MLB

Boston Red Sox star outfielder Jarren Duran is opening up on the serious mental struggles he faced early in his career ... revealing it got so dark for him, he attempted suicide during the 2022 season.

Duran's battle with depression is documented on the new Netflix show, "The Clubhouse: A Year With the Red Sox" ... and in the fourth episode, the 28-year-old explained while he was facing criticism from spectators over his play on the field, he was even harder on himself.

"I was already hearing it from fans," Duran said on the show. "And what they said to me, [it was like], 'I've told myself 10 times worse in the mirror.' That was a really tough time for me. I didn't even want to be here anymore ...."

The NY Yankees were in action Thursday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks ... but some fans got some practice for when their former superstar rolls into the Bronx with his new Mets team -- with a loud "F*** Juan Soto" chant breaking out in the middle of the game!

During Jazz Chisholm's at-bat in the eighth inning, fans were heard voicing their disdain for the Bronx Bombers' former right fielder, three months after he signed the biggest deal in professional sports history.

Yankee fans haven't been shy about expressing their dislike for rival players in years past ... "F*** [Jose] Altuve" is a common refrain at the stadium.

Los Angeles fans ain't just getting a glimpse at the best player in baseball in Shohei Ohtani, they're looking at the best athlete on the planet ... at least, that's according to former World Series champion Jerry Hairston Jr.

The longtime Big Leaguer sat down with TMZ Sports a day after the Dodgers' designated hitter beat the Braves with a walk-off home run ... and he proclaimed the superstar is now officially the top sportsman on the globe.

"No disrespect to [Lionel] Messi," he said. "No disrespect to Patrick Mahomes, [Nikola] Jokic -- who's having an incredible season again with the Nuggets. But I think right now, the best athlete on the planet is Shohei Ohtani."

The Shohei Ohtani MVP bobblehead night turned into a money-making opportunity for some Dodger fans ... with folks who got lucky enough to get rare versions of the giveaway going to online sellers for a quick payday!!

Tons of bobbleheads were handed out at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday ... and out of the tens of thousands of mini Shoheis, some special edition copies that featured a silver bat and MVP plaque were randomly scattered throughout the batch.

A few of those highly coveted bobbles have now made it to eBay ... and they ain't going for cheap.

Brett Gardner's 14-year-old son, Miller, tragically died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Costa Rican officials confirmed the cause of death after they said toxicology results showed the teen had a carboxyhemoglobin saturation of 64 percent ... well above the 50 percent threshold that's considered lethal.

Costa Rica's director of the Judicial Investigation Agency, Randall Zúñiga, stated the young Gardner likely came into contact with the gas through a machine room that was situated next to where the Gardners were staying while on vacation.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are set to honor Shohei Ohtani's 2024 MVP win with a stadium-wide bobblehead giveaway ... and fans are eager to get their mitts on one -- as lines began forming outside the venue hours before first pitch!!

Videos from the scene showcase the diehards' patience ahead of the team's series finale against the Atlanta Braves. While everyone in attendance is supposed to take home a bobblehead, people seemingly aren't willing to risk it.

It's not the first time an Ohtani giveaway drew amusement park-esque queues -- a giveaway last season featuring his pup, Decoy, had folks lining up over eight hours early for the item.

A piece of Major League Baseball history is up for grabs -- the baseball from the final out of the 2024 World Series ... and it may be a long time before an item like this hits the open market again!!

Harlan Werner -- the CEO of the Memorabilia Network -- gave TMZ Sports an up-close look at the special item before bidding goes live on April 5 ... and he explained why similar balls hardly come around.

"To say that someone's not going to have an opportunity to buy the last out of the World Series, I believe will not happen again in my lifetime," he said. "Either the team is going to keep it, or it's just not going to happen. This is a very, very, very unique situation."

Drake's now apparently a Rangers supporter ... but, sorry Corey Seager and Jacob deGrom, it seems like the newfound fandom has little to do with the actual baseball diamond.

Check out a selfie the "God's Plan" artist posted Tuesday afternoon -- it shows he's, indeed, now backing the Rangers ... but take a closer look, it appears he's into them because of a silly misprint on one of their new hats.

The New Era Overlap 5950 collection cap, of course, went viral earlier this year ... when fans noted the way the Rangers' logo was superimposed over the word "Texas" spelled out a Spanish vulgarity for a woman's breasts.

1:51 PM PT -- The resort is now saying the initial report of high levels of carbon monoxide in the Gardners's room was inaccurate ... as that was only the case in the "mechanical room" that is not available to guests.

"The levels in the hotel room were non-existent and non-lethal," the resort said in a statement to TMZ Sports.

The Costa Rican hotel where Brett Gardner's family vacationed is taking precautions amid the investigation into Miller's death ... with officials telling TMZ Sports it has blocked off their room from the public as officials look into whether carbon monoxide played a factor in the tragedy.

Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) director Rándall Zúñiga revealed in a press conference that high levels of carbon monoxide were detected in the Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest resort room the Gardners reserved during their trip ... and noted a "specialized machine room" was located next to their reserved space, which could have led to contamination.

The resort tells us it will continue to cooperate with the investigation ... but "out of an abundance of caution, the room in question has been blocked until further notice."

Brett Gardner's 14-year-old son Miller may have died from carbon monoxide poisoning, Costa Rica's Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) announced Monday.

OIJ Director Rándall Zúñiga revealed via a press briefing high levels of carbon monoxide were detected in the Gardner family's hotel room at the Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort in Manuel Antonio.

Zúñiga also noted in his native Spanish language that the family's room was located next to "a specialized machine room" which may have caused the contamination ... leading Miller to inhale a fatal amount of "these highly dangerous gases."

Yankees catcher J.C. Escarra clearly thinks those barking about New York's new torpedo bats should pipe down ... telling TMZ Sports, "at the end of the day, you still have to swing the bat and hit the ball in the barrel."

The Bronx Bombers, of course, set the baseball world on fire this weekend after they debuted some wonky-looking bats in their series with the Milwaukee Brewers ... and then proceeded to hit a bunch of home runs with them in a three-game sweep.

Critics of the Pinstripes took to their social media pages to blast the MLB for allowing the Yankees to alter their lumber -- with many claiming Rob Manfred and co. let it all slide 'cause NY is the league's most popular team.

Jurickson Profar is four games into his three-year $42 million deal with the Atlanta Braves ... but the team will now be without him for the foreseeable future -- he was just suspended 80 games for violating MLB's performance-enhancing drug policy.

Major League Baseball made the announcement Monday afternoon, saying the 32-year-old tested positive for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG), the same drug Manny Ramirez was popped for back in 2009.

"I want to apologize to the entire Braves organization, my teammates, and the fans," Profar said. "It is because of my deep love and respect for this game that I would never knowingly do anything to cheat."

New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm isn't mincing words when it comes to the team's viral torpedo bats ... saying they are well within MLB regulations -- and calling the fans making a big deal out of them "idiots."

Chisholm took to his X account during the team's off day to address the first big controversy of the Major League Baseball season ... saying the Bronx Bombers aren't breaking any rules with their new equipment.

"For the idiots that say it's moved to the label you're an idiot!" Chisholm said. "Nobody is trying to get jammed you just move the wood from the parts you don't use to the parts you do!"

8:02 AM PT -- Some good news for Royals fans -- India was listed in the starting lineup for Monday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers ... so it sounds like he'll be fully recovered in time for first pitch at 1:10 PM CT.

A scary scene unfolded for Kansas City Royals second baseman Jonathan India on Sunday ... when he took a fastball right off his head -- forcing him to leave the game.

It all went down during the Royals' series finale against the Cleveland Guardians. Up 6-2 heading into the last inning, Cleveland brought in closer Emmanuel Clase to wrap things up.

After initially brushing India off the plate with a 97 MPH fastball ... the very next pitch went right at India's noggin -- clocking in at 99 on the speed gun.

A highly coveted Shohei Ohtani card just sold for some insane coin at auction -- a record $1,067,500, to be exact!

The 1-of-1 autographed card -- which features a piece of Ohtani's pants when he reached the 50/50 club -- is from Topps' "Dynasty Black" line and has a PSA Mint 9 Auto 9 grade.

The rare memorabilia was made available by Heritage Auctions ... and once bidding closed on Saturday, the final price tag was revealed.

The New York spotlight might scare some people away ... but new voice of the Yankees Dave Sims isn't sweating over his new gig, even though he has big shoes to fill -- telling TMZ Sports he's excited for the dream opportunity!!

We caught up with Sims on the streets of NYC ... and he explained he feels no pressure to fill the shoes of longtime radio announcer John Sterling, who retired after 36 years -- 'cause it's something he's experienced in the past.

"John had a great run," he said. "I had a great run in Seattle. I essentially replaced Dave Niehaus in Seattle. I've done this before. I'm back home in New York, I mean it doesn't get better than this."