MLB

The wait is over … Tampa Bay Rays fans finally returned home to The Trop after Hurricane Milton nearly wiped their ballpark off the map.

A sold-out crowd of roughly 25,000 fans packed Tropicana Park Monday for the long-awaited comeback against the Chicago Cubs -- and the vibes were way bigger than a typical Opening Day.

This wasn’t just a baseball game … it was a comeback story nearly 561 days in the making.

S.F. Giants rookie Daniel Susac will never forget his MLB debut, going 3-for-3 in a win over the Mets ... but a member of his in-stands watch party had a different experience -- his little nephew went viral for his reaction as the fam celebrated!

Cameras followed the family as they had the time of their lives watching Susac tee off against New York. At one point, one of them was holding Susac's nephew when he got a hit, jumping up and down and flinging the kid around.

He seemed less than thrilled to be in the situation, crying and flailing around while dad was over the moon watching Susac. Eventually, the kid's mom stepped in to save the day, grabbing her child so dad could keep celebrating.

Royals rookie Carter Jensen has learned the hard way in the big leagues … the alarm clock is undefeated.

The 22-year-old backstop was a late scratch for the Kansas City Royals just before their matchup with the Minnesota Twins on Thursday -- and not because of injury, but because he straight-up slept through his alarm.

Manager Matt Quatraro kept it real postgame, saying Jensen “overslept” and didn’t make it to the ballpark in time to properly prep ... a big no-no, especially for a catcher expected to handle the pitching staff.

Tuesday night marked the 2026 MLB debut for Shohei Ohtani ... but he was arguably the second biggest attraction at the stadium that night -- 'cause it was Yoshi bobblehead night at Dodger Stadium, and fans lined up for hours to get their hands on 'em!

Videos shared on social media show lines snaking around Chavez Ravine as fans tried to scoop up one of the 40,000 Yoshis being given away for the price of admission.

The man of the hour was also in attendance for the big night, with the Nintendo character posing for pics with his adoring fans. When he was done meeting fans ... Yoshi made his way down to the Dodgers' clubhouse -- where Yoshi met Yoshi and Yoshi.

The L.A. Dodgers may have won their opening day game against the Arizona Diamondbacks ... but some of their fans were big losers getting into a video-recorded brawl.

All the madness began Thursday afternoon at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, but the video above surfaced Friday on Instagram, and the footage is quite eye-popping.

Check it out ... in the clip, two women and two men go toe-to-toe in the stands, wrestling each other, pulling hair and throwing punches. During the brawl, one of the men falls backward, slamming into a metal railing ... but it doesn't seem like he or anyone else was seriously injured.

Shohei Ohtani’s first World Series homer ball is up for grabs … and it’s expected to bring in a monster payday!

SCP Auctions tells TMZ Sports the historic baseball -- crushed by Ohtani in the 7th inning of Game 1 of the 2025 World Series -- could fetch $250,000 or more when bidding wraps Sunday.

The two-run shot came at Rogers Centre in Toronto … where a lucky fan ended up with the ball after it bounced off another spectator’s hands and dropped right to him in the outfield crowd.

Barry Bonds pulled back the curtain on one of the wildest near-misses in baseball history ... revealing he was on the verge of joining the New York Yankees before a high-pressure call from George Steinbrenner sent the whole thing off the rails.

The home run king shared the story during Wednesday's Opening Night matchup between the Yankees and San Francisco Giants … when Bonds joined the Netflix broadcast and decided to finally share how close he came to heading to the Bronx.

“George isn’t here anymore, so I can tell the truth, right?” Bonds said, before explaining how Steinbrenner personally reached out during his 1992 free agency.

At the time, Bonds was already one of the biggest stars in the game, coming off two MVP seasons with the Pirates -- and the Yankees were ready to make him the highest-paid player in baseball.

But the offer came with a major condition: Bonds said he had to agree to the deal by 2 PM that same day -- and that didn’t sit well with him.

Frank Thomas donned a White Sox uniform for 16 seasons, but now he's taking his former team to court ... TMZ Sports has learned the Hall of Famer filed a lawsuit against the club, insisting they're using his name to sell merch without permission!

Thomas filed suit last week in Illinois, and he's targeting not just the White Sox, but Nike and Fanatics, too ... and the beef is over the Sox "City Connect 2.0" jersey, which the team announced in April 2025.

In the complaint, Thomas claims his name and number 35 were featured on some of the uni tops that were put up for sale, despite never getting consent, according to Thomas.

The Big Hurt says the White Sox -- and the retailers -- likely raked in huge profits, while he says he received "no compensation" for the use of "Thomas" and his iconic number 35.

The Boston Red Sox are getting in on the "Heated Rivalry" craze ... 'cause the team is hosting a night celebrating the book that inspired the hit TV show!!

Boston shared the news in a release on Thursday, promising fans it will bring "the passion and electric chemistry of Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov's story into a setting that knows a thing or two about unforgettable rivalries."

"Join us and Harlequin in the city where Ilya rules the ice for a summer night that's anything but ordinary."

Opening Day is next week, but baseball fans better start making room in their stomachs now ... 'cause TMZ Sports got an inside look at menus from several teams across MLB -- and they'll have a root-root-rooting for the home team!!

The Cubs, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Marlins, Nationals, Orioles, Rays and White Sox revealed some of the specialty menu items from Levy Restaurants that will be available when the first pitch is thrown.

For those in the DMV hoping to catch a Nationals game, the DC Monument Chicken Tower has it all. Inspired by the Washington Monument ... it comes with grilled chicken, smoked bacon, mixed greens, creamy chipotle ranch and gruyère cheese on a soft pretzel bun.

Venezuela is on top of the baseball world after toppling Team USA in the finals of the World Baseball Classic ... and the players and fans were loving every second of it -- celebrating from the moment they scored the final out!

Fans were going wild in Alfredo Sadel Square, located in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela ... where they were throwing drinks and jumping for joy after Daniel Palencia struck Roman Anthony out to win the country's first-ever title in the tournament.

While supporters were partying in Venezuela, back stateside, Venezuelan fans were living it up inside LoanDepot Park in Miami. The stadium concourse was filled with fans chanting and using noisemakers -- a celebration that lingered in the area for an hour.

USA baseball is looking to channel a little Olympic magic ahead of the World Baseball Classic final against Venezuela ... as the team pulled up to the ballpark rocking game-worn sweaters from the gold medal-winning men's hockey team!

Each member of the squad got to rep a different player as they made their way to the crucial matchup ... and it was all thanks to Fanatics.

The captain of Team USA baseball, Aaron Judge, was handed the jersey of Auston Matthews -- who captained the men's hockey team during the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Other players spotted in the Red, White and Blue included Mason Miller, David Bednar, Logan Webb and Bryce Harper.

Pete Crow-Armstrong made it clear he called dibs on "his boy" Jack Hughes ... adding they wanted to show how the men's hockey team winning it all has inspired them during their WBC run.

Team Japan is set to take the field on Saturday against Venezuela in the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic in Miami ... and Yoshinobu Yamamoto and his teammate -- L.A. Angels pitcher Yusei Kikuchi -- gave folks at the park an up-close look at their arms!!

TMZ Sports obtained footage of the duo hitting a nearby park not long after they landed in the 305 earlier this week ... which shows them working on their mechanics as they get set not only for more WBC action -- but also for the upcoming MLB season.

Luckily for the two, they seemed to avoid drawing any crowd as they did their thing -- perhaps the parkgoers were oblivious to the star power in their presence.

Team USA can send a thank-you card to Vinnie Pasquantino -- because the slugger basically rescued their World Baseball Classic hopes Wednesday night … while playing for Italy.

The Kansas City Royals first baseman put together a historic performance in Houston ... blasting three home runs in Italy’s 9-1 win over Mexico, the first three-homer game in WBC history.

And the craziest part? That explosion saved Team USA from elimination.

Team USA manager Mark DeRosa is walking back a costly comment after mistakenly saying the Americans had already clinched a spot in the next round -- hours before a stunning 8-6 loss to Italy put the squad’s World Baseball Classic hopes in serious jeopardy.

DeRosa made the remark during an appearance Tuesday morning on MLB Network's "Hot Stove," where he suggested the U.S. had already punched its ticket to the quarterfinals. He even hinted the game against Italy would be used to give some regulars a breather.

But the math wasn’t right.

A year after Atlanta Braves designated hitter Jurickson Profar served an 80-game suspension for violating MLB's performance-enhancing drugs policy ... he's staring down the barrel of yet another ban after reportedly testing positive for a PED once again.

Jeff Passan was the first to report the news, saying the 33-year-old is the sixth player to receive a season-long punishment since the league increased the penalty for second-time offenders.

It is unclear what Profar was popped for. He was suspended in 2025 for human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone made during pregnancy that can raise testosterone production, but it'll be a costly suspension for the 11-year veteran.