New York Yankees

Domingo German received ALL of the love after throwing a perfect game Wednesday night ... getting a hero's welcome at the Yankees' team hotel -- and TMZ Sports has video of it!!

The star pitcher showed up to the swanky San Francisco spot just minutes after making history in an 11-0 win over the A's at the Oakland Coliseum -- and you can see in the footage, a TON of fans showed up to celebrate his moment with him.

As soon as he stepped off the bus, Pinstripes supporters cheered loudly ... and showered him with "Perfect game!" chants.

German was so grateful for the warm responses -- he spent a few moments signing autographs for those who lined up.

One of the fans who was there tells us ... German appeared super happy the entire time, thanking everyone there for their support.

Of course, the 30-year-old deserved all of the praise after his performance on the mound ... his nine flawless innings marked just the 24th time in MLB history that a pitcher has been perfect throughout a night at the ballpark.

No word yet on how the party was when Domingo got inside the hotel ... but the Yanks had a day game Thursday afternoon -- so it probably wasn't too rowdy.

4:04 PM PT -- It's a good thing Wemby is a great basketball player, 'cause the prospect's first pitch was quite the stinker ... flying waaaay outta the strike zone and past the catcher.

Wemby was a good sport over it all ... smiling as he made his way to home plate after the toss.

It was pretty expected, though -- after all, baseball ain't the biggest sport in France.

Keep your head up, buddy!!

Future NBA star Victor Wembanyama is throwing the first pitch at the New York Yankees game on Tuesday ... and the giant hooper showed off just how massive he is prior to the ceremonial toss by covering a baseball with his whole hand!!

The soon-to-be San Antonio Spur shared a snap of himself holding a baseball leading up to the big moment ... and the 7'5" athlete made the damn thing look more like a golf ball.

"Lmaooooo," Wemby said on Instagram ... fully aware that he is a freak of nature.

The French superstar was friendly as usual with fans before the game ... signing autographs as he rocked a Yankee jersey and a pair of unreleased Nike x Drake kicks.

As we previously reported, Wemby touched down in the States on Monday ... and was bombarded by supporters, which was a glimpse of what the rest of his life will look like.

The game starts at 4 PM PT ... and Wemby will take the mound prior to the Yankees' tilt against the Seattle Mariners.

Yankees and White Sox fans might have to wait another day to watch their teams play ... TMZ Sports has confirmed the MLB is considering postponing Wednesday's game due to smoke coming from ongoing wildfires in Canada.

A spokesperson for the league tells us ... the contest between the two squads is still on for now, but if the conditions get worse or become too dangerous for the players and fans, they will postpone the game.

The rep also told us the league is communicating with health and weather experts ... and will make a decision based on their recommendations.

As you know, smoky conditions from the Canadian fires have dramatically affected the air quality in NYC (and the Northeast), prompting the National Weather Service to warn residents that the air quality is "unhealthy."

In fact, video shot from inside Yankee Stadium earlier Wednesday shows the venue and the sky above it were hardly recognizable.

An MLB postponement due to air quality is not unprecedented ... back in Sept. 2020, the Mariners vs. Giants game in Seattle was moved after wildfire smoke had seriously impacted the Pacific Northwest.

The Yanks-Sox game is currently slated to go down at 7:05 PM ET. The two -- who played their series opener in New York on Tuesday night -- are scheduled to wrap up their three-game set on Thursday.

Before Aaron Judge attempts to swipe bags at Dodger Stadium ... he loaded up shopping bags in Beverly Hills -- spending some of his fat, new contract on Rodeo Drive!!!

The Yankees superstar was spotted out with his wife on the famous strip in L.A. the day before New York kicks off its much-anticipated series with the Dodgers ... and it's clear, he wasn't having any issues breaking out his wallet.

The 31-year-old was seen holding multiple bags from Prada -- and while it's not yet known what exactly was inside of them -- it's safe to say the items didn't come cheap!

Of course, Judge ain't sweating price tags much these days ... the outfielder just inked a 9-year, $360 million agreement with the Yanks this offseason -- so, yeah, throw down that credit card!!

Judge seemed to be relaxed and happy while on his day off ... a great sign for the Yankees -- as the weekend series promises to be an eventful one.

Both L.A. and NY are well over .500 this season ... and many expect the two to be legit World Series contenders by the end of the year.

Turns out, not every Yankee fan was in a good mood following the Bronx Bombers' thrilling walk-off win on Tuesday ... 'cause several Pinstripes supporters were seen getting into a brawl on a New York sidewalk following the victory -- and it was wild!!

According to a witness who posted video of the skirmish on Twitter ... the altercation happened after the combatants initially began arguing inside Billy's Sports Bar -- a popular watering hole located just feet from Yankee Stadium.

The social media user said despite Anthony Volpe's clutch, 9th-inning sacrifice fly that gave the Yanks a 6-5 win over the Orioles ... the argument escalated into a full-on fight outside of the restaurant.

You can see in the footage, two men clad in Yankees jerseys jumped on top of each other on the sidewalk ... and began wrestling. Not long after, fists started to fly.

Another man jumped into the scene in an apparent attempt to break things up -- which only enraged a woman nearby.

The video shows the woman threw a few punches of her own ... before, thankfully, cooler heads prevailed.

It's unclear if any arrests were made -- we've reached out to authorities, but so far, no word back yet.

Derek Jeter's on full-time daddy duty, but that didn't stop him from catching some playoff basketball, pulling up to Game 4 of the Heat vs. Celtics series in Miami with his wife Hannah ... just 18 days after their son was born!

And, HJ looks amazing!

Cameras captured The Captain throughout the evening ... as he chatted with his wife as the Celtics looked to avoid the sweep at the hands of Jimmy Butler's Heat squad.

Of course, DJ and Hannah -- who got married in 2016 -- have been on cloud nine since announcing their son, Kaius Green Jeter, was born on May 5.

The couple now has 4 kids.

Derek and Hannah weren't the only celeb in the building ... PGA Champion Brooks Koepka, actor Jeremy Piven, and Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards were there, too.

Derek's former Yankees teammate, Alex Rodriguez, a minority owner with the T-Wolves, was also at the game.

What's interesting ... no NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit, but it has happened in baseball.

Ear muffs, Yankees fans.

Jeter and A-Rod starred on the infamous 2004 NYY team that blew a 3-0 lead to the Boston Red Sox, the first time in MLB history.

Several Yankees fans nearly got a lapful of peanuts, Cracker Jacks and squirrel out at the old ballgame Tuesday night -- and the Pinstripes supporters couldn't have been more mortified by it!!!

The Animal Planet-like scene all went down during New York's tilt against the Baltimore Orioles ... when, somehow, a squirrel broke into Yankee Stadium and took an in-game jaunt around the outfield.

First, it was seen posted up near the Yanks' bullpen ... then it was spotted in the center field grass. But, when it made its way near the stands, that's when all hell broke loose.

Check out video of rodent's run across an outfield wall -- fans were absolutely terrified to be so close to the creature!!

You can see most of the guys in the area had alarmed looks on their faces -- which is not too surprising ... considering New York is, after all, known as a concrete jungle.

Don't worry, no one was bit by the creature -- and as far we know, no squirrels were harmed during the game. Plus, the Yanks seemed to get some good mojo by it all ... going on to beat the O's, 6-5, in a walk-off thriller.

The Toronto Blue Jays will have to do a little outfield redecorating today ... and it's all 'cause Aaron Judge hit a baseball so hard, it damaged a sign at their stadium!!

The Yankees captain slugged the blast in the top of the eighth inning of NY's tilt with Toronto at the Rogers Centre on Tuesday night ... and the ball traveled so far and with so much velocity, that when it landed, it smashed through a maple leaf ad that had been hung in deep center field.

Check out the footage of the moonshot home run -- you can see when it came down, it took off a corner of the billboard ... leaving fans in the area in disbelief.

According to the MLB's Statcast, the exit velocity on Judge's swing was 113.1 MPH -- and the ball went a total of 448 feet -- making it one of the most powerful dingers that's been hit so far this year.

No word yet on who'll have to pay for the damage -- but if does come out of Judge's pocket ... it's certainly a check he won't mind writing.

The two-run bomb ultimately gave the Pinstripes a 5-3 win ... an extra sweet feeling for the outfielder, given that the Blue Jays had essentially accused him of cheating just a day earlier.

If you missed it, Judge was seen on camera looking off to NY's dugout a couple times during one of his at-bats on Monday ... before hitting a home run. The side-eye caused a ton of chirping from Toronto's locker room.

Judge insisted he was simply looking at his teammate to get them to calm down during his AB -- but the Blue Jays didn't seem to be buying it ... 'cause they were sure upset at the Yanks throughout Tuesday's game.

Somebody get a pinstriped onesie -- Derek and Hannah Jeter just welcomed their fourth child together ... and it's a boy!!

The couple shared the news on Monday ... announcing Kaius Green Jeter was born on May 5.

"Welcome to the world lil man!!!" the Yankees legend said on Instagram.

The new arrival comes as a surprise to pretty much everyone -- the two kept the whole thing a secret throughout the pregnancy, which the Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model has done in the past.

Derek and Hannah -- who got engaged in 2015 and tied the knot a year later -- also have three other children together ... Bella (5), Story (4) and River (1).

It's an amazing time for the happy couple ... and we're sure Derek can't wait 'til Kaius gets old enough to play catch in the backyard.

Of course, the kid can be a quantum physicist if he wants ... but new Yankees shortstop coming in a couple decades?!?!

The "f***ing c***" barb that ex-ESPN reporter Marly Rivera hurled at a female journalist earlier this month was captured on video ... and in the footage, obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see it all went down right in front of Aaron Judge.

The incident -- which resulted in ESPN firing Rivera from her role as a national baseball reporter earlier this week -- happened on April 18 at Yankee Stadium ... just before New York took on the Los Angeles Angels in the Bronx.

According to the New York Post, Rivera had set up an interview with Judge ... but grew frustrated when freelance reporter Ivón Gaete showed up at the same time looking to speak with the Yankees superstar as well.

The video shows Rivera got so livid with Gaete -- who the Post reported had been at the stadium to cover Angels star Shohei Ohtani for Tokyo Broadcasting -- she began to raise her voice at the woman in Spanish ... as Judge signed autographs and posed for pics with fans just feet away.

At one point, Rivera rolled her eyes and called Gaete a "f***ing c***."

Gaete was clearly taken aback by the remark -- and asked a nearby camera person if they had caught it on video.

The two reporters then lingered around Judge for several moments. When he finally left the area, it seemed Rivera wanted to apologize ... but it didn't appear Gaete was willing to accept it.

ESPN said on Wednesday it had parted ways with Rivera following the encounter. Rivera, meanwhile, told the Post she fully accepted responsibility for her actions.

"There were extenuating circumstances but that in no way is an excuse for my actions," Rivera said. "I am a professional with a sterling reputation across baseball and I do believe that I am being singled out by a group of individuals with whom I have a long history of professional disagreements."

Rivera has since deleted her social media pages.

John Smoltz is all in on the MLB's new rule changes ... telling TMZ Sports he thinks they're going to have a huge, positive impact on the game.

"With the rule changes to get the game action-packed again," the Braves legend said, "I think it's going to be phenomenal."

The league introduced a slew of new regulations for 2023 ... putting a timer on pitchers and hitters, making bases bigger and banning teams from implementing defensive shifts in their infields.

They've only been in place for two days (outside of spring training) ... but Smoltz is already loving what he's seeing.

In fact, the 55-year-old ex-Atlanta closer says he wishes there was a pitch clock back in his day!!

"Everything about what's gone on, and what is going on, is going to be, at the end of the day, people are going to look back and go, 'What an exciting year,'" the Hall of Famer said.

Smoltz also sent a message to the baseball purists who have been upset with the changes -- explaining they're really no different than the implementation of shot clocks in the NBA and play clocks in the NFL.

Move over, Pete Davidson ... there's a new hunk on Martha Stewart's radar -- New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge!!

The 81-year-old businesswoman had an up close look at her new crush at the Bronx Bombers' Opening Day game at Yankee Stadium on Thursday ... and she wasn't shy about liking what she saw after Judge hit a dinger in his first trip to the plate.

"No 99 just paid off a fraction of his massive contract," Stewart said on Instagram alongside a pic she shot of the Yankees captain. "Home run on first time at bat opening day!!! Handsome dude!!"

Martha has been pretty open about her feelings toward celebs lately -- remember, she said on "The Drew Barrymore Show" she'd be down to go on a date with Davidson after things with Kim Kardashian fell apart.

Unfortunately for Martha, Aaron's already spoken for -- he's been married to Samantha Bracksieck since 2021 -- but, hey, she can always enjoy the view from her front-row seat!!

Forget the AL record ... Aaron Judge is now on pace to break the single-season MLB home run mark too -- after he blasted a dinger in his first at-bat on the Yankees' Opening Day Thursday!!

Judge just hit the tater off of SF Giants star Logan Webb -- smashing a baseball 422 feet over the centerfield wall at Yankee Stadium.

The pitch was just the second one Judge had seen all day -- and he was clearly thrilled with how far he sent it ... rounding the bases with a smile on his face.

When he got back to the dugout -- the party was on ... as all of his NY teammates mobbed him!!

Of course, we saw this a helluva lot last season -- Judge hit 62 bombs in 2022, breaking Roger Maris' American League record.

Some, though, wondered if he could keep it up in '23, as the pressure of signing a 9-year, $360 MILLION contract ain't exactly easy to deal with.

But, seems the 30-year-old ain't fazed one bit by the newfound pact with the Yankees -- which also included naming him team captain -- and 74 home runs suddenly appear obtainable.

If you're going to MLB Opening Day on Thursday ... ya better bring your appetite -- 'cause several teams are rollin' out some new food items for the season -- and most are absolutely massive!!

Nearly every club will kick off 2023 with new and intriguing menu options ... including the Texas Rangers -- who recently unveiled a two-foot-long burger that's topped with onion rings and chili called, "The Boomstick Burger."

Not to be outdone, the Miami Marlins showed this week they'll be offering a 34-inch "Cubano Gigante" -- a huge sandwich that features sliced ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, mustard and a secret sauce.

The New York Yankees, meanwhile, chose to honor Aaron Judge yet again with a food item ... after handing out the "62" bacon cheeseburger in last year's playoffs, they're now selling the "99 Burger," which comes with eight ounces of Wagyu beef. There is a caveat, though -- the team says it'll only sell 99 per game!!

The Rays and the White Sox are also hockin' some big dishes for their fans to consume -- Tampa's offering a half-pound pretzel dog, while Chicago's doling out a half-pound weiner called "The Champagne of Dogs."

Former NY Yankees star John Wetteland -- months after a jury failed to reach a verdict during trial -- is now free and clear after prosecutors moved to drop all felony aggravated sexual assault charges against the former All-Star closer.

According to court records obtained by TMZ Sports, all three charges were dropped against 56-year-old Wetteland after the D.A. failed to retry the 1996 World Series hero who was accused of forcing a four-year-old child, a relative, to perform sexual acts on him between in his bedroom between 2004 and 2006.

Wetteland always adamantly denied the allegations and pled not guilty at trial.

As we previously reported, Wetteland was arrested in January 2019 and hit with multiple child sexual abuse charges. He was facing 25 years to life in prison if convicted. JW finally went to trial in late 2022, but a jury of 12 couldn't reach a verdict -- guilty or not -- and a judge declared a mistrial on September 2.

Following the hung jury, a juror told local media they were split 10-2, and although the juror didn't explicitly say the 10 votes were "not guilty," the juror indicated most wanted to acquit.

Of course, MLB fans are familiar with the 3x All-Star closer. Back in 1996, when the Yankees came back from two games down against the Atlanta Braves, Wetteland was named the World Series Most Valuable Player.

Due to the rise of young relief pitcher, Mariano Rivera, Wetteland went to the Texas Rangers in 1997 ... and stayed in Arlington until retiring after the 2000 season.

He was inducted into the Rangers Hall of Fame in 2005.

Despite being arrested and charged, Wetteland was never found guilty.

Derek Jeter says he was slumping so terribly back in the 2004 season -- he turned to none other than a golden thong to get him out of his rut.

Seriously.

The former Yankees captain made the surprising -- and hilarious -- revelation while playing a game called "True Confessions" with Jimmy Fallon and Rita Ora on Wednesday night's "The Tonight Show."

Jeter was forced to pick one of two topics, and his two cohosts had to guess if he was telling the truth or not.

"I once wore a thong, in public, in front of thousands of people," Jeter said.

Both Fallon and Ora thought it was a fib -- but the ex-NY shortstop said it was, in fact, a real tale.

Jeter explained ... back in 2002, he got a new teammate who swore up and down that wearing a golden thong would get him out of any slump.

Jeter initially thought it was a load of B.S. -- but at the start of the '04 season, he hit an offensive rut that he had never seen before.

"Every day I'd walk in, [my teammate] would point at the thong," Jeter said. "So, finally, I wore the thong."

First pitch of his first at-bat? Home run for Jeets.

"Yes, yes," Jeter said. "That is true."

The game was said to be the Yanks' April 29, 2004 contest against the Oakland A's. Records show he was in an 0-for-32 skid before cracking a dinger off Barry Zito at Yankee Stadium.

As for who the golden thong's true owner was? According to a 2015 interview on the Dan Le Batard Show, it was none other than Jason Giambi.

"The golden thong is legendary," JG said during the '15 discussion on ESPN Radio. "It's never not gotten a hit."

By the way, if you're wondering about the hygiene of it all -- don't worry, Jeter said there was no thong-to-skin contact.

"I had shorts on underneath," he said. "I put the thong over the shorts."