Baseball

"Who's the quarterback here?"

Um ... clearly you are, President Obama!!!

Barack delighted a bunch of kids -- especially one little wide receiver -- Wednesday by visiting the Washington Nationals foundation & Youth Baseball Academy in D.C. ... and he didn't hold back from showing off his athleticism.

He was appointed QB in a pickup football game, and uncorked a touchdown pass. Doesn't look like it was a tight spiral, but either way, the kid on the other end made a hell of a catch.

Then, 44 stepped up to the plate and ripped a double in the gap. Probably could have stretched it into a triple ... but he showboated a little running to first.

Obama also delivered a motivational speech to the kids, telling them to work hard and believe in themselves ... and they'll do great things.

He added, "I had a blast with all these extraordinary young people."

Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias is back -- the 22-year-old is officially off administrative leave following last week's domestic violence arrest, Major League Baseball has announced.

MLB issued a statement saying, "Urías has been reinstated from Administrative Leave while the investigation into a matter governed by the Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy continues."

MLB says they are still investigating the matter.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Urias -- one of the hottest young pitchers in baseball -- was arrested May 13 after he allegedly got physical with his girlfriend in the parking lot of the Beverly Center.

Officials reviewed video of the incident and determined there was enough evidence to make an arrest. He was hauled to a nearby station and spent the night behind bars.

As we previously reported, prosecutors feel the case against Urias is "weak" based on the evidence -- which doesn't appear to show Urias had an "intent to injure" when he put his hands the women.

Instead, we're told it seems like Urias was trying to prevent his GF from leaving the parking lot -- and she went to the ground as a result ... but it did not appear as though he wanted to hurt her.

MLB officials launched their own investigation but according to the L.A. Times, they weren't able to get their hands on the video.

Urias had been placed on a 7-day administrative leave by MLB -- but now that's over and Urias can return to the mound.

The criminal case against Urias is still technically active ... but we're told that should wrap up shortly.

How did Jon Lester, Anthony Rizzo and a couple other Cubs get over a sad loss Saturday in D.C.???

COLLEGE BAR NIGHT, BABY!!!

Lester -- fresh off of giving up 10 hits and 5 earned runs in just 4.1 innings against the Nats -- tucked his best dress shirt into his jeans, grabbed Rizzo, Albert Almora Jr. and Kyle Schwarber and hit the town.

Eyewitnesses tell TMZ Sports the guys were out at Sauf Haus Bier Hall -- a college bar 4 miles from Nationals Park.

And, at one point, things got kinda awkward ... 'cause Lester's brutal performance was replaying on the TV screens!!!

But, we're told the guys weren't fazed by the reminder of their L earlier in the day ... 'cause they danced around until 3 AM ... and then cruised over to McDonald's for some late-night munchies!!!

Move over Vladimir Guerrero ... Sammy Sosa says it's HIS son who will be the MLB's next big thing -- telling TMZ Sports his 5-year-old boy is legit!!!

We got Sosa out at LAX this past week when he revealed his son, Rolando Sosa, has a sweet swing ... and he's projecting BIG things for him in about a decade.

"He's going to be good," Sosa says ... "He's got a good swing."

Sammy scoffed at the idea of his boy being a pitcher when he grows up ... telling us Rolando is built to be a hitter just like Dad.

As for Sammy's advice for the young Sosa ... Sammy says he's already teaching him to keep his head still through the strike zone!!!

Of course, Rolando is Sammy's sixth kid ... so the Cubs legend knows a thing or two about how they grow up.

Former Braves superstar Andruw Jones took Action Bronson YARD in a slow-pitch softball game Thursday night ... crushing a ball so far, it flew over the actual MLB fence!!!

The tape-measure bomb all went down at CC Sabathia's second Celebrity Softball Game at Yankee Stadium ... where Jones showed no mercy on the "Baby Blue" rapper.

Bronson lobbed a softball over the plate ... and instead of lightly hitting a pop fly over the game's miniature fences set up just outside of the infield, Andruw decided to take it a step further.

Dude WALLOPED the pitch so hard ... it traveled somewhere in the area of 400 FEET into the third row of the left centerfield bleachers!!!

Of course, hitting dingers ain't anything new for Jones ... the 5-time All-Star crushed 434 homers in his legendary 17-year career. But still, this was a slow-pitch softball!!!

By the way, CC's game is turning into an amazing annual event -- huge stars like Fat Joe, Aaron Judge, Tracy McGrady, Tiki Barber and Gary Sheffield all showed up for a great cause.

Sammy Sosa says it's time to finally come back to Chicago ... the legendary Cub tells TMZ Sports he's looking to return to Wrigley after a 12-YEAR hiatus!!!

Of course, Sosa's been missing from the historic ballpark since he quit playing back in the 2000s ... mostly because team chairman Tom Ricketts has created an icy situation with the ex-superstar.

And, why? Ricketts has said multiple times over the years he wants Sosa to come clean about his alleged PED use before the Cubs will officially welcome him back.

Unclear if Sosa is ready to meet those demands ... but he tells us he's ready to return to Chicago nonetheless.

"I haven't gone back to Chicago yet, but I will," Sosa says.

Sammy -- who says he's still a HUGE Cubs fan -- tells us he's been happy living out his life in Miami in the meantime ... saying that's actually the reason why he's yet to make an Illinois return.

"I haven't had the time to go to Chicago, but I will."

Multiple law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports ... the domestic violence case against Dodgers star pitcher Julio Urias is "weak" based on the evidence.

We're told the video of the incident does show Urias making physical contact with the woman during the March 13 altercation in the Beverly Center parking lot -- but as one source puts it, "It doesn't appear there's criminal intent to injure her."

One source says it appears Urias used his hands in an attempt to stop her from leaving the area during a heated argument.

In other words, it seems as though he was trying to restrain her, not strike her ... though the woman DID go to the ground at some point during the argument.

We're not trying to minimize the seriousness of the situation -- but rather, this is what we're being told by people who are involved in the case.

We're told both parties have been very cooperative with investigators and are telling consistent stories about what happened.

Urias was arrested for misdemeanor battery and spent the night in jail. He was released Tuesday morning on $20,000 bond.

Major League Baseball has placed Urias on administrative leave while they gather evidence.

Chris Sale's early season struggles are gone and the Red Sox star is officially back -- so says Pedro Martinez, who tells TMZ Sports ... Sale's 17-strikeout game Tuesday reminded him of him!!!

"Brought back some memories," Pedro says.

In case you missed it ... Sale got off to a BRUTAL start to this season -- he allowed 17 earned runs in his first 4 games -- and a whole lot of people wondered if the 30-year-old had anything left.

But, Sale's lit it up in his last 3 outings -- with 10, 14 and 17 K performances -- and now, Pedro is officially back on the 7-time All-Star's bandwagon.

In fact, Pedro tells us he couldn't help but think about his own career when Chris was mowing through the Rockies on Tuesday night ... 'cause he's the last Sox pitcher before Sale to strike out 17!

And, if ya don't remember how the Boston legend did that, here are the highlights ... you're welcome.

Bruce Willis has done a lot of cool things in his career ... but uh, this is bad. Like REALLY bad.

The "Die Hard" actor threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Phillies game on Wednesday ... and it's pretty damn embarrassing, considering it didn't even make it to the plate before hittin' the ground!!!

A couple of things to address -- 1. Bruce was standing a few feet IN FRONT of the mound and he still didn't reach the plate. 2. How did the "Die Hard" theme music blaring over the PA system NOT get him in the zone??? Dude shoulda been able to throw it a mile.

The boo birds let Willis have it ... and rightfully so. But, there's a silver lining here, Bruce -- at least it wasn't as bad as 50 Cent's first pitch in 2014.

That STILL gives us nightmares.

Chicago Cubs star Ben Zobrist and his Christian pop singer wife are headin' for Splitsville ... 'cause Julianna Zobrist has filed for divorce ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

There's been speculation about their relationship after Zobrist left the team last week due to "personal reasons" ... and Julianna deleted her Twitter and scrubbed her IG of most of their pics together.

Court records in Illinois show the singer filed the docs on Monday ... confirming the split is in the works.

Ben was the World Series MVP when the Cubs won in 2016. He's also a 3-time All-Star.

Julianna is a pretty successful singer -- 1 single from her 2016 album, "Shatterproof," hit the Billboard charts.

She also famously performed "God Bless America" at Wrigley Field before Game 4 of the 2016 World Series (the Cubs ended up losing that game).

Zobrist and Julianna have been married since 2005 and 3 kids together -- a son and 2 daughters.

Cal Ripken ain't ready to ride in on a white horse and save the struggling Orioles -- he tells TMZ Sports he's happy right now and doesn't want a front office role in Baltimore ... yet.

"I don't know about this phase of my life," the Hall of Famer says ... "I kind of like relaxing a little bit."

It's almost like Cal watched the whole Magic Johnson experiment with the Lakers and decided, "Hey, that's not for me!"

Of course, the Orioles are the second worst team in baseball this season ... and haven't been a threat in the AL East since in years.

They've traded away Manny Machado and Zach Britton, dropped Adam Jones ... and have one of the worst rosters in the sport today.

But, Cal tells us he ain't ready to be a part of the front office that fixes it all ... saying he's happy with what he's doing these days -- which is basically being an unofficial ambassador for the sport.

Ya gotta see the way Ripken still signs autograph after autograph ... just like he did when he played.

Cal does have hope for Baltimore nonetheless ... he says he "kind of likes" these rebuilding periods, telling us, "Every time this happens, young guys get an opportunity."

4:20 PM PT -- Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has addressed Urias' arrest ... saying the team will let the league's investigation "run its course" to gather more information.

2:50 PM PT -- The MLB has confirmed Urias has been placed on administrative leave while the league conducts an investigation into the matter.

An MLB rep says the administrative leave is effective today and can last up to 7 days.

Sources tell TMZ Sports the administrative leave can be extended -- potentially multiple times -- while the investigation is active.

Bottom line -- it could be a while before Urias takes the mound again.

8:55 AM PT -- The Dodgers are commenting on the Urias arrest ... telling TMZ Sports, "We learned about the alleged incident this morning and are in the process of gathering information."

"As a result, we have no comment at this time regarding the incident. However, every allegation of domestic violence must be taken seriously and addressed promptly, and we will cooperate fully with the authorities and Major League Baseball to ensure that that happens in this case."

L.A. Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias -- a rising star in the organization -- was arrested for domestic violence Monday night ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The 22-year-old was arrested at 9:30 PM in Los Angeles after an incident at the Beverly Center, an upscale shopping area.

We're told a witness called cops claiming Urias was in the parking lot arguing with a female companion and shoved her to the ground.

Cops responded and spoke with the woman, who denied anything physical took place ... and insisted it was nothing more than a heated verbal argument.

However, sources connected to the situation tell us ... witnesses were adamant they saw Urias push the woman and video from the scene appeared to back up the witness accounts.

Urias was arrested and transported to a nearby station where he was booked for misdemeanor domestic battery.

He spent the night behind bars and bailed out early Tuesday morning after posting $20,000 bail.

The left-hander made his MLB debut in 2016 when he was 19 years old. He missed a lot of time over the last couple of years due to injuries but he's been on fire in 2019, winning 2 games and saving 2 games for the 1st place Dodgers so far this season.

Ex-World Series MVP John Wetteland is denying allegations he repeatedly sexually assaulted a little boy in his family ... with his attorney telling the media, "He is innocent."

Wetteland has been accused of forcing the family member (now an adult) to give him oral sex on three separate occasions between 2004 and 2006 when the boy was under the age of 14.

A grand jury indicted the former All-Star pitcher on 3 felony charges of child sexual assault in March ... and at his first court appearance Monday, his attorney strongly denied the allegations.

"What they've accused him of, the only thing worse is murder," Derek Adame told the Dallas Morning News ... "He was completely shocked [by the allegations]."

Adame said Wetteland intended to enter a not guilty plea ... and is planning on fighting the charges vehemently.

"We look forward to the opportunity to prove our innocence, which is what Mr. Wetteland is," Adame said ... "He is innocent and is looking forward to his day in court."

Wetteland is due back in court for another hearing in July.

Here's A-Rod talking about how he and J Lo have gone to multiple strip clubs together and spent thousands on dancers ... but he SWEARS it had nothing to do with getting freaky.

It was all for "research" ... and Alex says it was the BEST work he's ever done!

Of course, Lopez is starring in the upcoming stripper flick "Hustlers" -- and Alex told the guys on "The Breakfast Club" he was more than happy to help Jen get ready for the role.

"I was out in L.A. She's in New York. She says, 'Baby, I'm going to the strip club.' I said, 'WHOA!! I'll be there on Thursday. We can go Thursday and Friday,'" Alex said.

"I mean, it's part of due diligence, right?"

Alex says Lopez was a total pro -- and tried to learn everything she could about dancers ... but Alex says he's kind of an expert when it comes to the booty club.

"She read and read and read [about strippers] ... I said, 'Baby, stop reading and just ask me. I got the info!'"

Alex says he almost knew "too much" about the stripper world -- "which was kind of scary."

Inside the clubs, Alex says the couple would pay THOUSANDS to women ... not to dance, but to talk.

"We sat down with the girls, and we literally just interrogate them, ask them questions. Then, we would hit 'em up with $400 or $500 or $600. We weren't there for dancing, we were literally there for work."

The Boston Red Sox are back ... and it's all 'cause of Donald Trump -- so says the President himself, who says it was White House visit magic that turned their season around!!

Of course, the Sox didn't get off to a great start this season -- they were just 2-8 in their first 10 games -- the worst opening record EVER for a team with 100-plus wins in the previous season.

But, Trump says their championship visit to the White House last week has changed everything -- saying, "Has anyone noticed that all the Boston @RedSox have done is WIN since coming to the White House!"

Boston has notched 3 straight victories since heading to 1600 Penn. Ave. last Thursday ... and now, Trump is claiming visits to the White House are an anti-curse!!!

"The White House visit is becoming the opposite of being on the cover of Sports Illustrated! By the way, the Boston players were GREAT guys!"

Teams haven't exactly been open to White House celebrations under Trump ... no NBA team has visited since he took office and even several Red Sox players themselves protested last week's trip.

But if the visits are now in fact good luck charms, could that change future champions' minds???

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.