MLB

Juan Soto's 15-year contract with the Mets is off to a less-than-stellar start ... but Dwight Gooden thinks it's only a matter of time until he turns things around -- telling TMZ Sports he'd like to talk to the MLB superstar to help get him out of his slump!!

We caught up with the Mets legend about the franchise's $765 million man's current output not matching his salary (.243 batting average, 8 home runs and 21 RBI heading into Friday's tilt with the Dodgers) and while some Mets fans are freakin' out, Doc certainly isn't.

"He set the bar so high his first six years, when expectation is going to be there, and then you throw in the contract he just signed, everybody's expecting everything," he said. "Unfortunately, every little thing that happens now, they point at him with a lot of stuff."

5/27/2025 8:00 AM PT -- Chad Reeves' attorney, Glen Jonas, tells TMZ ... "Jamie Grenfell has a 2002 conviction for Felony Perjury relating to an investigation in which he was also convicted for making a false police report in connection with an attempted Insurance Fraud.  Three weeks before trial he filed a verified statement under penalty of perjury in his underlying lawsuit against the Dodgers denying the conviction.  He literally committed perjury about his prior perjury! Meanwhile Lillian Grenfell told a ridiculous story at trial to falsely excuse the fact that she was choking Lindsay Hopkin which forced Mr. Hopkin to defend against a combined attack by the Grenfells.

The Grenfells are bottom feeders that manipulated public with a viral video that was misleading.  This is par for the course for the Grenfells, they have a history of distortion, lies and manipulating the justice system for financial gain.  Here they started a fight, lost and now are trying to turn the melee into a pay out by the Dodgers with their bogus lawsuit. The prosecution's case at trial was not credible and everyone in that courtroom is now dumber for having witnessed it."

Two men have been acquitted of felony battery charges in connection with a parking lot fight after an Elton John concert at Dodger Stadium.

Reece Hopkin and Chad Reeves were each charged in 2023 with one count of battery with serious bodily injury for their alleged roles in a 2022 fight that broke out after the first of Elton's three concerts at Chavez Ravine. Hopkin was also charged with felony vandalism for allegedly damaging a phone someone was using to record the incident.

A Los Angeles jury on Thursday voted to acquit the men on all charges ... according to Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman.

Wholesome moment alert -- New York Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt was tasked with catching the ceremonial first pitch ahead of Thursday's game ... and as it turns out, he knew the honorary hurler VERY well!!

According to the broadcast, the team kept its plans for the toss under wraps right until the throw. While he was shaking hands with some active-duty servicemen, they moved to reveal his dad, Dwight, was in town.

Clarke had a huge smile on his face as the two embraced ... and then Dwight hit the mound with the rest of the Marines on the field to handle business. While Dwight's throw was out of the strike zone, we'll cut Dad some slack here.

Red Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks says he and his wife have received an onslaught of death threats following his brutal outing against the Mets on Wednesday ... and now, he's pleading with fans to stop the hurtful messages ASAP.

Hendriks took to his Instagram page Thursday morning to explain the situation ... revealing that since he gave up three earned runs in just one-third of an inning in Boston's 5-1 loss to New York, people have been bombarding him and his family with hate.

He said in addition to the threats on his and Kristi Hendriks' lives, people have left "comments telling me to commit suicide" as well as ones wishing he "died from cancer."

The Dodgers' walk-off win over the Diamondbacks wasn't the only thriller at the ballpark on Tuesday -- there was also some action-packed wrasslin'!!!

The World Series Champions hosted Mexican Heritage Night at Dodger Stadium ... featuring live music, food and a jersey giveaway.

But the fun started before first pitch ... 'cause the team set up a ring right in center field and held a lucha libre match!!

If Team USA wants Gunnar Henderson in its infield during the 2026 World Baseball Classic -- the Orioles superstar tells TMZ Sports he'd happily accept the invitation.

In fact, the Baltimore shortstop said in a sit-down with us on Tuesday it's actually one of his career goals to suit up for the Red, White and Blue in the prestigious baseball tournament.

"Anytime you have a chance to do that," he said of playing for America in the WBC, "it's pretty special. That's something that I definitely look forward to and hopefully can do one day in the future."

A 21-year-old has been hit with two criminal charges ... after authorities claim he supplied Kavan Markwood -- a minor -- with alcohol just prior to the Pirates fan's tragic fall at PNC Park last month.

Court records show Ethan Kirkwood is facing two misdemeanor counts of furnishing liquor to Markwood a short time before the 20-year-old sustained significant injuries in a 21-foot tumble from his seat at the Pittsburgh vs. Chicago game on April 30.

A criminal complaint, obtained by TMZ Sports, states Kirkwood was seen on security video buying two tall cans of beer just before the start of the game. Subsequent video, the report states, showed Kirkwood and Markwood later holding beers in their hands.

Now that the Cubs or Sox confusion is settled, Pope Leo XIV's favorite baseball team decided to pay tribute to their holiest fan -- revealing a graphic installation in his honor at Rate Field!!

The Sox unveiled the stadium's newest attraction ahead of their matchup with the Seattle Mariners ... which features Leo XIV waving with the Chicago skyline behind him and a photo of him cheering for Chicago during the 2005 World Series.

Photos of his White Sox fandom surfaced shortly after the 69-year-old was revealed as the next Pontiff. In one of the snaps, he's shown chatting on his phone ... perhaps asking the Man Upstairs to help drive in some runs!!

New York Yankees infielder Oswaldo Cabrera is opening up on his devastating ankle injury ... saying he has been overwhelmed by the support he has received.

The 26-year-old shared in a lengthy Instagram post on Thursday night he experienced some nasty pain and "negative thoughts" as a result of the broken ankle, but woke up the next day to a ton of love.

"I had THOUSANDS of messages from my family, friends, fans, agents, coaches, teammates," he said. "I simply had messages from EVERYONE. I dropped the phone on the bed and with a big SMILE on my face, the first thing I could say was 'God, how blessed I am.'"

Former MLB shortstop Rafael Furcal -- a three-time All-Star -- was arrested in Florida on Wednesday, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

According to court records, Furcal turned himself in to law enforcement at around 2:15 PM after the Sunrise Police Department had issued a warrant for his arrest just two days prior.

Court docs show Furcal was wanted by cops on two separate charges -- one felony count of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and another felony count of throwing a deadly missile into an occupied vehicle.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are paying tribute to a local icon ... the MLB team just dropped a sneak peek of their upcoming bobblehead night -- featuring the late Mac Miller.

The team showed off the soon-to-be collector's item Thursday morning ... which features Miller, rocking a Pirates jersey with the city's "412" area code, and wearing a yellow and black yin-yang cap.

Alongside the snaps of the giveaway item, the Pirates also dropped a video featuring Steel City locals speaking about Mac's impact. Pittsburgh outfielder Andrew McCutchen was also part of the video.

Longtime Reds announcer Marty Brennaman is thrilled Pete Rose is now eligible for the Hall of Fame -- but he admits he's still got a bone to pick with Major League Baseball ... telling TMZ Sports the decision should have been made YEARS ago.

Brennaman -- who called most of Rose's memorable moments in a Cincinnati uniform -- didn't make many bones about it during a sit-down with us the day after Rob Manfred lifted Rose's lifetime ban ... explaining, "I just felt he had served his jail time, if you will, far longer than he really should have had to do it."

"And," Brennaman added, "the fact they rushed to make him eligible within in a matter of months to me was the wrong way to go about doing business."

There's a lot to celebrate in the Ohtani household ... 'cause Shohei's famous pooch, Decoy, has made another trip around the sun ... and the Dodgers superstar commemorated the big birthday with an adorable tribute!!

The three-time MVP -- who has quite the stuffed trophy case -- gave his four-legged friend some hardware of his own ... by gifting him a "Most Valuable Dog" plaque.

Decoy also got flowers and a number two balloon for his little pawty. We didn't see any treats ... but with Ohtani's $700 million contract, we're sure he was able to splurge a bit.

11:45 AM PT -- The Yankees just placed Oswaldo Cabrera on the IL, listing his injury as "a left ankle fracture."

New York Yankees third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera was forced to leave the diamond Monday night inside an ambulance ... after he sustained a gruesome leg injury while sliding into home.

The tough-to-watch scene unfolded in the ninth inning of the Pinstripes' 11-5 victory over the Mariners in Seattle ... when Cabrera was racing to score on an Aaron Judge sacrifice fly.

In an effort to avoid the tag at home, Cabrera moved suddenly, but his left ankle didn't quite catch up with the rest of his body ... and it appeared to snap right on the field.

The Knicks game wasn't the only must-see event going down in the Big Apple on Monday -- the Mets also drew some big names for their matchup against Pittsburgh at Citi Field ... including Sports Illustrated Swimsuit models!!

Camille Kostek, Ellie Thumann and Xandra Pohl were in attendance as the Mets began a three-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The group -- decked out in custom jerseys -- was tapped to throw out the first pitch.

Before doing the honors, they got some work in on the side with a group of players. Mark Vientos, Tyrone Taylor and Huascar Brazoban helped the ladies warm up their arms before taking the mound.

More details surrounding former Major League Baseball player Scott Sauerbeck's death have been revealed -- the 53-year-old passed away of complications from the flu.

TMZ Sports obtained the autopsy report from the District 12 Medical Examiner's Office in Florida ... which listed "sequela of acute influenza A, including streptococcal pharyngitis" as the official cause of death.

Hypertensive heart disease was listed as a contributory factor ... and his manner of death was natural.