MLB

Shohei Ohtani says he was unbothered by the accent Jack Morris used on the broadcast during one of his at-bats Tuesday ... saying, "I'm not offended and I didn’t take anything personally."

"He is a Hall of Famer," the Angels superstar said of Morris through an interpreter on Wednesday night. "He has a big influence in the baseball world. It's kind of a tough spot."

If you missed it ... Morris -- a Detroit Tigers analyst -- was suspended indefinitely Wednesday after he made offensive comments during Detroit's tilt with L.A. on Tuesday.

Just before Ohtani -- who is Japanese -- stepped to the plate in the 6th inning, Morris used an accent that many felt was mocking Asians.

"Be very, very careful," Morris said on the broadcast.

Morris eventually apologized three innings later ... but Bally Sports Detroit ultimately still decided to suspend him, calling the remarks "insensitive."

The Tigers, for their part, backed the decision, saying, "We are deeply disappointed by the comments made by Jack Morris during the broadcast."

White Sox ace Lance Lynn was thrown out of a game Wednesday night ... after he hurled his belt at an umpire during a foreign substance check.

The bizarre scene all went down after the fourth inning of Chicago's tilt with the Oakland A's, when third-base ump Nic Lentz attempted to check Lynn's gear for sticky stuff.

Lynn, clearly upset that Lentz didn't make a quicker effort to get to him before he got to the dugout, left his hat and his glove at the steps for Lentz to check.

When Lentz asked to see Lynn's belt too ... that's when the 34-year-old pitcher took it off and straight-up tossed it at the guy.

Immediately, Lynn was ejected ... and both the right-hander and Sox manager Tony La Russa came out of the dugout to argue.

Alas, Lynn's ejection was upheld ... and after the game, he was NOT a happy man over it all.

"[Lentz] was late getting over," Lynn said, "so I left my glove and my hat, and then while I was going down in the dugout, trying to see the trainers because I'm dealing with something, he yells at me that he needs to see my belt."

"So I toss it up and then he throws me out."

Lynn continued, "Obviously, I hurt his feelings ... he threw me out because I tossed my belt, and I said, 'Well, if you were on time, we wouldn't have this problem.'"

For his part, La Russa didn't necessarily disagree with the call ... saying players shouldn't be throwing equipment at umps.

Detroit Tigers analyst Jack Morris apologized on-air Tuesday night ... after he used an offensive accent before an at-bat by Angels star Shohei Ohtani.

Just before the L.A. designated hitter -- who's Japanese -- stepped up to the plate in the 6th inning of the Halos' game against the Tigers ... Morris tried to be funny on the broadcast by using an accent that many felt was mocking Asians.

"Be very, very careful," Morris said when asked by play-by-play man Matt Shepard how the Tigers should pitch to the hitter.

Morris' remarks were immediately panned on social media ... with critics calling them racist and offensive.

In fact, the backlash grew so loud ... Morris issued an apology for the words just 3 innings later.

"Well, folks, Shohei Ohtani is coming to the plate and it's been brought to my attention, and I sincerely apologize if I offended anybody, especially anybody in the Asian community for what I said about pitching and being careful to Shohei Ohtani," Morris said.

"I did not intend for any offensive thing and I apologize if I did. I certainly respect and have the utmost respect for this guy and don't blame a pitcher for walking him."

Morris -- a former MLB pitcher who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018 -- has been analyzing games on broadcasts for years ... helping call tilts for the Blue Jays, Twins and Tigers.

Oakland A's pitcher Chris Bassitt was taken off the field on a stretcher while bleeding profusely from his face Tuesday night ... after he was terrifyingly struck by a line drive.

The MLB ace -- who was one of the best starters in baseball this year -- threw an offspeed pitch to Brian Goodwin in the 2nd inning of the A's tilt with the White Sox in Chicago when tragedy struck.

Goodwin rocketed the baseball right back where it came from ... and Bassitt couldn't get out of the way in enough time.

Video shows the ball hit the 32-year-old near his right eye area, and he crumpled in pain while his teammates looked on in horror.

Footage shows Bassitt was bleeding heavily from his face ... and he was ultimately rushed to the hospital.

After the game, Oakland manager Bob Melvin didn't take questions from media but said Bassitt was "conscious" the entire time.

"We don't think the eye is a problem at this point," Melvin said. "It felt like it was below it. He's got some cuts. They had to do some stitches."

"He's in a scan and we'll know more about potential fractures tomorrow."

Bassitt was incredible for the A's this season before the injury ... compiling a 12-4 record with a 3.22 ERA.

Get well soon.

Former MLB All-Star Felipe Vazquez has just been sentenced to 2 to 4 years behind bars ... after he was convicted of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl.

A spokesperson for the Westmoreland District Attorney's Office confirmed to TMZ Sports that Vazquez was also sentenced to 2 years probation as well.

The sentencing comes three months after a jury found Vazquez guilty of 15 total charges -- including statutory sexual assault, sexual abuse of children, child pornography and corruption of minors.

As we previously reported, prosecutors alleged that Vazquez had sex with a 13-year-old girl in his Ford Mustang in Pennsylvania in 2017 when he was 26 years old.

Prosecutors say the former Pittsburgh Pirates closer -- who was named an MLB All-Star in 2018 and 2019 -- then sent the girl graphic videos and photos, and messaged her with plans to have sex with her again.

In his trial, 30-year-old Vazquez denied knowing the girl's age ... but did not deny having a sexual relationship with her.

An MLB game was paused for several moments Monday night ... after a fan ran onto the field and pretended to throw pitches on the mound.

The bizarre scene all went down during the Mets vs. Giants game at Oracle Park in San Francisco ... when a guy in a Padres jersey bolted from his seat and jumped onto the field.

You can see in footage from the ballpark ... the guy ran around the infield grass for several seconds before he hopped onto the bump and went through an entire pre-pitch routine.

He toed the rubber, pretended to shake off Buster Posey's signs ... and then made a move toward second base.

Three security guards, though, eventually corralled the dude and tackled him to the ground ... and then escorted him off the field through the dugout.

The woman accusing Trevor Bauer of sexual assault testified in court against the MLB star on Monday ... telling a judge the Dodgers pitcher treated her "like a rag doll" during two sexual encounters in April and May.

The 27-year-old -- who's seeking to obtain a permanent restraining order against Bauer -- spoke on the stand for roughly 4 hours in a Los Angeles courtroom ... and explained in graphic detail how she says Bauer sexually assaulted her.

The woman was questioned by her attorneys (she's expected to be cross-examined by Bauer's legal team as proceedings continue Tuesday) ... and said she was flat-out in "so much pain" after her experiences with the pitcher.

"He was treating me like I wasn't a human being," the woman said.

Bauer's accuser also showed a judge how she says the Dodgers star choked her unconscious with her own hair during their two encounters.

Bauer, meanwhile, sat in the courtroom for the hearing ... and was described as quiet and stoic as the questioning of his accuser unfolded.

Bauer -- who has been adamant the sexual encounters with his accuser were entirely consensual -- is expected to take the stand at some point during the proceedings this week.

As we previously reported, Bauer's accuser obtained a temporary restraining order against the 30-year-old in June ... and is now looking for a judge to make it a permanent one.

A 110-year-old Honus Wagner card -- one of the most coveted pieces of sports memorabilia -- just SMASHED the previous record sale price for a card ... selling for $6.6 MILLION!!

As we previously reported, the "holy grail" 1909-1911 T206 Wagner card recently hit the Robert Edwards Auction block ... and was expected to bring in over $6 million.

Well, that's exactly what happened ... after 26 bids, the card sold for a record price of $6.6 million!!

"This is the Mona Lisa of baseball cards," Robert Edwards' President told us, "and it’s a statement piece of epic proportions."

FYI, the previous record price belonged to a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle rookie card and a LeBron James rookie card that both sold in 2021 for $5.2 million.

The Wagner card -- graded VG 3 (very good) by graders at SGC -- was made by American Tobacco Company ... and only about 50 to 60 are known to exist.

The identity of the (very wealthy) buyer is not known.

During his 21-year career -- mostly with the Pittsburgh Pirates -- Wagner had 3,430 hits, 101 home runs, 722 stolen bases with a batting average of .329!

Honus also shares the NL record for the most batting titles (8) ever.

Another woman accused Trevor Bauer of physically assaulting her during sex, according to the Washington Post, who reports the accuser was granted a restraining order against the star pitcher in 2020.

However, Bauer claims the woman flat out lied ... and says her objective was to extort him out of millions of dollars.

On Saturday, The Washington Post reported a woman from Ohio previously accused the Cy Young award-winning pitcher of choking and punching her without consent while having sex with Bauer in 2017.

The Post also reported TB sent a threatening text to the woman, allegedly writing he didn't "feel like spending time in jail for killing someone" ... continuing, "And that's what would happen if I saw you again."

WaPo say court officials granted the woman a restraining order against Bauer in June 2020 -- after she received the menacing text.

The Post also says they've seen alleged injury photos the woman claims were sustained at the hands of Bauer. When shown the photos, the pitchers reps questioned the validity of the images, according to WP.

But, Bauer -- who himself has not addressed allegations of abuse since being accused in June 2021 -- finally broke his silence Saturday ... addressing accusations brought forth in the Post's story.

TB called the allegations "baseless" on social media, claiming he was the real victim of "a woman who has not only harassed and physically assaulted me but who also attempted to extort me for millions last year in exchange for her not coming forward with false claims."

Trevor Bauer says his assault accuser appeared to have edited her injury photos to make them seem worse than what they were ... and claims the woman later had hopes of striking a "major cash" settlement with the MLB star.

It's all spelled out in fiery new court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, in which Bauer and his attorneys argue his accuser's request for a permanent domestic violence restraining order should be denied.

Of course, the woman claims Bauer gave her black eyes, bruises and other injuries during sex she did not consent to.

In the docs, Bauer's lawyers claim his accuser's text messages and emails to friends and legal team show the woman was not sexually assaulted by Bauer, but rather show she had simply wanted to end the Dodgers pitcher's career.

Bauer's attorneys also claim the woman had hoped to ultimately gain a monetary settlement from Bauer after she had filed for her initial temporary restraining order against him earlier this summer.

In the docs, Bauer's attorneys say the photos that the woman provided in her June TRO request "appear to be edited or filtered in a manner to give a misleading or false impression of her injuries."

They also say messages with her legal team show she had hoped Bauer would "offer me major cash then make me sign an nda" in a settlement.

Bauer's attorneys made it clear in the docs, though, that "no settlements or cash offers have or ever will be made."

Bauer's attorneys reiterated their stance that they believe the two sexual encounters between the baseball player and the woman in April and May were entirely consensual.

"[Bauer's accuser] has taken a proceeding designed to prevent future acts of 'domestic violence,' and turned it into a tool for attracting media attention and attempting to end [Bauer's] baseball career," Bauer's attorneys wrote.

As we previously reported, for weeks, Bauer and his legal team have said the 30-year-old committed no wrongdoing in his encounters with his accuser.

The MLB's Field Of Dreams replica officially has Ray Kinsella's stamp of approval ... 'cause Kevin Costner visited it this week and GUSHED over the ballpark, calling it "perfect."

Costner -- who played Kinsella in the 1989 classic baseball movie -- got a tour of the Dyersville, Iowa field just before the Yanks and the White Sox play there Thursday night, and his reaction was awesome.

The 66-year-old walked through the bleachers and stepped on the infield grass ... and was astonished, looking around in bewilderment at how the MLB made the fictional field come to life for an actual game.

"Wow," Costner said. "Feels perfect. Every bit of it."

Of course, the endorsement is big for the MLB ... 'cause if anyone knows what the Field of Dreams is supposed to look like, it's Costner.

The actor absolutely crushed the role as Kinsella more than 3 decades ago ... helping make the movie and the line "If you build it, he will come" a piece of American history.

As for baseball players ... they're loving the idea of the park and the game too -- with Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz fawning over it all on their visit there this week.

Two Detroit Tigers players crashed into each other in the outfield Tuesday night ... and the collision was so violent, both guys had to leave the game with injuries.

It all went down in the 8th inning of the Tigers' tilt against the Orioles in Baltimore ... when Akil Baddoo and Derek Hill went after a fly ball that was hit to left-center field.

You can see in the footage, the guys were both so laser-focused on the ball ... neither saw each other, and slammed their bodies together HARD.

The collision was nasty -- it popped Baddoo's hat straight off his head -- and both men landed on the ground with a ton of force.

The guys were able to walk off the field after a lengthy delay ... but, afterward, Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said the two were dealing with injuries.

Hinch said Baddoo had a shoulder problem and was being looked at for a possible concussion. Hill, Hinch said, was being checked for possible rib issues.

"When I got out there, obviously a couple trainers out there with me, both guys were pretty beat up and in a lot of pain," Hinch said. "Very scary incident.''

Lewis Brinson says it's time to retire "Dinger" -- or at least change the Rockies mascot's name -- explaining the Colorado character's moniker is just too similar to the n-word.

The Miami Marlins outfielder spoke in-depth with reporters on Monday for the first time since Sunday's drama in Denver ... and it seems his solution to the issues that were created at Coors Field would be for the Rockies to just move on from the mascot's current name.

"Maybe change the mascot's name," Brinson said. "It sounds a little similar, especially on video."

If you missed it ... many believed a fan behind home plate repeatedly called Brinson the n-word during one of his at-bats in Sunday's Marlins vs. Rockies tilt.

Both teams' broadcasts picked up the audio ... and it seemed BAD.

After an investigation, though, the Rockies said they confirmed the fan did NOT say the n-word ... but was rather screaming out for the team's mascot, Dinger.

Brinson was asked about all of that before his game against the Padres on Monday ... and it appears he isn't necessarily buying that explanation.

Brinson told reporters when he watched back the video, the n-word seems clear to him.

"So I watched the video at least 50 times in the past 15-16 hours," Brinson said. "I watched it a lot, especially when I heard that he said 'Dinger' instead of the n-word.''

"I personally -- this is, again, my personal opinion -- I personally keep hearing the n-word. It's not that I want to hear it, I never want to hear it."

But, Brinson did add, "If he was yelling for the mascot, I am sorry for any backlash or any unnecessary attention he's getting right now."

The Rockies have said there is no punishment coming for the fan. They've also added they have no plans to change their mascot's name.

Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is paying tribute to Kobe and Gianna Bryant ... by getting some incredible custom cleats -- and he's giving a pair to Vanessa!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 22-year-old star has been wanting to honor the late Lakers legend and Gigi on his feet for more than a year.

VG specifically wanted to cop the tribute cleats for the Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels series ...  so he hit up New Jersey artist Michael Jordan for the job.

Jordan tells us he started the project back in June to make sure the All-Star Game MVP got 'em on time -- and the finished product is awesome!!!

The white and black Jordan cleats feature a detailed image of Gigi in her Mamba Academy gear and Kobe in his Lakers uniform.

It also has Gigi's jersey #2 and both Kob's #8 and #24 splattered on the whole sneaker -- as well as their nicknames Mamba and Mambacita.

The all purple pair showcases some father and daughter moments -- Kobe celebrating with Gigi after winning the 2009 Finals ... and the duo sitting courtside at a Lakers game in 2019.

It also has a quote from Beyonce's song "XO," "your love is bright as ever" ... the same song she sang at Bryant's memorial service at the Staples Center in February 2020.

We're told the free-handed artwork took a total of 60 hours ... and VG will give the purple pair to Vanessa Bryant after the series.

The fan accused of hurling the n-word during Sunday's Rockies game might've gotten a raw deal -- because upon further review ... it appears he was screaming to the team's mascot, Dinger.

A new video has surfaced, and showing the fan in question sitting behind home plate, and apparently waving/screaming to the mascot ... Dinger the dinosaur who was across the way. Notice how the dude waves and where he's looking.

And, as you listen ... it does, indeed, sound like he could've been saying "Dinger!" ... instead of the n-word. Some still aren't convinced though -- saying they can't quite hear the "d" sound -- but in our minds ... this context pretty much clears it up, and clears the man's name.

Frankly, someone would've pointed him out in the moment if he had, in fact, said the n-word. That kinda explains why the Rockies said they hadn't located the dude after the fact.

While the team came out and fully condemned what most people thought they'd heard at first, it now appears it's perhaps much ado about nothing. Understandable that the confusion arose in the first place, however ... because during the broadcast, it DID sound bad.

As we reported ... the alleged slur was heard toward the end of the game, when Marlins OF Lewis Brinson was at-bat at the top of the 9th -- having taken ball 2 and already clocking a couple hits in the game. He did appear to turn around and acknowledge the yelling.

Anyway, good to know where the team and the media members who cover the team stand on the issue -- namely, against racism and racist rhetoric -- which is encouraging to hear. But, with that said ... maybe it's time to consider a new face/name for the franchise in light of this.

Dinger might be just a little too close to something else, it appears.

An MLB fan who ran onto the field mid-game Sunday was flipped over a wall by an L.A. Dodgers ball girl ... and video of the scene is absolutely wild!!!

It all went down during the Dodgers' tilt with the Angels at Dodger Stadium ... when a fan hopped over fencing and sprinted around the outfield.

You can see in footage shot by fans in the stands ... the dude was MOVING -- outrunning more than half a dozen security guards.

But, when a ball girl stepped in front of him ... his joyride ended rather quickly -- 'cause she shoved him over the wall, sending him tumbling head over heels!!!

The tackle was met with a HUGE roar of applause from the stadium ... and it helped security guards pounce on the guy and get him down before he could get away.

As for the action on the diamond ... the Dodgers made easy work of the Angels -- winning 8-2, with Albert Pujols starring in the contest.