Milwaukee Brewers

Ken Rosenthal is revisiting his viral mishap from over the weekend ... saying he "felt awful" after knocking a photog to the ground in an attempt to dodge a postgame Gatorade celebration -- and apologizing for the whole ordeal.

Rosenthal addressed the matter on his "Fair Territory" podcast ... claiming the video making rounds after the Milwaukee Brewers celebrated a walk-off win against the St. Louis Cardinals wasn't as bad as it looked -- but his focus was on making sure he did his job.

"I must admit, though, when I looked at the video, I was surprised at how upset I appeared," Rosenthal said. "I was more confused than anything. Now I had to continue the interview. We were live folks, on national television, couldn't stop!"

Former Milwaukee Brewer Willy Adames faced off against his old squad for the first time since legendary broadcaster Bob Uecker's death on Friday ... and after the game, he opened up on just how much the loss affected him.

The shortstop spoke with the media following the Giants' 9-2 win at Spring Training ... and he was clearly emotional talking about the commentator.

Adames said he was hoping to attend Uecker's funeral ... but wasn't able to as his family elected to keep it private.

The NY Mets were two outs away from an early trip to Cancun, but thanks to the biggest home run of Pete Alonso's career, the Amazin's were the ones celebrating an NL Wildcard win ... and the champagne was flowing!

Let's backup. Going into the ninth inning down 2-0 (and with no offense to speak of for 8 prior innings), Alonso -- who will be a free agent when the season's over -- stepped to the plate with runners on first and third with one out.

Amid a putrid  5-for-38 slump, he launched one of the most clutch home runs in recent memory, sending the Mets team into a frenzy as the Brewers and their home fans sat in silence, stunned.

10:28 AM PT -- The MLB has just handed down punishment for the Tuesday night Brewers vs. Rays brawl ... suspending three players and one manager.

The league announced Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta was hit with a five-game ban and a fine for "intentionally" throwing at Jose Siri just two innings before the fight broke out. MLB also said Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy will be banned two games for Peralta's actions as well as "his inappropriate conduct towards umpires."

As for the ones who ignited the fracas in the eighth -- Abner Uribe and Siri -- Uribe got a six-game suspension and fine ... and Siri was hit with a three-game suspension and fine.

There's another Fielder making his way to the MLB ... and this one's father, Prince Fielder, tells TMZ Sports the youngster could turn out to be the best in the family!

We got Prince and his 19-year-old son, Jadyn Fielder, out at LAX this week ... and when we asked if the young Fielder had potential to be better than Dad and Grandpa (three-time All-Star Cecil Fielder), Prince didn't mince words.

"He sure does!" Prince said.

As for why ... Prince told us his kid has been "practicing every day" -- while spending years in MLB clubhouses soaking up knowledge from him and other Big Leaguers.

While Prince is certainly a proud dad, he also clearly isn't blowing smoke ... Jadyn -- a 6-foot infielder who plays high school baseball in Florida -- is regarded as one of the best prospects in the 2024 class.

And, get this ... Prince says his other son, 17-year-old Haven Fielder, has a chance to make a name for himself on an MLB diamond one day too!!

It's all quite the sight ... considering it was just a few years ago that the boys were little tykes watching Prince mash in playoff games and Home Run Derbys -- something that's obviously not lost on Prince.

Sister Jean is proof age ain't nothin' but a number!

The famous chaplain for the Loyola men's basketball team threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Brewers-Cubs game ... at an astounding 104 YEARS OLD!!

Jean Dolores Schmidt -- Sister Jean's government name -- showed off her fastball Monday night at Wrigley Field before the Chicago Cub's played the Milwaukee Brewers.

Sister Jean rocked her custom Cubs 'fit ... and tossed a better ball than 50 Cent and Conor McGregor.

No shade!

Of course, this wasn't Sister Jean's first time on the mound ... she's a pro! Last year she tossed the first pitch to celebrate her 103rd birthday!

This year's celebration isn't over just yet ... Loyola is hosting a block party on Thursday in her honor.

Sister Jean is known to be the life of the party ... first rising to fame nationally as the Loyola Ramblers went on an NCAA tourney run, making it to the Final Four, and Jean was their good luck charm.

In fact, Sister Jean was so popular, her bobblehead sold for over $300 on eBay.

Cole Tucker made his first Big League start of the 2023 season on Wednesday and Vanessa Hudgens was there for every second of it ... fangirling out over every pitch her future hubby saw at the dish!!!

Tucker -- who the Rockies called up from the minor leagues on Monday -- made the start for Colorado in the outfield during their game against the Brewers in Milwaukee ... and Hudgens had some sweet seats for it.

The "High School Musical" star was right near the plate ... and when her 27-year-old fiancé came up to bat for the first time, she was smitten.

She got up out of her chair and pulled out her iPhone -- and even though Tucker grounded out to third during the at-bat, she clearly couldn't have cared less.

Tucker, though, ended up playing a solid game despite the first AB ... he went 1-for-4 and nearly scored a key run in the 10th inning of the Rockies' 7-6 loss.

It's safe to expect Hudgens will be in attendance for the rest of Tucker's games this week too ... Colorado's now off to Los Angeles -- a city the actress knows all too well -- for a series with the Dodgers until Sunday.

After that -- a wedding between the two shouldn't be too far away ... you'll recall, the couple got engaged in late 2022, so a ceremony's gotta be right around the corner after the MLB season ends.

Major League Baseball games have been a half-hour shorter under the sport's new rules, and it's awesome ... but there's one unintended consequence teams are dealing with -- lost money from missed beer sales!

And, because businesses don't like losing money, several teams around the league have extended the traditional 7th-inning beer sale cutoff time, allowing suds to be sold into the 8th inning.

Of course, MLB instituted a pitch clock this season, representing the largest rule change in decades (it's been a smash hit), producing games 31 minutes shorter than last season. Naturally, shorter games mean less time to sell concessions like beer, and sales are down.

The Milwaukee Brewers were the first organization to make a move (it makes sense) ... now allowing fans to purchase cold ones through the end of the 8th inning.

Brewers president of operations Rick Schlesinger recently vowed to go back to the old policy if the new rules caused any safety issues, saying ... “If it turns out that this is causing an issue or we feel that it might cause an issue, then we’ll revert to what we have done previously.”

Since the Brewers tweaked their policy, other teams have followed, including the Texas Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Minnesota Twins. All three squads are allowing beer sales through the 8th.

Now, other teams are also considering making a similar move.

Beer sales, and when they occur, aren't something MLB regulates. Years ago, most teams adopted the 7th inning cutoff as a way to reduce the likelihood of drunk people driving home after the game.

However, with the extension, and the games already being shorter, it's possible fans could be served a beer, and be behind the wheel of a car just a short time later.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) also weighed in, saying their concern is no one drive impaired.

“If it cuts off sales in the seventh inning, the eighth inning or the ninth inning, that really doesn’t affect our stance because regardless, we just don’t want people to drink alcohol and then drive home from the game,” a MADD executive said.

Even posthumously, Hank Aaron continues to set records ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned one of his rookie cards just sold for over $700K, making it the most expensive Aaron card EVER.

Aaron's famous 1954 Topps piece netted $720K at auction on Thursday night -- easily surpassing the old record of $645K for a Hank card.

Officials at PWCC tell us it sold for the staggering price because the card "is one of the finest on the market" ... and "ranks among the most recognized and respected baseball cards in the industry."

The card's front features two images of Aaron when he was a member of the Milwaukee Braves. The back showed off some of Aaron's stats and fun facts. It was given a 9 grade, meaning it's still in nearly perfect condition.

"Simply stated," PWCC officials said of the piece, "this card belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame. It is a national treasure."

During his rookie campaign with the Braves, Aaron took the Majors by storm ... playing in 122 games with the team while logging a .280 batting average and hitting 13 home runs.

"Hammerin' Hank" would go on to have an iconic Hall of Famer career -- setting the record for most-ever home runs (755 in 23 seasons) ... a mark that's only since been topped by one other, Barry Bonds (762).

It's unknown who the lucky buyer of the card is -- but safe to say they're very happy on this Friday morning.

Awesome gesture from the Milwaukee Brewers ... the MLB team is honoring the 8-year-old boy who was paralyzed in the Highland Park shooting earlier this month at their game Friday night.

The Brewers have already hung a No. 22 "Roberts" jersey in their dugout ahead of their contest with the Pittsburgh Pirates ... an homage to Cooper Roberts, who was tragically shot and seriously injured while attending the Illinois 4th of July parade.

According to multiple reports, the Brewers will also give Cooper and his twin brother, Luke, jerseys signed by the entire team.

Milwaukee superstar and former MVP Christian Yelich also reportedly recorded a video message for Roberts and his family.

The awesome moves reportedly come just days after the team learned Roberts is a "huge" Brew Crew supporter -- the Brewers' Miller Park is, after all, roughly an hour drive from Highland Park, Ill.

According to a GoFundMe page set up for Roberts, the 8-year-old's spinal cord was severed by a bullet in the shooting. A statement from the family on Friday said Cooper is "conscious for the first time and [has] been removed from the ventilator but in a great deal of pain."

A tight MLB game on Wednesday got a whole lot more interesting in the later innings ... when a fan ran onto the field, and, for a while, evaded security guards like an NFL running back.

The moment just happened in the Braves vs. Brewers game in Milwaukee.

Video shot by spectators inside the stadium shows a fan made it down to the field, and then began dancing in center field.

The guy shook his booty for quite a while before security eventually realized he was there -- and then, he evaded the guards who were trying to take him down for several seconds.

The man then sprinted from the outfield to the mound, before eventually making it to home plate ... all while juking stadium officials in the process.

Toward the end of his jaunt, the guy tried to get a high-five from a Milwaukee batter, but after the Brewer left the man hanging, security finally corralled the fan and got him off the diamond.

A bunch of counterfeit Milwaukee Bucks title rings have been seized by the feds ... who say if the bogus bling had made it past them, it could have cost U.S. residents a small fortune.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, over the past few months, 56 shipments of 1,382 fake sports championship rings and trophies were intercepted by officers in Cincinnati.

The feds say in addition to the fraud Bucks memorabilia, there were also rings with Dodgers, Red Sox, Univ. of Kentucky and NASCAR images on them.

Authorities say the shipments also included fake Lombardi Trophies and more ... and add that it would have all been worth around $1 million if it had been the real deal materials.

"The money profited from selling fake merchandise such as championship rings, is used to damage the United States economy and fund criminal enterprises," Cincinnati port director Richard Gillespie said in a statement Tuesday.

"I am proud of the officers in Cincinnati, they work hard to protect our domestic businesses and stop illegal shipments."

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.

Touching moment in the MLB on Thursday ... Kolten Wong got a standing ovation in his return to St. Louis -- and he was so emotional about it, he had to take his ensuing at-bat in tears.

It all went down in the 1st inning of the Brewers' tilt with the Cards ... when Wong -- who played in STL from 2013 through 2020 -- was set to take his first AB as an opposing player at Busch Stadium.

But, as soon as his name was announced over the PA system ... fans roared so loudly for the Cards' former second baseman, the game was paused for several seconds.

Even Wong's ex-teammates, pitcher Adam Wainwright and catcher Yadier Molina, took a few bows to pay their respects to the 30-year-old.

And, all of love clearly hit Wong HARD ... 'cause he spent his entire ensuing at-bat crying.

Fortunately for Wong, Wainwright didn't throw him a single strike on four pitches ... and he was able to head down to first base pretty quickly to re-collect himself.