughtered on farms ... and where the animals go before they're treated poorly at rodeos.

"Strike out the word 'bullpen,' which references the holding area where terrified bulls are kept before slaughter," PETA said, "in favor of a more modern, animal-friendly term."

Seems unlikely baseball makes it happen -- the term has been around the game for more than 100 years -- but ya gotta admit, "arm barn" is kinda catchy.

The national anthem has been used to protest against injustice, but Keke Palmer took it as an opportunity to honor her ancestors ... telling TMZ Sports she sang the "Star-Spangled Banner" at the World Series to show respect for those who came before her.

The anthem has been quite the hot topic in recent years ... from Colin Kaepernick's kneeling protest to lyrics mentioning slavery in the third verse.

We spoke with the 28-year-old singer/actress fresh off her anthem performance prior to Game 1 in Houston on Tuesday ... and she said taking part in the tradition was an easy decision.

"I just feel like my ancestors built this country," Palmer told us at LAX on Wednesday.

"So, I show love for their lives that were taken. I stand on this ground because they couldn't stand in certain places."

"For me, that's what it's about, you know, they built the country. They deserve their respect."

Palmer -- who's been a strong advocate for social justice -- says the gig was incredible despite the controversy around the song ... and also served as a special way to honor her grandma, who recently passed away.

#45 will be in the building for Game 4 of the World Series this weekend ... with Donald Trump reportedly slated to catch the Fall Classic between the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves.

Of course, the former president is a huge baseball fan -- he's thrown numerous ceremonial first pitches over the years ... and more recently, played catch with Yankees legend Mariano Rivera on the White House lawn when he was still in office.

On top of that, Trump was set to throw the first pitch at a Nationals/Astros World Series game back in 2019 ... but he later declined to allow easier fan entry into the stadium.

Trump -- who got paid millions to call the Evander Holyfield/Vitor Belfort fight earlier this year -- appears to be attending as a fan this time around ... so the headset gets a rest on Saturday night.

It'll be interesting to hear how the crowd reacts -- the Donald is known to get a mixture of cheers and boos wherever he goes.

Commish Rob Manfred will also be in attendance on Saturday night ... after pulling the 2021 All-Star Game out of ATL due to discriminatory voter laws.

Worth noting -- Donald Trump had a huge issue with Manfred's decision ... so, safe to safe DT and the commish aren't exactly on the best of terms right now.

If the Braves end up winning Games 2 and 3, there's a chance Trump will watch the home team bring home the Commissioner's Trophy in Game 4 ... so it'll be a good game to catch.

Cleveland ain't big enough for two Guardians -- at least, that's what a local roller derby team is claiming -- 'cause the "original" Cleveland Guardians are suing the MLB franchise in hopes of blocking its name change.

The Cleveland Guardians roller derby team filed the suit this week ... saying the MLB organization is trying to bully its way into using their name, despite the derby team claiming a "common law" trademark for using the branding in northeast Ohio dating back to 2013.

The derby team is accusing the baseball squad of being shady in the months leading up to the rebranding announcement in July ... claiming they "surreptitiously" filed a trademark for the Cleveland Guardians name "in the small, East African island nation of Mauritius, effectively hiding the application unless one knew where to look."

The derby team says the MLB club hit them up months later ... asking for pictures of jerseys and logos to determine if they were interested in acquiring the CG intellectual property.

Shortly after, the derby team claims the MLB team filed a trademark for a logo that looks "remarkably" like their logo.

The Guardians derby team claims the MLB name change has caused serious issues ... in fact, it claims it cannot fulfill merchandise orders due to suppliers believing the baseball team has the rights to the name ... and its website has crashed due to increased traffic.

Gary Sweatt -- the derby team owner -- eventually reached back out to the MLB team's lawyers in hopes of striking a deal over the naming rights, but says the baseball squad "only offered to pay a nominal amount, likely no more than fifteen minutes of annual team revenue."

Atlanta Braves pitcher Charlie Morton etched his name into MLB lore Tuesday night ... 'cause he broke his leg during Game 1 of the World Series -- but still pitched on it!!

Morton took a comebacker off his shin in the 2nd inning of ATL's tilt with the Astros in Houston ... and right away, it was clear something was off with the Braves' ace.

Morton hobbled a bit back to the mound with a pained expression on his face -- but he still managed to get the next two outs to end the inning.

And, despite sitting in the dugout in pain while his team batted in the top of the 3rd inning, Morton still came out to pitch in the bottom of the inning!

The 37-year-old actually struck out Jose Altuve -- but was in so much pain, he was helped off the mound by trainers.

Atlanta officials later revealed Morton's X-rays showed he had broken his right fibula ... and they immediately ruled him out for the rest of the series with the 'Stros.

The Herculean effort, though, was not wasted ... because Morton's pitching helped Atlanta secure the Game 1 victory -- and now the Braves only need 3 more wins to take home the Commissioner's Trophy.

Travis Tritt took a hard-line stance on performing at places requiring anything to help stop the spread of COVID-19 -- and in return, he's singing at a playoff MLB game.

The country star is set to belt out the National Anthem Saturday at Truist Park, where the Braves are hosting the Dodgers for Game 6 of the NLCS. It's a game that'll be aired on TBS, and which will obviously get mainstream coverage.

Tritt made the surprise announcement that he'd been tapped late Friday night, writing ... "FYI - I will be singing our National Anthem for Game 6 of the NLCS in Atlanta tonight between the @Braves and the @Dodgers," adding an American flag emoji at the end.

There's been no explanation for this choice on the part of the Braves -- but it's telling considering Tritt has been in the news of late for publicly stating he would not play shows at venues that had any COVID mandates whatsoever -- including vaccine mandates, negative test mandates or even mask mandates ... and canceling shows to that end.

He recently went on Fox News and said he found COVID protocols discriminatory and unnecessary in many cases ... which is why he was putting his foot down, a la Eric Clapton and other musicians who've taken similar positions.

BTW, Truist Park doesn't have any mandates in place besides for those stepping on the field -- and, apparently, Travis will be performing from somewhere behind home plate.

You've heard of iced-out chains, watches and teeth ... but how about a freakin' iced-out STEERING WHEEL!?!

MLB rising superstar Wander Franco -- the former top prospect in baseball -- is bringing new meaning to car customization ... by copping a brand new Mercedes Benz AMG GLE 53 -- with a steering wheel decked out in diamonds!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the Tampa Bay Rays shortstop wanted a one-of-a-kind whip, so he put together a team of specialists to personalize the Benz from top to bottom.

We're told Wander used the Auto Spa to do the all-white interior featuring his "El Patron" nickname ... which came with a $100k price tag.

On top of that, Franco's business partner, Nick Drbal, took it one step further with the steering wheel -- done by Gabriel The Jeweler -- to make the car extra special.

Including the cost of the car, the whole project was $235k.

"Wander is the biggest car enthusiast I’ve met," Drbal tells us. "He has every car possible right now. When he said he wanted something different, we had to get clever."

"So, why not ice-out a steering wheel?"

Hey, when you got money, ya can't argue with that logic. Franco signed a $3.825 million deal to join the Rays back in 2017 ... and is set to make a TON more throughout his career.

Forget the plays in the field made by Alex Bregman and Xander Bogaerts ... the best catch during Wednesday's ALCS game happened in the stands -- when a Red Sox fan caught a splintered bat with one hand!!

The wild play all went down in the 2nd inning of the Sox's Game 5 tilt with the Astros ... when Rafael Devers broke his bat trying to hit a pitch off Houston starter Framber Valdez.

In footage of the play, you can see part of the bat went flying into the crowd -- a very scary sight, considering the piece of lumber had a sharp and jagged edge on it.

But, 41-year-old Matt Ferrera stuck out his hand and managed to catch it regardless ... saving everyone around him and avoiding injury himself.

Ferrera -- who appeared to be allowed to keep the bat by Fenway Park officials -- told Yahoo Sports' Hannah Keyser after the play his life did not flash before his eyes.

"I just saw the bat coming," Ferrera said. "And I was like, 'I got to grab that thing.'"

Twenty-one baseball fans headed for the Red Sox vs. Astros ALCS game in Boston were involved in a horrific plane crash Tuesday ... but somehow, they all miraculously survived.

Officials say a McDonnell Douglas MD-87 carrying the nearly two dozen people attempted to take off from Waller County, Texas ... but crashed before it could ever get off the ground.

Authorities say the plane skidded through a fence and caught on fire ... and images of the aftermath are horrifying.

Yet, officials say all 21 people on board -- including a 10-year-old -- made it out of the aircraft safely ... which seems impossible given the state of the plane following the wreck.

Authorities did say 2 people needed to be taken to the hospital due to injuries ... but both -- along with the other 19 on the ride -- are expected to be just fine.

The wife of the plane's owner told KHOU 11 after the accident that the passengers were all headed for Massachusetts to watch the 'Stros take on the Sox in Game 4 of the ALCS.