MLB

Congratulations to Shohei Ohtani on hitting his 300th career home run ... and now that we got that out of the way, let's talk about these adorable baby raccoons!!

Two tiny trash pandas stole the hearts of baseball fans and animal lovers on social media Tuesday night ... when a clip of their visit to Dodger Stadium quickly went viral.

The cuties were caught on camera roaming underneath the outfield wall padding ... and the broadcasters assured viewers that help was on the way to bring them to safety.

It's Shotime ... AKA Shohei Ohtani's birthday! The baseball bday boy turns 32 today ... which calls for a celebration as big as his back-to-back World Series wins!

But what do you possibly get the GOAT of America's pastime?!

Consider this TMZ's love letter to the MLB MVP ... we've rounded up some of Shohei's most ballin' shots ... as the Dodgers' designated hitter and pitcher.

Alex Rodriguez has been retired from Major League Baseball for a while, but he's still hitting home runs -- at least in the kissing department!

The former New York Yankees superstar connected with a hottie at Michael Rubin’s White Party in the Hamptons on Wednesday night -- and we do mean connected.

Check out these sizzling photos ... A-Rod plants a huge lip smacker on the beautiful brunette while both are decked out in all white in the spirit of the soiree. Other pics show A-Rod chatting with the sexy woman, who is definitely digging the hunk.

The New York Mets are in need of a new manager ... and former MLB star Jose Reyes has a name in mind -- Carlos Beltran!!

TMZ Sports caught up with the four-time All-Star this week ... and got his thoughts on his old squad days after they parted ways with skipper Carlos Mendoza due to a 34-47 start.

Reyes doesn't think Mendoza deserves all the blame for the lack of success -- he thinks he's a great guy and a good manager -- but agreed that a change had to happen due to the team's massive payroll.

Gorkys Hernandez -- a former MLB player -- revealed his wife, Deisy Maria Tovar De Hernandez, was killed during the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela earlier this week.

The veteran baseball player announced the news via Instagram Saturday ... penning an emotional caption alongside a photo of Deisy.

He starts off by calling Deisy the queen of his life ... adding she's "the most beautiful, beautiful, precious, the best woman in the world," who always looked after him in the hard times.

Former San Francisco Giants first baseman Aubrey Huff went scorched earth over the team's Pride Night firestorm ... unleashing a homophobic rant that he said spoke for "almost everyone" in Major League Baseball.

The controversial slugger, who was with the team for two World Series title runs, said the fallout over some players writing Bible verses on their Pride Night hats was absurd ... and he defended legendary Giants player and front office honcho Buster Posey for holding court with the media, only to deflect all questions about Pride Night.

Had he been in Buster's shoes, Huff says he would have responded ... "I'm not wearing this gay bulls***. Queers don't watch Baseball anyway. They watch 'The View,' enjoy therapy, & f**** p***ing sessions. And anyone inside the LGBTQ community, or those who support them don't like what I just said, then I say to you…. Go f*** yourselves, & eat a d***. And I mean that in the most literal sense."

The San Francisco Giants are in the middle of a Pride firestorm that resulted in an absolutely dismal presser with a beloved star ... and now one major conservative voice is telling Major League Baseball enough is enough.

Here's the deal ... a few Giants players wrote Bible verses on their Pride Night caps June 12 ... which pissed off the left, while the right was livid the players had to wear rainbow hats. Then Tuesday, player-turned-front-office honcho Buster Posey was essentially put in front of a media firing squad to address the growing fallout ... and it was a total dumpster fire.

Fox News personality Tomi Lahren used the Buster disaster as a war cry for MLB to abandon Pride Night "s***" ... she says players, coaches and management don't want to be put in this position and adds ... "Baseball is not about who you have sex with! Stop pushing this on people!!!"

Jazz Chisholm took Comerica Field Monday night with a lollipop in his mouth, and it angered not just many fans ... but even the team's skipper, Aaron Boone!

“That pisses me off,” the Yankees manager said Tuesday during his weekly appearance on Tankin' Yanks, after Jomboy asked Boone if he had an issue with his second baseman playing the bottom of the 4th inning with a sucker in his mouth.

"I didn't know about it until after the game. So he and I talked about that. That won't be going on," Boone added.

What do MLB players and "Love Island" contestants have in common?? A lot more than ya think ... 'cause the league pointed out how a good stretch doesn't always have to come in the 7th inning!!

Anyone watching Peacock's hit dating show is well aware of Kenzie's knack for breaking out in the splits at any given moment this season ... which has become her calling card in the villa.

The dancer/nursing school graduate's most recent move came in a fit of rage as the boys moved over to Casa Amor to test connections with new bombshells on Sunday's episode ... leaving the ladies without their partners for the time being.

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is a father of 2!

The pitching and batting superstar announced early Saturday morning he and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, welcomed their second baby together. He shared an Instagram post that showed a baby dressed in blue, cradled in a matching blue blanket ... but did not explicitly reveal his little one's name or gender.

He wrote he and Mamiko are "overjoyed" by their child's birth and thanked everyone who has supported their parenthood journey.

Perfect case of adding insult to injury on Thursday -- Jazz Chisholm Jr. took a foul ball to the family jewels during the Yankees' loss to the White Sox ... and while he was in a world of pain, his teammates certainly got a kick out of it.

The unfortunate incident went down during the fourth inning ... when the second baseman made contact with a pitch -- but it bounced off the dirt and went right for his crotch.

Chisholm fell to the ground as he winced ... and didn't get up for several minutes.

A private jet slated to fly MLB great Yadier Molina to Puerto Rico crashed shortly after takeoff in the Dominican Republic on Sunday ... resulting in the deaths of the pilot and co-pilot.

The 43-year-old St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer mourned the tragedy on his social media accounts ... revealing the Gulfstream G200 Galaxy aircraft was actually heading for Texas to pick up his family and friends.

The horrific accident was captured on video ... showing the jet attempting an emergency return to the airport after the staffers experienced complications on board.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tanner Scott's family was targeted with death threats and wishes made toward their kids after a loss ... with his wife exposing the hateful comments on social media.

As the Dodgers held a 3-1 lead in the eighth inning, Scott took the mound against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday ... but gave up three earned runs, resulting in a 4-3 loss.

After the final, some baseball "fans" unloaded unhinged messages to Scott's wife, Maddie ... writing wild things like "gun shot your family tonight."

Wander Franco caught a big break in court this week, avoiding prison ... but that doesn't mean he'll ever walk on an MLB diamond again, despite having the staunch support of many players, including Hall of Famer Adrián Beltré.

TMZ Sports ran into the 4x All-Star and 5x Gold Glove Award winner at LAX this week, when we asked him about his fellow Dominican star, and whether he deserved another crack at playing in the Big Leagues.

"It's a sensitive situation, but I think, I believe that everybody has a second chance," Beltré told us.

Pedro Martínez doesn't know if Wander Franco will ever play Major League Baseball again, but he hopes society will give the All-Star shortstop a chance to redeem himself.

"I don't really know if he would. I'm hoping that he can actually reestablish himself, not only spiritually, but mentally. As humans, we all deserve an opportunity to redo ourselves," the Red Sox legend told TMZ Sports at the Sports Emmys when we asked him if he believed Franco would again play in the big leagues.

Franco, 25, was found criminally responsible for sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl, but was spared prison after a judge ruled he was also the victim of extortion and blackmail at the hands of the minor's mother.

8:16 AM PT -- Travis Kelce spoke about his new business move on the latest episode of his "New Heights" podcast ... calling it a dream come true to cement himself in Cleveland culture.

But the first order of business?? Making up for the terrible first pitch he threw back in 2023.

Yeah ... we'd do the same.

Travis Kelce has been making huge headlines with his upcoming wedding to Taylor Swift ... but the NFL star is now making an even bigger splash with his wallet, that is ... investing his own money in the Cleveland Guardians, according to a new report.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end told ESPN that he just became a minority investor in the Guardians ownership group, buying a stake in the Major League Baseball team that he used to watch growing up as a child.

Kelce told the network that he has so much love for his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, where he says he learned his values and work ethic. He said spending his formative years in the "diverse and dynamic" city made him the man he is today and fueled his deep appreciation for the place.