MLB

MLB umpire Manny Gonzalez will be away from baseball diamonds for the foreseeable future ... after he suffered a head injury while being drilled in the face by a foul ball on Monday.

The scary scene all went down in the first inning of the Red Sox's game against the Rays ... when Tampa Bay first baseman Jordan Luplow fouled a pitch right into Gonzalez's jaw.

You can see in the footage of the play, the ball hit Gonzalez so hard, he was staggered ... and he eventually dropped to the ground.

Trainers raced out from the dugouts to check on the 41-year-old -- who was so dazed, he needed to be removed from the game.

Sources tell TMZ Sports ... Gonzalez is now currently being evaluated under the MLB's concussion protocols and is out indefinitely.

Of course, this is far from the first time we've seen terrifying incidents involving umps behind home plate.

Remember, back in April, Kerwin Danley appeared to be knocked out after he, too, was hit by a foul ball. And, in 2020, John Tumpane was drilled in the face by a 99 MPH Gerrit Cole fastball and was slow to get up.

Former MLBer Kyle Farnsworth is getting ripped for his take on Orioles outfielder Trey Mancini ... after the ex-pitcher called out the star's toughness in his first season back after battling cancer.

29-year-old Mancini -- who beat stage 3 colon cancer in September 2020 -- has played in 128 games during his miraculous comeback in 2021 ... but took Monday off after getting hit in the foot and experiencing some "general soreness."

While most people wouldn't care what the 43-93 Orioles are doing in September, Farnsworth was randomly pissed about Mancini sitting out ... tweeting out some unnecessary criticism (without actually name-dropping him).

"So I just saw that a MLB player didn’t play today because of general soreness," Farnsworth tweeted.

"Are you kidding me. It’s September. Everyone is sore. If you can’t play through soreness, you shouldn’t be playing the sport. SMH!"

Of course, everyone knew who Farnsworth was talking about ... and the replies started to flow in.

"My man @TreyMancini is a living legend," Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman said Tuesday. "A true role model to the youth who has battled an incredible amount of adversity."

"Past players with poo-poo careers/opinions need to keep it down. He’s a cancer survivor who beat the odds and is a blessing to society. Keep inspiring Trey!"

FOX analyst Ben Verlander added ... "This tweet was in regards to Trey Mancini. I just can’t fathom sending this. You’re referencing the guy that beat Stage 3 cancer and sat out all last year due to cancer treatment? That’s really who you’re talking about sitting out a game? Wow.."

Mancini has 21 homers, 66 RBI and a .262 batting average this season ... and has been one of the few highlights for the Orioles this season.

Farnsworth has yet to delete the tweet -- there's still time, Kyle -- and has not addressed the backlash ... and it's unclear if he'll do either.

Derek Holland ain't rockin' n' rollin' all night and partying every day -- dude's got to pitch, after all -- but he's paying homage to KISS nonetheless, by coppin' some custom Gene Simmons-themed cleats!!!

TMZ Sports has learned the Tigers pitcher wanted to honor Detroit while on the mound this season ... so he hit up famed shoe artist Michael Jordan to get some heat for his feet.

And, after tossing some potential ideas for the cleats around, the two settled on KISS spikes ... and they came out AWESOME.

The cleats have the faces of the famous band members painted on them ... and feature a sweet rainbow paint job that we're told took around 10 HOURS to complete.

Unclear when Holland plans to rock them this season ... but it certainly won't be the first time he's sported some fire on the pitching mound.

Holland also owns Eminem and Kid Rock cleats ... and while he was playing for Pittsburgh in 2020, he famously got Jordan to create him some Mr. Rogers footwear as well.

Johnny Bench says he's tested positive for the coronavirus and will not be able to attend the upcoming National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

The Cincinnati Reds legend announced Friday on social media he was battling the virus despite being vaccinated.

73-year-old Johnny, a Hall of Famer himself, says he's bummed to miss out on seeing the latest Hall of Fame class being inducted into Cooperstown.

The Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday in New York ... and Johnny sounds like he was looking forward to welcoming the Class of 2020, which includes Derek Jeter, Marvin Miller, Ted Simmons and Larry Walker.

New York Mets Acting General Manager, Zack Scott, was arrested for driving while intoxicated early Tuesday morning after cops say they found him asleep at the wheel of his car, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

44-year-old Scott was busted at 4:17 AM by police in White Plains, NY ... after they found the Mets exec conked out in his 2018 Toyota Highlander, according to the White Plains PD.

Cops say Scott -- who was hired as assistant GM in 2020 and named acting GM once Jared Porter was fired for allegedly acting inappropriately with a reporter -- refused to take a breathalyzer ... but did attempt a field sobriety test.

He did not pass the test, according to police.

Scott was charged with DWI ... and released shortly after his arrest.

As for the Mets -- who have been playing bad on the field and dealing with controversies off if it (hey, Javy Baez) -- they're clearly not happy with their GM.

“We were surprised and deeply disappointed to learn this morning about an alleged DUI involving Zack Scott. We take this matter very seriously. Zack will not be traveling with the team for our upcoming road trip while we learn more and determine next steps.”

Scott is due back in court to face a judge on Thursday morning.

Longtime MLB exec Bob Boone -- Aaron Boone's famous father -- is leaving his job with the Washington Nationals ... and it's all 'cause the team has made COVID vaccines mandatory.

ESPN reported the news Wednesday ... explaining Bob -- a key front-office advisor for the team for YEARS -- is not willing to comply with the Nats' new policy that all non-playing employees must get the vaccine.

It's a huge deal -- 73-year-old Bob has been with the org. since 2005 ... and was most recently serving in a role as a senior adviser to Washington GM Mike Rizzo.

The Nats have said, according to The Washington Post, employees have until Sept. 15 to get the COVID vaccines ... otherwise, their contracts will be terminated.

Players, however, will still be allowed to remain with the organization even if they refuse to get the vax.

"As a company," the Nats said in a statement regarding the policy last week, "we have a responsibility to do everything we can to keep one another safe and felt that mandating vaccines was the absolute right thing to do for our employees and our community."

FYI, Bob's son, Aaron -- the New York Yankees manager -- has said he got the vaccine in March.

Mets exec Sandy Alderson is furious with Javy Baez and other players for giving thumbs down gestures to fans this weekend ... with the team prez calling the moves "unprofessional."

Baez, Kevin Pillar and Francisco Lindor all made the hand movements during their win over the Washington Nationals on Sunday ... with Baez later explaining it's all 'cause NY fans have booed them during their recent slump.

"They gotta be better," Baez said of Mets fans after saying he does hear the jeers after poor at-bats at the plate.

"I play for the fans and I love the fans, but if they're going to do that, they're just putting more pressure on the team and that's not what we want."

"We’re not machines," Baez added. "We’re going to struggle. We’re going to struggle seven times out of 10"

Not long after Baez finished giving those comments ... Alderson made it known he would NOT accept the gesture from the team's new superstar or anyone else on the squad going forward.

"These comments, and any gestures by him or other players with a similar intent, are totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated," Alderson said.

"Mets fans are understandably frustrated over the team’s recent performance. The players and the organization are equally frustrated, but fans at Citi Field have every right to express their own disappointment. Booing is every fan’s right."

73-year-old Alderson added he will be meeting with Baez and the rest of the team and staff to make sure they get the message.

"The Mets will not tolerate any player gesture that is unprofessional in its meaning or is directed in a negative way toward our fans," Alderson said, adding, "Mets fans are loyal, passionate, knowledgeable and more than willing to express themselves."

"We love them for every one of these qualities."

The investigation into Trevor Bauer's alleged assault is over -- police have turned over their findings to the L.A. County D.A., who will now decide whether the MLB All-Star will be charged with a crime.

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... the Pasadena Police Department has concluded their months-long investigation into 30-year-old Bauer -- who has been accused of hitting and choking a female companion without permission while they were having sex.

Now, detectives have sent all relevant info to the county District Attorney.

Bauer had a huge win in court last week ... after a judge dismissed the accuser's request for a permanent restraining order, determining the pitcher's actions did not exceed the limits set by the victim.

As for the injuries, the judge said they are "not the result of anything she told [Bauer] she objected to."

The judge also ruled Bauer did not pose a continual threat.

Despite the victory, Bauer certainly isn't out of the woods yet -- on top of the possibility of criminal charges, he's still facing punishment from the MLB and a possible civil case.

Another alleged Bauer incident came to light earlier this month ... when an Ohio woman accused him of punching and choking her during sex ... and filed a restraining order last summer, before withdrawing it shortly after.

Bauer has not pitched since late June and remains on administrative leave.

Several San Diego Padres fans got into a wild brawl at Wednesday's game -- throwing haymakers and kicks -- and all of the violence was caught on video.

The scrap happened at some point during the Padres' tilt with the Dodgers at Petco Park ... and while it's unclear what started it all -- you can see in the footage, the combatants landed several punches and kicks in the melee.

At one point, one of the fighters was shoved down a row of seats ... and then was punched and kicked in the face repeatedly.

The fighting then briefly stopped ... but it continued as more haymakers were thrown.

A man was eventually pushed down a row of stairs again -- before, finally, all of the action was broken up.

It's not clear if police are investigating ... we've reached out to cops, but so far, no word back yet.

As for the game, the Padres -- like the fighting fans in the stands -- took the L ... falling in extra innings to L.A., 5-3.

Miguel Sano obliterated a ball into outer space on Wednesday -- crushing the piece of cowhide nearly 500 feet -- and afterward, he dedicated the moon shot to a fan he had drilled in the head earlier in the night.

The story is pretty heartwarming ... before the Twins' game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park -- Sano felt awful after he hit a batting practice homer that cracked a young fan in the head.

28-year-old Miguel felt so bad ... he actually signed a bat for the boy -- and then later, he said he'd get a big hit for him.

And, in the third inning, Sano did just that ... destroying a ball that completely left the stadium!!!

As Sano crossed home plate, he pointed to the fan ... and then gave the kid his jersey after the game as well!

"[The kid] told me to, 'Hit a homer for me and give me your jersey,'" Sano said. "And I said, 'Hey, I'm going to do it and I'm going to try to hit a longer one here and I'm going to give you the jersey.'"

The tape-measure shot was majestic ... and, at 495 feet, it ended up being the longest home run recorded in the MLB this season.

Somehow, though, it was NOT Sano's career longest -- he has a 496-footer on his resume.

Aaron Boone no longer has to worry about being fired ... so says Yanks legend Tino Martinez, who tells TMZ Sports NY's latest surge is more than enough to keep the manager safe.

"I think he's done a great job," Martinez said out in NYC this week. "He's great for the team, the organization -- so I think he deserves to be here as long as he wants."

Of course, Yankees fans and perhaps even ex-NY players didn't always feel that way this season ... 'cause for a while, the Pinstripes were REALLY struggling under Boone.

But, the Yankees have turned the ship around in a big way -- winning 11 in a row ... and vaulting to just 4 games out of first place in the AL East.

Martinez says it's all been impressive to watch ... and should keep Boone around well into next season and beyond.

"The ups and downs of a season make a great manager," Tino told us, "and he's been even keeled the whole time."

For as good as Boone has been in turning around the Yankees ... Martinez clearly feels the manager owes Anthony Rizzo a bit of praise for the recent win streak as well.

Tino tells us the first baseman "changed the culture of the team" after his trade from Chicago to New York -- and is "one of the best ever."

Great news from the Oakland A's -- star pitcher Chris Bassitt underwent a successful procedure to fix his broken face on Tuesday ... and is officially on the road to recovery!!

Of course, the ace took a line drive to the face exactly one week ago against the Chicago White Sox ... which broke a bone in his cheek and required surgery.

Now, the team says their guy has gotten a plate in his face to fix the damage ... going under the knife in Chicago just hours ago.

In fancy medical talk, the team said the doctor "was able to stabilize and plate the tripod fracture with good fixation and debride other small fractured bones from the incident."

In other words, Bassit got fixed up!!

"Chris is stable and resting comfortably and will have follow-up appointments upon his arrival to Oakland," the team said in a statement.

"The A's anticipate Bassitt will return to the Bay Area later this week," the team added.

The Great Bambino has NOTHING on Shohei Ohtani ... so says ex-MLB star David Justice, who tells TMZ Sports the Angels star is flat-out better than Babe Ruth!

The former Atlanta Braves slugger made the eyebrow-raising claim out at a charity softball game in L.A. on Sunday ... explaining he thinks Shohei is just that "special."

Justice also said Babe's insane performances as a two-way player were cheapened a bit 'cause he didn't have to face the same level of talent that Shohei does night in and night out.

"Babe Ruth played against farmers," Justice said ... adding, "Oh, and by the way, [Ruth] only played against one race."

"You didn't play against none of the Negro League players. You didn't play against none of the Asian players. You didn't play none of the Latin players. So, you only played against this population of players."

Don't get it twisted, Justice says he's not hating on Babe ... he just thinks what Shohei is doing now is more impressive.

"I don't want it to sound like I'm hating on Babe," Justice tells us. "It's just that I'm giving extra love to Ohtani."

Shohei is the favorite to win AL MVP this season after he's balled out at both the plate and on the mound ... leading baseball with 40 home runs while also compiling a 2.79 ERA.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is adding to his resume -- two-time MVP, NBA Champ ... and now, part-owner of the Milwaukee Brewers!!!

Just weeks after the Bucks superstar brought Milwaukee its 1st NBA championship since 1971 ... the Brewers announced Antetokounmpo is now taking his talents -- business wise -- to the city's baseball team.

Brewers officials said in a statement the 26-year-old purchased a stake in the org. on Friday ... announcing, "Giannis Antetokounmpo has joined the Crew!"

"The two-time MVP is officially part of the Milwaukee Brewers ownership team. Thank you, Giannis, for your commitment to our team and Milwaukee!"

No word on how many shares Giannis bought or how much they cost ... but we're sure the NBA player could afford it -- after all, he signed a 5-year, $228 MILLION deal last December!

Of course, Giannis ain't the only sports star buying into the MLB recently ... as we previously reported, Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes just bought a part of the K.C. Royals last summer.

A young Yankees fan was drilled in the forehead by a Giancarlo Stanton home run ball on Thursday ... but fortunately, the kid seems like he's going to be OK.

The scary scene all went down during New York's game against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium ... when Stanton hit a laser beam to right field.

The ball was absolutely crushed -- it left the park in less than 3 seconds -- but on its way down, it collided with a kid's face.

You can see in the broadcast footage, the Pinstripes fan tried to get his glove up to make the grab ... but the ball still found its way right to the top of his dome.

Video, though, later showed the fan was luckily able to shake off the knock ... and eventually, he was rewarded with a ball from one of the umps on the field!!

A judge just ruled the woman accusing Trevor Bauer of sexual assault will NOT be allowed to have a permanent restraining order against the MLB star.

The decision came down Thursday morning in an L.A. courtroom after three-plus days of proceedings ... with a judge ordering the temporary restraining order against Bauer must be dissolved.

In announcing her order ... the judge said Bauer "did not exceed limits" that his accuser had set before their two sexual encounters in April and May.

"If she set limits and he exceeded them, this case would be clear," the judge said in the courtroom, according to L.A. Times reporter Steve Henson. "But he did not exceed limits she set."

The judge added, according to Henson, that the injuries the woman suffered during the sexual encounters were "not the result of anything she told [Bauer] she objected to."

The judge also said, per Henson, that Bauer did not pose any potential future threat to the woman.

The decision is obviously a huge win for Bauer -- who's been away from the Dodgers on administrative leave since the temporary restraining order was granted back in June -- though it remains unclear what it means for his potential future in the MLB.

Despite Thursday's ruling, Bauer is still being investigated by the Pasadena Police Dept. to see if he committed any criminal offenses during his encounters with his accuser.