World Series

Washington Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki tells TMZ Sports he had a BLAST at the White House with President Trump ... even with that bizarre hug from POTUS!

You know the hug ... when Trump basically recreated that famous "Titanic" shot with the catcher while honoring the World Series champs earlier this week. Weird!

"We all had a good time," 36-year-old Suzuki said ... while revealing he had no idea Trump was going to hit him with the sneak embrace!

There was some controversy surrounding the trip -- a handful of Nationals players (including Sean Doolittle, Anthony Rendon, Joe Ross and Javy Guerra) refused to attend the White House ceremony as a way of protesting Trump.

And, since Suzuki rocked a red MAGA hat during the ceremony, we asked if there is now a divide among the players.

"I love all my teammates, brother," Suzuki told us ... noting that he had a great time with the teammates who joined him at 1600 Penn.

We asked Suzuki if he planned on wearing his MAGA again in the future and he told us, "I'll be wearing my Washington Nationals hat."

Donald Trump REALLY made the Nationals feel at home at the White House on Monday ... having his band welcome the team with their favorite song, "Baby Shark!"

The Nats adopted the adorable tune throughout their World Series run (it all stemmed from Gerardo Parra's walk-up song) ... and Trump made sure it was the first thing the team heard at their celebration ceremony.

Ya gotta hear the band play it ... it's an awesome rendition -- and the Nats just had to dance along on the White House stairs!!

As for the rest of the party at 1600 Penn., it went smooth for POTUS ... Nats catcher Kurt Suzuki said some words with a MAGA hat on -- while jokes about Max Scherzer's arm and impeachment drew some big laughs.

Trump also bragged about the attendance for the celebration ... calling the turnout record-setting.

Ryan Zimmerman then presented Trump with a No. 45 Nationals jersey ... before Nats manager Dave Martinez and the President clowned the umps for their controversial base-running call in Game 6.

It was absolute PANDEMONIUM after the Washington Nationals won the World Series on Wednesday ... from the locker room to the streets -- and the video is WILD!!

The players RAGED with a booze-filled celebration ... chugging beer and champagne, while dancing around to Latin music, hip-hop and of course, Queen's "We Are the Champions."

Max Scherzer and Juan Soto passed around the Commissioner's Trophy. While Sean Doolittle busted out a blue lightsaber and did his best Jedi impression. It was awesome!

Out on the streets of D.C., thousands and thousands of people were celebrating Washington's first-ever championship -- climbing street signs, dancing and just partying their faces off.

The best celebration went down at Nationals Park in D.C. (where fans gathered just to watch the game on the big screen). It was pouring rain over there but it didn't stop one diehard fat guy from slip and sliding all over the dugout.

Justin Verlander's super famous wife, Kate Upton, was BLASTED on social media after she tweeted about a controversial call in Tuesday's World Series ... and she fired back by callin' her critics misogynists!!

Late in Game 6 of the Astros-Nationals series ... Nats SS Trea Turner hit a ground ball to the pitcher, and while he scooted his way toward first base, he was ruled OUT for not running within the baseline.

The call was IMMEDIATELY panned by almost everyone watching the game ... but to Kate -- who was sitting just a few rows behind home plate -- she thought it was the correct ruling.

"He wasn’t within the base path," Verlander's wife said. "Those who don’t know the rule you HAVE to run inside the 2 lines. Not sure why the review is taking so long..."

Upton was ripped apart by baseball Twitter ... receiving thousands of comments in just a few minutes -- and so she followed up with another tweet clappin' back at her haters!!

"I LOVE talking about sports and reading all of the dumb misogynist comments," she said.

"It reminds me that women need to keep fighting for equality. It’s 2019 but feels like the 1950s. #feminist"

Kate feels vindicated by MLB reporter Jon Morosi, who tweeted out:

"MLB rule: 'When running the last half of the way to first base while the ball is being fielded in the vicinity of first, a baserunner must stay within the three-foot runner's lane to the right of the foul line unless they are avoiding a player fielding a batted ball."

So, it seems Kate is technically right ... but historically, there's been wiggle room with the rule. Umps will generally let it go unless it appears the baserunner is making an intentional effort to mess with the defensive play.

Minutes later, in the same game, Astros star Jose Altuve ran way inside the designated 1st base basepath and didn't get punished for it.

Most felt Turner's route was fine ... and, in fact, Trea and the Nationals made their opinion LOUD AND CLEAR on the field.

Nats manager Davey Martinez was ejected over the call ... while Turner himself was caught on a hot mic calling MLB's chief baseball officer, Joe Torre, a coward for not stepping in and overturning the ruling.

Eventually, things calmed down on the field and Washington ended up with the win ... setting the stage for an EPIC Game 7 matchup Wednesday night.

2 smokin' hot models flashed their boobs during Monday night's World Series game ... and now MLB has BANNED the women!!

The incident -- caught by TV cameras -- went down in the 7th inning of Game 5 of the WS between the Nationals and Astros in Washington D.C.

Julia Rose and Lauren Summer -- who have 2.8 and 1.5 million followers on Instagram, respectively -- were seen lifting their shirts up as Gerrit Cole prepared to throw a pitch.

The game was briefly held up ... and security apprehended Rose and Summer and escorted them from their seats.

Rose and Summer's accomplice, Kayla Lauren (also a model), claims the women were taken to police headquarters ... before being released.

Rose posted a letter she says she got from Major League Baseball ... that banned her from MLB events.

The letter, from baseball's VP of Security, says ... "On October 27, 2019, you attended World Series Game 5 at Nationals Park in Washington D.C. During the game, you violated the fan code of conduct by exposing yourself during the 7th inning, in order to promote your business."

"You are hereby banned from all Major League Baseball stadiums and facilities, indefinitely."

"You were also part of a scheme in which you induced others to expose themselves to promote the business."

Why'd they do it? Julia says the motivation was a mix between promoting their publication, ShagMag ... and raising awareness for breast cancer.

The World Series is popping off as the Washington Nationals face off with the Houston Astros in this year's Fall Classic, but before this MLB season comes to an end, it's time to look back at all the champagne celebrations from the winning teams through the years.

From the St. Louis Cardinals defeating the Texas Rangers in Game 7 of the 2011 World Series, to the unforgettable party when Josh Reddick stripped down to an American flag Speedo after the Astros' win against the Dodgers in 2017 ... these striking photos are a home run.

No matter what happens in the World Series ... do NOT feel bad for any of the guys on the diamond -- 'cause the Nats and 'Stros are all going home winners, and this gallery proves it!!!

Of course, you already knew that about Justin Verlander ... who, when he leaves the ballpark, gets to go home with Kate Upton.

But, check out the rest of the Nationals' and Astros' wives and girlfriends -- they're stunning!!!

Alex Bregman's girlfriend, Reagan Howard, KILLS it in a bikini ... while Nationals catcher Tres Barrera's wife, Lindsey, definitely knows how to work it in a swimsuit as well!!!

Sorry, Chipper Jones ... Tom Glavine says Ronald Acuna Jr., Freddie Freeman and this year's version of the Braves' offense is BETTER than the 1995 Atlanta team that won it all!!

"They're good," Glavine says ... "They're pretty good."

Of course, the bats on the '95 squad were awesome ... Chipper, Fred McGriff, Javy Lopez and Ryan Klesko helped power the team to its third-ever World Series championship.

But, when we got Glavine -- who was a star pitcher on that roster -- out in NYC this week ... he told us he believes this year's team has more pop!

As for this year's Braves pitching staff ... Glavine wasn't about to go crazy with the praise -- he says him, Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and the rest of the 'pen definitely had the edge there.

"We had a good rotation," the Hall of Famer says.

Good news for the 2019 New York Yankees ... Mariano Rivera says THIS is the year the Bronx Bombers are going back to the World Series!

"I believe this is the year that we going back," Rivera said at Cipriani in NYC ... "Definitely we NEED to win this World Series."

Of course, the last time the Yanks won the World Series, it was 2009 ... and Rivera was the Yankees closer, playing alongside stars like Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada.

In fact, a bunch of Mariano's teammates from that squad came out for Rivera's Hall of Fame induction speech in Cooperstown earlier this month.

Jeter got a private jet to fly out along with Posada -- and Rivera tells TMZ Sports it meant the world to have those guys in the house for his induction.

"Having them there means a lot to me," Mariano said ... "As soon as I let them know, they were on board."

Joe Torre also made it out to the induction -- and Mariano says his former manager will always have a special place in his heart.

"Mr. Torre was one of the key pieces of the puzzle that was able to keep us together," Rivera said.

"For me, he was a blessing, a father figure, a brother, a mentor ... I mean, so many things. It was a blessing to me."

Donald Trump heaped TONS of praise on the Boston Red Sox at the White House -- calling out individuals like Chris Sale and J.D. Martinez ... while leaving out the key players who didn't show up.

As we previously reported, Sox manager Alex Cora boycotted the trip because he doesn't "feel comfortable" with Trump over the way POTUS handled the hurricane recovery efforts in Puerto Rico.

Other Red Sox players who refused to attend include Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, David Price and Red Sox legend David Ortiz.

Betts was the A.L. MVP last season and Price CRUSHED IT during the playoff run -- but got NO LOVE from Trump since they didn't show up to the White House on Thursday.

Same with Alex Cora.

Trump had glowing remarks for Chris Sale -- complimenting his World Series performance and the fact he struck out 14 batters Wednesday night in a regular season game against the Orioles.

Trump also invited the Red Sox players and staff in attendance to a personal tour of the Lincoln Bedroom -- a room that's supposed to be off-limits to the public.

TMZ Sports shot footage of some of the key execs arriving at the White House before the ceremony -- including VP of Baseball Operations Tony La Russa, owner John Henry, President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski and others.

Earlier Thursday, the Red Sox visited the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in the D.C. area -- where they visited patients.

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora is getting high praise from Elizabeth Warren -- who says she "admires" Cora for his decision to boycott Trump's White House over his treatment of Puerto Rico.

"He's right," Warren said about Cora ... "It's bad over there."

Cora -- who's from Puerto Rico -- announced he would NOT join the Red Sox at the White House on Thursday to be honored by the President for winning the 2018 World Series.

In his statement, Cora said he doesn't feel "comfortable" visiting Trump after the way POTUS handled recovery efforts in his native Puerto Rico after the 2017 hurricane.

And, when we saw Senator Warren [D-Mass] in D.C. Tuesday morning, she told us why she's throwing ALL of her support behind the MLB manager.

"He did this in a clear and respectful manner but he said, 'I can't go and show up for a photo op with someone who's been withholding funds from Puerto Rico.'"

"There's a lot of suffering going on over there," Warren added ... "I admire what [Cora is] doing."

Nearly $12 MILLION worth of fake championship and team rings are now OFF the market ... so say U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials -- who say they just seized 177 counterfeit pieces!

CBP officials announced Tuesday they found nearly 200 fake rings during an inspection of a March 11 shipment from China to the U.S.

The faux bling included Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots Super Bowl rings, New York Yankees World Series rings and much more.

And, we gotta say ... they do look pretty awesome.

But, officials say they caught the stuff before it could be sold to Americans -- claiming they saved U.S. consumers $11.7 MILLION with the seizure!!!

"This most recent interception of counterfeit sports rings demonstrates the ongoing vigilance and commitment to the mission by our CBP Officers and Import Specialists," officials said.

Alex Rodriguez proposed to Jennifer Lopez with a heavy hand ... quite literally.

A-Rod and J Lo just released pictures from his beachy proposal over the weekend ... with the former MLB star's World Series ring from 2009 with the Yankees damn near taking center stage. You can see in the pics Alex down on bended knee with his lone WS ring on his right hand.

But, J Lo's eyes were laser-focused on her new diamond ring and seemed surprised as hell. If you click on the picture slides ... you can see the happy couple embrace each other with a kiss while A-Rod's still down on one knee. And, BAM ... both A-Rod's World Series ring and her gigantic diamond are both on display.

But, ya gotta wonder ... which ring's bigger?

Boston Red Sox star Mookie Betts is sitting out a visit to the White House to celebrate his team's World Series win.

According to the Boston Globe, Betts was asked about the trip to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Saturday night -- which is currently scheduled for May -- and he reportedly said, "I won't be going there. I decided not to." He didn't elaborate beyond that, but he joins at least one other Sox player skipping it ... third baseman Rafael Devers also said he'd be a no-show.

FWIW ... Betts is the American League MVP, and arguably the best player on the Sox's roster. It's kind of a big deal in baseball if one of the best of the best doesn't wanna meet with President Trump.

Three other Red Sox players are reportedly on the fence, but the rest of the team has expressed interest in meeting with the Prez. The team was supposed to head out there in February, but it was pushed back to May because of the government shutdown.

Red Sox President Sam Kennedy said he didn't feel it was appropriate to be celebrating at the White House while so many federal employees were going without a paycheck and struggling.

The Red Sox should ABSOLUTELY take their championship trip to the White House ... so says ex-MLB star Brad Penny, who says the team needs to support Donald Trump regardless of their opinions of him.

It's up in the air whether Boston will make its post-World Series visit to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave ... especially after manager Alex Cora publicly criticized the President in September.

But, Penny says it would be a huge mistake to not go ... telling TMZ Sports the team should be there.

"You gotta go," the ex-star pitcher says ... "You support the President whether you voted for him or not ... I think they just gotta go."

Penny knows a thing or two about those trips ... the 2-time All-Star went to George W. Bush's White House after his Marlins won it all back in 2003.

He says the trip was unforgettable ... and Red Sox players would regret not making it.

In fact -- Brad tells us he thinks Boston can send a strong message to those protesting Trump by going.

"All those protests and stuff, to me, we want everybody who's in office to do good ... I feel like a lot of people want Trump to fail and it's unfortunate."

Unclear whether Red Sox players will listen to Brad ... but we know at least one of their pitchers is on board.

Sammy Sosa clearly ain't bitter at his broken relationship with the Cubbies ... 'cause the Chicago legend tells TMZ Sports he's still rootin' for the team to make the World Series!!

Sosa's been blackballed from the Cubs organization since he retired -- with owner Tom Ricketts saying Sammy's gotta come clean regarding his alleged PED use before they welcome him back.

But, Sammy clearly ain't offended by all that ... 'cause he tells us he's not only keeping up with the team -- he's hoping they get a chance to win another ring!!

"Chicago, they've been playing for the last few years very, very nice, so I have to give that to Chicago, and I hope they continue to play like that and I hope next year they can go to the World Series!"

As for the Cubs' recent controversial move to trade Tommy La Stella ... Sosa weighed in on that for us.