MLB

A Detroit Tigers grounds crew member is heading to the IL after suffering an injury in between innings ... and he was apparently really pissed his pain was being documented for all to see -- 'cause he flipped the bird right at the cameras!!

It's unclear what happened to the guy, as the broadcast returned from commercial break already showing the dude in pain. The staffer was tended to by an EMT and some San Francisco Giants trainers.

As the guy was getting checked out, he noticed one of the cameras locked in on him ... and showed his sarcastic appreciation for the courtesy with the one-finger salute.

Dustin May is finally back on the mound, doing what he loves, after multiple serious surgeries -- including one on his esophagus -- which he says had him fearing he'd never be able to live a normal life again!

The Dodgers' right-handed flame thrower joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show this week (airs nightly on FS1) ... and says he couldn't be happier to be back on the hill.

"Just being able to compete to go out and just compete is always a positive in my at this point," May told us. "I've been out for so long, so just being able to just do it to the amount that I have been, I've just been excited to be back with the guys."

Five months ago, Nicholas Turturro was PISSED Juan Soto left the Yankees for the crosstown rival Mets ... but with Soto's early struggles and the Bronx Bombers' strong start -- he tells TMZ Sports he's feeling much better about the situation now.

We caught up with the "NYPD Blue" star and a die-hard Yankees fan after his team won the first round of the Subway Series against the Metropolitans -- in fact, he was present when Cody Bellinger hit a grand slam over Soto's dome to put the game out of reach ... and he loved witnessing the moment due to what it symbolized.

"It was kind of fitting that it landed right over his head," Turturro said. "It was like, 'Hey man, take that.' We're the Yankees, we're loyal fans, and we loved him. We gave him our heart, and we just felt a little bit shunned because you went down the street to little brother."

Shohei Ohtani's inching closer to a return to the mound, and perhaps no one is more excited to see it than his teammate Dustin May, who tells TMZ Sports the Dodgers' pitching rotation could certainly use the "boost."

The Japanese superstar, of course, has stayed away from the gameday rubber for over a year after he required surgery back in 2023 to fix a UCL tear in his right elbow ... but May said this week Ohtani is almost all the way back.

The 27-year-old told us he's seen the two-way player "looking good" in bullpen sessions ... and added Shohei just recently started throwing his breaking pitches again.

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."