MLB

Cincinnati Reds star Joey Votto had some really kind words for the St. Louis Cardinals fan base on Tuesday ... and by "kind," we mean the exact opposite.

The 37-year-old first baseman kept it a buck when speaking about the Reds' 4-game road sweep of the Cards earlier this week ... saying it felt REALLY good to get revenge after STL swept Cincy earlier this season.

"We had some s***-talking mother f***ers in St. Louis after their first series sweep," Votto said Tuesday. "It’s kinda nice to go on the road at their road ballpark and let ’em have it."

"We had some people sweeping brooms and s*** like that while we were leaving. So, how’d you like that? How’d you like that?"

DAYUM, JOEY!!! Tell us how you REALLY feel!!!

Now, Votto said all this with a smile on his face ... but the hatred between the NL Central rivals is real -- remember, benches cleared when Yadier Molina shoved Nick Castellanos for getting all up in pitcher Jake Woodford's face back in April.

The Reds will host the Cards again next month ... and it's safe to say there will be even more drama.

A Tampa Bay Rays prospect was hit so hard in the head by a line drive Thursday, he began convulsing on the mound ... and the scene was absolutely horrifying.

Tyler Zombro was pitching for the Rays' Triple-A affiliate, the Durham Bulls, when the tragedy struck ... and the Bulls say the 26-year-old has since been hospitalized.

The team added he's currently in "stable" condition.

The play was as scary as any as you'll see on a baseball diamond ... in the 8th inning of the Bulls' tilt with the Norfolk Tides, Zombro was hit flush in the head by a comebacker.

You can see in video of the incident, Zombro appeared to lose consciousness as soon as the ball hit him ... and just seconds later, his body began twitching.

Trainers rushed in to help him, and he was eventually stretchered off the field and taken to a local hospital.

The game, meanwhile, was called after the play.

"[Zombro] is currently undergoing further treatment and observation," the Bulls said in a statement after the game.

"Additional updates will be provided as they become available. Our thoughts and prayers are with Tyler, his family and his teammates."

Get well soon, Tyler.

Mets star Marcus Stroman is NOT happy that a quip was made about his du-rag during a TV broadcast Tuesday ... with the pitcher saying the comment had "racist undertones" to it.

The remark went down during the 4th inning of the Diamondbacks' broadcast of the Mets-DBacks game ... when color commentator (and former World Series-winning manager) Bob Brenly threw a jab over Stroman's visible head covering.

"Pretty sure that's the same du-rag that Tom Seaver used to wear when he pitched for the Mets," Brenly said.

The comment was met by immediate backlash on social media ... with many finding it to be very offensive and racist.

And, when Stroman took to Twitter after the game ... he clearly agreed.

The 30-year-old starting pitcher retweeted outrage from several people ... and added in a tweet of his own, "Onward and upward...through all adversity and racist undertones. The climb continues through all!"

Stroman later added in a tweet that if he had openly criticized Brenly over the comment, "media will turn this against me somehow."

Brenly has yet to comment on the issue. Stroman, meanwhile, has since promised to launch a line of du-rags following the incident.

Stroman took the no-decision in the Mets' 6-5 loss Tuesday to the DBacks ... throwing 6 innings while allowing just 3 earned runs and 7 hits.

He was also involved in an altercation with Arizona 2nd baseman Josh Rojas in the 5th inning that led to benches clearing ... though, thankfully, cooler heads ultimately prevailed.

The SF Giants' classic black and orange will be getting a touch of rainbow this weekend ... the team says it will recognize Pride Month by wearing Pride colors on its uniforms.

Giants officials say they'll add a "Pride Patch" on the sleeve of their jersey Saturday against the Chicago Cubs ... and they'll debut a custom cap for the game as well.

"We are extremely proud to stand with the LGBTQ+ community," team prez and CEO Larry Baer said, "as we kick off one of the best annual celebrations in San Francisco by paying honor to the countless achievements and contributions of all those who identify as LGBTQ+ and are allies of the LGBTQ+ community."

Pride Month began Tuesday as the calendar officially rolled over into June ... and the Giants are going all in to make sure they honor the moment.

In addition to the uniform changes ... SF officials also say they'll adorn their scoreboard with Pride colors and wrap Willie Mays Plaza palm trees with the hues as well.

"Very proud that the San Francisco Giants are taking this step," Giants manager Gabe Kapler said Tuesday. "Very proud to be part of it."

New police video shows cops had a conversation about Tony La Russa's MLB resume during his 2020 DUI arrest ... with one officer even saying on camera, "This guy's like the Michael Jordan of baseball."

The footage of the Feb. 24, 2020 incident was released Tuesday to WGN News ... and it's pretty wild.

In the clip, you can see officers in the Phoenix, AZ area had approached La Russa on the side of the road after his car had apparently suffered some major tire damage.

La Russa can be heard on the video having a talk with one cop about his ride ... which eventually led to questions about whether the 76-year-old had been drinking before getting behind the wheel.

La Russa initially said he hadn't had anything to drink ... but after cops told him he blew a .09 (the legal limit is .08), Tony then admitted he DID have a glass of wine before driving.

Tony was eventually placed in cuffs and thrown in the back of a squad car ... and that's when you can see in the footage, he became unhappy.

He griped about his cuffs, and then said, "I'm legitimate. I'm with the Angels. I'm a Hall of Famer."

In video, though, you can see at least one cop had no idea who La Russa was ... because an officer had to explain to the other La Russa's resume.

"He's a f***ing Hall of Famer," one officer said ... before adding, "This guy's like the Michael Jordan of baseball ... like World Series manager, like Manager of the Year."

La Russa -- who was hired as the Chicago White Sox manager just months after the arrest -- was ultimately hit with two misdemeanor DUI charges, though he struck a deal with prosecutors back in Dec. 2020 to close out the case.

Court records show La Russa agreed to plead guilty to a reduced charge of reckless driving ... and, in exchange, officials agreed to drop the other DUI charge.

La Russa was ordered to spend one day in jail -- though his attorney said the MLB manager was allowed to serve it via home confinement.

Kazan also said La Russa was ordered to pay a $1,300 fine and complete 20 hours of community service as part of his sentencing.

La Russa eventually opened up about the arrest in Feb. 2021, explaining, "It was an inexcusable mistake."

New details in the Marcell Ozuna domestic violence arrest -- cops say his wife claimed the MLB star threatened to kill her during a heated dispute "over an infidelity."

It's all in the booking report obtained by TMZ Sports ... in which Sandy Springs Police Officers describe what happened when they arrived to the Atlanta Braves star's Georgia home on May 29.

Two officers say they responded to a report of a domestic dispute -- and the alleged victim told them 30-year-old Ozuna had "took both her cell phones from the bathroom while she showered without her consent."

When she demanded Ozuna return the phones, Marcell allegedly refused -- and then "He threatened to kill her and she threatened to call 911," according to the report.

The woman told cops she took HIS cell phone and called 911 -- and that's when Ozuna tried to leave the property.

But, the woman claims she followed him outside and chased him around a vehicle.

Ultimately, the woman went back inside and locked the door -- and then grabbed a "large kitchen knife" to defend herself.

The woman claims Ozuna got back inside the house and "continued to yell and verbally abuse her."

The woman says she brandished the knife by her hip and "warned [Ozuna] that if he got closer, she was going to hurt him."

"She added that she was afraid for her life due to his aggressive behavior."

The woman says she eventually put the knife down -- but Ozuna continued to act aggressively ... at one point he "pushed his left hand and forearm, (which was in a hard cast) against her face, pushing her back and mushing her in the face with it several times."

The woman says she tussled with Ozuna and he pushed her onto the ground. He then grabbed her by the throat and held her up against the wall ... and that's when one of the officers entered the home and witnessed the strangulation.

Ozuna stopped the attack when he saw the cops, the report says.

Atlanta Braves star Marcell Ozuna was arrested for domestic violence on Saturday ... and is currently sitting in county jail in Georgia.

The 30-year-old outfielder was arrested by Sandy Springs PD (GA) and booked into Fulton County Jail (GA) earlier today for "Aggravated Assault Strangulation" and Battery on a family member, according to jail records.

The records indicate the alleged incident occurred on Saturday. The alleged victim is not identified.

The 2x All-Star -- who was placed on the IL after mangling his fingers at a play at 3rd base earlier this week -- is listed at 6'2", 237 lbs., per jail records.

The Braves -- who signed Ozuna to a 4-year, $65 million deal in 2020 -- issued a statement addressing the arrest.

"We learned of Marcell Ozuna's arrest earlier this evening and immediately informed the commissioner's office. The Braves fully support Major League Baseball's policy on domestic violence which stresses to the fullest that our society cannot and will not tolerate domestic violence in any form," the Braves said.

"Until the investigation is completed, we will have no further comment and all inquiries into the matter should be referred to the office of the commissioner."

FYI, Genesis Ozuna, Marcell's wife, was arrested in June 2020 for allegedly hitting the MLB star in the face with a soap dish.

Welp, they don't call him "El Mago" for nothing ...

Here's Javier Baez going OFF during the Cubs' game against the Pirates on Thursday ... completing what might very well be the most insane play in MLB history!!!

The crazy sequence all kicked off in the top of the 3rd inning at PNC Park ... when Baez hit a ground ball to 3rd base.

As Pittsburgh first baseman Will Craig received the throw from 3rd, though, he went to lazily tag Baez, who for some reason decided to run backward.

Instead of just stepping on 1st or even sprinting to get Baez out, Craig inexplicably jogged toward Javy -- and then all hell broke loose.

Chicago catcher Willson Contreras came home -- and because of Craig's indecisiveness, he actually scored!!!

But, it gets better ... 'cause after that, Javy ran to 1st, and Pittsburgh botched that play too -- underthrowing the toss, allowing Baez to reach 2nd on the play!!

Oh, and did we mention -- ALL OF THIS WAS WITH TWO OUTS IN THE INNING?!!?!

The official scoring goes down like this: "Javier Baez reached on fielder's choice, 3rd to 1st, Willson Contreras scored. Javier Baez to 2nd on Michael Perez's throwing error."

A naked fan had the time of his life during the Washington Nationals' rain delay Wednesday -- slipping and sliding all over the wet field -- and pics of the guy's joy ride are INCREDIBLE.

The scene all went down in D.C. ... when shortly after MLB officials paused the Nats' game against the Reds and tarped up the field due to heavy rain -- a dude stripped off his clothes and ran all over the place!!!

For several minutes, the fan -- dong out and butt fully exposed -- sprinted across the diamond and slid on the slippery field covering!!

In an amazing twist -- he ended up INSIDE the tarp roller to escape stadium security ... and video fans shot of him getting in the big tube is laugh out loud funny!!!

Eventually, authorities at the ballpark were able to get the streaker out ... but you can see in the photos -- he was happy as a clam while being taken off in handcuffs!!

It's unclear if the guy was hauled off to jail or just punished at the stadium ... we're working on it.

As for the game, the rain never really let up -- so it was suspended and will resume once the rain officially dissipates on Thursday afternoon.

WARNING: LOOK AWAY IF YOU'RE SQUEAMISH!!!

Atlanta Braves star Marcell Ozuna JACKED UP his hand sliding into a base during a game Tuesday night ... and there's worry he could now miss significant time over it all.

The gnarly injury all went down in the 3rd inning of the Braves game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park ... when Ozuna was trying to avoid a tag at third base.

In video of the play, you can see as the ATL outfielder went head-first into the bag ... his hand got caught on Red Sox star Rafael Devers' left foot.

Ozuna's fingers were crunched so badly at impact, TWO of them dislocated -- and the digits were apparently so wonky after the collision, players on the field had to look away!

Braves manager Brian Snitker said after the game the ring finger AND the middle finger on Ozuna's left hand were popped out of place ... and he's being sent back to Atlanta for further evaluation.

"I saw him," Snitker said. "He had splints on [the fingers]. He wasn't feeling real bad, but it did them both. So, they're just going to make sure everything's good in there."

Snitker continued, "Hopefully it's just, you know, put them back [in place] and he's a little stiff for a few days."

Ice up, Marcell ... and get better soon!

Ex-New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway -- who has been accused of several instances of sexual harassment over the past 5 years -- has been banned from the league until at least the 2023 season, MLB announced Wednesday.

46-year-old Callaway -- who most recently served as the Los Angeles Angels pitching coach -- has been under league investigation since 5 women came forward in February and alleged several instances of misconduct ... including sending unsolicited shirtless selfies and asking for nude photographs, among other claims.

MLB concluded its investigation and determined Callaway violated league policies. The league says placing Callaway on the Ineligible List is "warranted" through the completion of the 2022 season, when he will be eligible for reinstatement.

Callaway spoke about the punishment in a statement to ESPN minutes ago ... saying, "My family and I fully support MLB’s strong stance against harassment and discrimination and are grateful to the Commissioner and his office for their thorough investigation."

"I apologize to the women who shared with investigators any interaction that made them feel uncomfortable. To be clear, I never intended to make anyone feel this way and didn’t understand that these interactions might do that or violate MLB policies."

"However, those are my own blind spots, and I take responsibility for the consequences."

He added ... "In my 25 years in professional baseball, I have never taken for granted the privilege of being even a small part of this great game of ours."

"To say I regret my past poor choices would be an understatement. I remain hopeful that I can return to baseball when eligible at the conclusion of next season, but for now, I plan to work on my own shortcomings and repairing any damage I have caused with my colleagues and, particularly, my family."

So much for home-field advantage.

A massive crowd of Dodgers fans flocked to Minute Maid Park in Houston to watch L.A. take on the Astros on Tuesday ... and trolled the living hell outta the home team over the infamous cheating scandal!!

It was the first time fans were in attendance for a Dodgers vs. Astros game in Houston since the 2017 World Series -- which, of course, many believe was tainted due to the 'Stros' elaborate electronic sign-stealing operation.

"Cheaters!" chants? Check. Mean signs? Check. Blowup trash cans? Check. Dominant win for the Dodgers? Big ass check.

The scene was insanity as Clayton Kershaw led L.A. to an easy 9-2 win ... and you gotta think the Dodger fans taking over the stadium had to play a part in it.

Of course, Dodgers players and fans have refused to forgive the Astros for robbing them of a title in '17 ... and let their hatred ring from start to finish.

The signs were aplenty -- with fans saying things like "Read this sign ... you cheated!" and making references to the trash can that was used in the operation as the real MVP of the series.

Dodgers star Justin Turner was a huge fan of the support ... saying, "It was awesome. Some of the guys said tonight it finally felt like we were playing real baseball again."

"We knew it was going to be loud. We knew there was going to be energy in the building tonight. Our Dodger fans obviously traveled really well."

But, bad news for the 'Stros ... Pantone 294 -- the group that organized the takeover -- is teasing it's only gonna get worse for Houston on Wednesday night.

A baseball player in the Dominican Republic was so upset with an umpire ... he attacked the guy with his bat AND helmet -- and video of the incident is INSANE.

It all went down Sunday ... when MLB Insider Hector Gomez says Elvis LeBron lost his mind during a tournament game over an ump's balls and strikes calls.

You can see in the footage, LeBron exchanged several words with the man behind the plate after one call ... and the conversation got so heated, LeBron was ultimately tossed from the game.

The ejection, though, clearly enraged LeBron ... and video shows the baseball player decided to go nuclear.

LeBron shoved the ump in the face with his left hand, and violently swung his bat at the guy with his right hand.

The ump went crashing to the ground ... but LeBron's assault didn't stop there.

The clip shows LeBron then took off his helmet and fired it at the ump ... and then went after the guy again with his bat -- before other players and coaches intervened.

Fortunately, cooler heads ultimately prevailed ... but according to Gomez, LeBron was arrested by local police a short time later.

The ump, meanwhile, tried to finish out the game ... but he was taken to the hospital about an hour later to get checked out, Gomez says.

MLB pitcher Jordan Yamamoto says Mets fans spewed vile and nasty things toward his wife after his poor outing on the mound Sunday ... and now, he's pleading with them to stop.

Just hours after Yamamoto completely melted down in NY's 5-1 loss to the Miami Marlins ... the 25-year-old says Mets Twitter let his wife have it.

He claims she was on the receiving end of harassment and hatred ... and he issued a lengthy statement urging fans to please let it go.

"I know Twitter is sometimes not a very nice place and to some of you it may seem fun to troll people. But you don't go an harass my WIFE!" Yamamoto wrote.

"She isn't the one playing the game nor wearing the uniform!"

If you missed it, Yamamoto -- playing against his former Marlins team -- was not good at all Sunday ... allowing 6 hits, 2 walks and 5 runs in just 4 innings of work. He also suffered a shoulder injury during the game as well.

The pitcher acknowledged his poor performance in his statement Monday morning ... but begged Mets fans to direct their hate toward him -- not his family.

"They don't deserve that!" Jordan said. "No one deserves that."

It's unclear what exactly was said to Jordan's wife on the website ... but it is Twitter, so it ain't exactly hard to guess.

Felipe Vazquez -- once considered one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball -- has been found guilty of statutory sexual assault stemming from an inappropriate relationship with a 13-year-old girl.

The 2-time All-Star was arrested in 2019 following allegations Vasquez had sex with a 13-year-old girl in his Ford Mustang in Pennsylvania back in 2017 when he was 26.

Officials say the MLB closer also sent the girl graphic videos and photos -- and told her in text messages he was planning to have sex with her again.

The texts were discovered by the alleged victim's mother -- who alerted police. Investigators say the images depicted numerous "unique and distinguishable" tattoos on his body ... which they were able to match to Vazquez through public images on the Internet.

Prosecutors moved forward with 25 criminal charges against Vasquez -- including 10 counts of child pornography, 10 counts of unlawful contact with a minor and 1 count of corruption of minors.

But, on Thursday, the jury in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, found 29-year-old Vazquez guilty on 15 total counts -- including statutory sexual assault, sexual abuse of children, child pornography and corruption of minors.

The victim was in the courtroom with her family when the verdict was read, according to WPXI's Amy Hudak ... who also shot video of Vazquez returning to jail Thursday evening following his conviction.

Vazquez now faces serious prison time when the sentencing portion of the case begins -- and he could also be deported to Venezuela.

It's been 3 days since Kevin Pillar was drilled in the nose by a 94-MPH fastball ... and yeah, his face still looks like hell.

The MLB star showed off another selfie of the battle wounds he suffered after Jacob Webb accidentally pounded his mug with a heater during the Mets-Braves game on Monday night ... and it's still VERY bad.

You can see in the pic, Pillar's got two awful black eyes ... and the scrape on his nose is still bloody.

His whole face, meanwhile, is puffed up like a marshmallow -- but somehow, the dude still appears to be in great spirits.

"For those who have been asking: Still feeling good," the 32-year-old Mets outfielder captioned his pic.

"Ready to get my nose functional again so I can breathe out of it. Will be back soon!"

As we previously reported, the Mets say Pillar suffered multiple nasal fractures after he was hit by the pitch ... and have said he's meeting with doctors and specialists to see how to proceed with the injury going forward.

Pillar, meanwhile, said the day after the incident he wanted to get back to the field ASAP.