Atlanta Braves

The best play in Wednesday's Braves game wasn't made by Ronald Acuna Jr. or Matt Olson ... no, a fan in the stands nabbed that honor when he impressively caught a home run ball -- while holding a baby!!

The wild scene played out in the second inning of Atlanta's tilt with Philadelphia at Truist Park ... when Phillies star Nick Castellanos smashed a ball 432 feet to dead center field.

As the ball cleared the wall, a Braves fan holding his child in one arm decided to make an attempt at pulling the souvenir in. And, as it turns out, the guy had some great hands ... 'cause he caught it -- without even remotely bothering his kid!!

Then, he showed off his arm too ... chucking the ball back onto the field in support of his hometown team.

The play was so impressive ... even the game's broadcasters had to highlight it while live on-air.

The afternoon at the park, though, didn't come with the happiest of endings for the Braves fan or his team ... the Phils won, 6-5.

Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. was accosted out of nowhere by a couple of fans ... getting knocked to the ground during his team's Monday night game against the Colorado Rockies.

The bizarre incident went down in the 7th inning at Denver's Coors Field when one fan dashed into the outfield and gave Acuña a huge hug.

Check out the video ... the hugger won't let go of Acuña as security guards run up to them and try to break it up.

Eventually, the guards pull the dude off Acuña ... but Acuña isn't out of the woods just yet.

Another fan sprints up to Acuña and bumps into him, causing him to fall on his butt. More guards respond and haul away the two rowdy men.

As for Acuña ... he told reporters after the game he was okay, but felt a bit scared by the fans, who wanted to take photos with him.

We've reached out to Denver PD to see if they got involved ... so far no word back.

By the way, the Braves trounced the Rockies 14-4 ... and Acuña had one of his biggest games of the year despite the incident, logging 5 RBIs.

Quavo's swinging for the fences with his new album ... using the Atlanta Braves' stadium as his stage to give ATL a taste of the project!!!

The Atlanta rapper hyped the crowd inside Truist Park ahead of the Braves vs. Yankees game with his unreleased single "Who Wit Me?" ... a chant he got the crowd repeating on command.

The track will appear on Quavo's "Rocket Power" album that drops Friday -- the title being a nod to his late nephew Takeoff, who Quavo also honored by wearing the commemorative merchandise he recently launched to celebrate Takeoff's birthday.

Ronald Acuña Jr.'s "too small" chain he rocked before the All-Star Game was anything but that ... and TMZ Sports has learned the flashy piece is worth a whopping $145k in diamonds!!

The Atlanta Braves star certainly turned heads prior to his fourth ASG appearance on Tuesday ... rocking an all-pink 'fit with an iced-out mini version of himself doing his famous celebration around his neck.

Gabriel the Jeweler -- go-to guy for some of the biggest names in sports -- tells us the piece is made of 80 carats total ... and the one-of-a-kind accessory was designed in collaboration with Xample Brand, Acuña's agency.

We're told Xample likes to treat Acuña to a new chain for every ASG appearance ... with each one documenting a new characteristic of Ronald's game.

Of course, Acuña's known to do the "too small" gesture whenever he hits homers ... so this year's jewelry was a no-brainer.

The chain itself is Gucci style and composed of brilliant diamonds and baguettes ... and we're told Ronald's family was also gifted smaller versions of the piece as well.

"I am blessed to be selected to play in this year's All-Star Game, and thank everyone who supported me on this journey and believed in me," Acuña Jr. tells us.

Someone's about to live like a champion -- a very wealthy World Series champion -- 'cause Braves legend Chipper Jones just unloaded his gigantic mansion in Georgia for $11 MILLION!!

The estate was built in 2013 and sits on 37 wooded acres in Canton, only 13 miles northeast of Atlanta ... where the Braves star was one of the greatest players of his generation.

The gated estate has eight bedrooms, nine baths, a nine-car garage, and entertainment for days including a home theater, game room, dirt bike track, and a 4-stall horse barn.

BTW, the stable has a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment inside, as well.

But, perhaps the best perk is the heated Olympic-sized pool on the mansion grounds!

The interior features floor-to-ceiling windows, hardwood floors, natural stone, and high ceilings.

The Jones property was listed by Katie McGuirk of Ansley Real Estate for $15 million in 2022, but after months on the market, the crib finally sold this week for $11M. Jones bought the property in 2018 for $9.25M.

Now, why would Jones let this beautiful place go? We're told he's simply downsizing.

Of course, Jones has been a beloved Atlanta resident since the Braves selected the third baseman as the first overall pick in the 1990 MLB Draft ... and during his 19 seasons, he became an 8-time All-Star, a 2-time Silver Slugger winner, an MLB batting champ, NL MVP, and a World Series champ.

The Braves retired his No. 10 jersey and he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018. He's currently the Braves' assistant hitting consultant.

Next on the tee ... John Smoltz?!?

The MLB legend is hoping to hear that a whole lot at PGA TOUR Champions events in the very near future ... telling TMZ Sports he wants to compete on the senior golf circuit as soon as he gets his ailing hip surgically repaired.

The 55-year-old didn't mince words when talking about his golf goals with us earlier this year ... explaining that the first time he tried to find success on the PGA Tour Champions, he was just simply too hurt to make a real run.

Now, though, he says he's already got one of his hips redone -- and he's hoping when he gets the other one fixed ... it could lead to serious success.

"I've got a new hip, I've got one more hip to do, and then after that," he said, "I want to see what my competitive juices take me to."

Hip pain or not, Smoltz is already considered one of the best celeb golfers on the planet. The former Atlanta Braves closer has competed alongside pros regularly ... and won before.

In fact, Tiger Woods said just a few months ago that Smoltz and Tony Romo were the two best non-pros he's played with.

If John doesn't get healthy enough to compete on the PGA TOUR Champions ... he tells us, don't worry, he'll still find some way to get into competitive tourneys.

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.

Now batting for the Atlanta Braves ... Travis Kelce?!?

A former MLB scout tells TMZ Sports that very well could have been a possibility this year and beyond -- if only Kelce had opted to play baseball instead of football after high school.

Reggie Sanders -- who scouted for the Braves in the Ohio area as Kelce was starring at Cleveland Heights H.S. in the early 2000s -- tells us that in his several trips to see the teenager who grew up to be a Kansas City Chiefs star ... he was blown away by what he saw.

Sanders remembered the future tight end as a good hitter with blazing speed ... and noted the young Kelce, who graduated H.S. in 2008, was towering, too.

"He seemed like a big leaguer on a field of high school players," said Sanders, who worked for the Braves from 2002 to 2007. "He looks almost the same size today as he was in high school."

Sanders said after watching Kelce play, he was "certain" the guy would have ended up in the big leagues if he had stuck with it ... telling us, "I remember writing his report and I comped him to Josh Hamilton."

Of course, Kelce never stayed with baseball -- he opted to follow in his big brother's footsteps and play football at Cincinnati. The rest, as you know, is history ... and he'll be playing for his second Super Bowl championship next week.

Kenley Jansen isn't ruling out the possibility of a reunion with the Dodgers despite having a great time in Atlanta this past season ... telling TMZ Sports if L.A. made him the right offer, he'd rejoin the storied franchise.

We spoke with Jansen out at LAX -- just a few weeks before he'll hit the open market in free agency -- and the star closer told us that although he still sees himself as a Brave at the moment, he will explore the best options for him and his family this offseason.

And, yes, that does mean a possibility of a re-signing with the Dodgers.

"Hey, we'll see," he said with a smile. "We'll see what's out there."

Jansen, who spent the first 12 years of his career with L.A., spoke highly of his first season as a Brave ... and it's easy to see why -- the team won 101 games, and he had an All-Star caliber year, logging 41 saves.

"I can tell you all great things about Atlanta," Jansen said. "Atlanta is awesome. The fans, the people, the organization. I had a great time there, and we had a great season."

But, Jansen told us he still lives in L.A. -- and it's clear the City of Angels still feels like home to him despite the past year in Georgia.

Phillies fans lived up to their ruthless reputation on Friday ... chanting "DUI" at Braves star outfielder Marcell Ozuna during Philadelphia's playoff game against Atlanta.

It all went down in the first inning at Citizens Bank Park in Philly -- Ozuna was up for his first at-bat of the afternoon ... when the fans trolled him over his August arrest.

"DUI! DUI! DUI!" the Philly faithful chanted in unison as 31-year-old Ozuna swung at an 81 MPH slider from Phillies' right-hander Aaron Nola.

Ozuna -- a 10-year MLB veteran -- was arrested for DUI after police in Georgia pulled him over for speeding and failing to maintain his lane while on the road.

Ozuna -- in his third season with the Braves -- told police on the scene that he was heading to a party at a nearby nightclub to celebrate his team's win over the Mets earlier.

Ozuna ultimately took responsibility for his actions ... telling the media that he was "disappointed" about the incident and expressing remorse to his teammates and family.

Marcell Ozuna pulled the celeb card during his DUI arrest on Friday morning -- telling a cop during the stop, "Sorry, I'm Ozuna from the Braves" ... this according to a new police report obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the docs, a Norcross Police Dept. officer said he pulled over Ozuna -- who was driving in a black 2021 Mercedes-Benz -- at around 3:35 AM after he says the MLB slugger was speeding in a 35 MPH zone while failing to stay in a lane.

Moments after being stopped, Ozuna allegedly told the officer, "Sorry, sorry, I'm Ozuna from the Braves." The baseball player's car reeked of booze, the police officer said in the report. The officer also claimed Ozuna had red and watery eyes.

Ozuna told the cop, according to the docs, that he was in Norcross heading to "the party." The officer said that he later learned the 31-year-old was on his way to "a nearby after-hours nightclub."

When Ozuna went to hand his driver's license to the cop, the officer said in the docs he also handed over an MLB ID card showing that he played for the Braves.

According to the report, just before administering field sobriety tests on Ozuna, the outfielder admitted he had drank "like three or four" beers before getting behind the wheel.

"If I'm drunk, if I can't drive, I do like this," the officer said in the docs, claiming Ozuna -- who allegedly had $8,000 in cash in his pocket -- "motioned for me to take his car key."

After administering three tests, the officer arrested Ozuna. But, according to the cop, Ozuna refused both a breath test and a blood test.

Records show he was eventually booked on charges of DUI and failure to maintain lane.

Hours before the arrest, the Braves had won a huge game over the Mets in Atlanta -- but Ozuna did not play in the contest.

This is the second time Ozuna has been arrested in the last 15 months -- he was previously taken into custody in May 2021 after he was accused of roughing up his wife in an incident in Sandy Springs, GA.

Ozuna -- who agreed to enter into a pretrial diversion program to close out the case a few months after the incident -- was suspended 20 games by the MLB over it all.

He later said before this season began that he apologized to his teammates, adding, "I made a mistake."

Ozuna has played in 107 games for the Braves this season ... batting .214 with 20 home runs.

Ronald Acuna Jr. will be the brightest All-Star during this week's festivities in L.A. ... thanks to his new $140k diamond chain!!

TMZ Sports is told Acuna -- a starting outfielder for Tuesday's All-Star Game after receiving the most votes among National League players -- copped a blinged-out nod to his aggressive style of play ... and it's incredible!!

The piece features Acuna's nickname, "La Bestia" -- which means "the beast" -- decked out in 12 carats of emerald-shaped VVS diamonds and 6 carats of round brilliant rocks ... and a gorilla enameled on top.

Gabriel The Jeweler tells us the chain is also made of 80 carats of VVS baguettes ... with the whole thing being worth a whopping $140k!!

We're told Acuna has plans to show off the bling when he takes the field at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday ... so keep your eyes peeled.

Acuna and superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr. also got iced-out versions of their personal logos ahead of ASW ... which was a collaboration with Nick Drbal's Xample brand.

We're told Drbal -- both players' business manager -- designed the logos that inspired the shopping spree.

To top things off, the Xample team also walked away with a number of logo chains as well.

Dodgers superstar Freddie Freeman was so overcome with emotion in his first time back in Atlanta since he left the city this offseason, he sobbed at the podium in front of a throng of reporters.

The first baseman -- who spent his entire career in ATL and helped the Braves win a World Series last season before leaving in free agency -- was a wreck on Friday afternoon while trying to talk about what his time in Atlanta meant to him.

As media members peppered him with questions before the Dodgers took on his former Braves team at Truist Park ... he needed a huge towel to wipe away snot and tears.

In fact, Freddie was so overwhelmed by the moment, he initially had to walk out of the press conference to gather himself before beginning.

"It's hard to put into words," he said. "Just happy to be back."

Freeman -- who played in Atlanta for 12 years -- is considered one of the greatest Braves of all time ... but following failed contract talks this past offseason, he bolted for Los Angeles, signing a six-year, $162-million deal with the Dodgers.

Freddie's been a star for his new squad -- already piling up 8 home runs with a .303 batting average ... but it's clear, at least part of his heart and soul still remains in Georgia.

Braves fans will be able to spot their star outfielder whenever he's rolling around ATL -- Ronald Acuna Jr. just copped a brand new luxury whip for $175k ... with his very own logo etched all over it!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 2-time All-Star is the proud new owner of a BMW X6 M Competition with a bright yellow paint job.

If you look closely, the car has a personal touch -- featuring Acuna's name and custom logo all over the exterior, which was his business partner Nick Drbal's idea alongside Xample.

"Ronald and I wanted to brand his logo in a unique and personal way," Drbal tells us. "The best way we envisioned this was for his own city to be able to identify who was inside, based on what was outside on the car."

We're told Acuna will only have the whip in ATL for a short time before it gets shipped back to his home country of Venezuela.

The RA13 logo is also featured on the inside ... with the emblem getting put on the headrests for a special touch.

The Beamer X6 M Competition usually comes with a starting price tag of around $130k ... but we're told with all the bells and whistles and the custom job, it ended up being around a $175k purchase.

The slugger definitely seems pleased with the end result -- posing next to the car for a quick photo.

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.