Baseball

MLB superstar Bryce Harper went all out to honor Kobe Bryant on what would have been the Mamba's 42nd birthday ... rockin' cleats, a wristband and even a Lakers jersey for the tribute.

Bryce wore all the KB swag for the Phillies' game against the Braves on Sunday ... and afterward, he showed off up-close images of it all and praised the hell out of the L.A. legend.

"Kobe Bryant was my hero growing up," Harper said of the tribute. "It was him and my pops. If Kobe was playing I was watching."

"The way he went about it was something that nobody else had. He was fiery, smart, clutch, and just better than everybody I believed."

Harper says he always respected the way Kobe played on the court ... but added it was Bryant's off-court demeanor that really touched him as well.

"Thank you so much for the amazing ride you took us all on and sharing your talent and love for the sport with all of us," Harper said. "We are so lucky to have watched such greatness for so long."

Of course, Harper is an Under Armour athlete ... so the Nike-themed tribute is truly a special gesture from the Philly outfielder.

"Kobe Happy Birthday brotha and Happy Mamba Day," Harper said. "You are missed by so many. 8 and 24 will live on forever!!"

Seems the Kobe gear brought the Phils good luck ... while Harper didn't have his best day at the plate -- Philly won the game 5-4 with a thrilling play at the plate.

The Washington Nationals have fired a team employee after surveillance cameras appeared to catch the man throwing hot coffee on a woman in a disturbing scene in the Dominican Republic.

Footage from the incident is shocking ... according to ESPN, Nats employee Jazhiel Morel, who helped work with the team's academy in Boca Chica, D.R., was at a convenience store recently when he got into an argument with a cashier.

Unclear what prompted the altercation ... but you can see in the clip, the man gets so upset with the woman -- he tosses two cups of coffee straight into her face before leaving the store.

Nats general manager Mike Rizzo said in a statement he fired the man immediately after learning of the video ... adding the actions in the clip were "horrific."

"We do not tolerate this type of behavior in our organization," Rizzo said.

Police in the D.R. say Morel turned himself in on Monday morning ... and say they're questioning the man as part of the initial steps of the investigation.

D.R. cops added the coffee throwing is "a punishable act of violence."

A Mike Trout rookie card just netted a stunning $3.9 MILLION at auction for Vegas Dave ... and the dude is already spiking the football in his critics' faces, saying, "Cheers haters."

"I just flipped a piece of cardboard for 3.6 million dollars in 24 months which required no manual labor," said Dave Oancea, who initially bought the card for $400K in 2018.

"That’s more money than each of my critics will ever make working a 9-5 for 40 hours a week for 40 years for a boss they don’t like even like."

The figure for the card is staggering ... it's now the most expensive baseball piece EVER -- smashing the $3.1 million record that a Honus Wagner card garnered in 2016.

Vegas Dave initially scooped up the Trout card because of its insane rarity -- it's a 1 of 1 -- and he guaranteed at the time the card would make him SERIOUS bank.

Ken Goldin -- whose Goldin Auctions company facilitated the sale -- told the Washington Post he wasn't exactly surprised to see VD's prediction come true.

"This [Trout] card is the best possible card of the best player today, and there’s only one of them that was produced," Goldin said. "And the whole world knows there’s only one.”

For the Angels' part, Trout's manager, Joe Maddon, was blown away by the sale ... joking with reporters over the weekend, "That puts him right up there with, what did the Mona Lisa sell for?"

Wanna know what a hand looks like after its been through hamate bone surgery???

No? Well, Tommy Pham just showed off the results anyway -- and it's all GROOOOSSSSS!!!!

The San Diego Padres star busted up the bone last weekend fouling off a pitch ... and went through surgery at some point in the last few days to get it all fixed.

Seems the operation went well ... but when Tommy showed off a pic of the aftermath -- it was gnarly!!!

Check out the wound ... there's stitches. It's purple. It's yellow. It's nasty.

Good news is, Pham is only set to miss around 4-6 weeks ... and should be able to help the Padres at some point in their playoff run in September.

And, if we're keepin' it real, it's not like S.D. needs him all that much at the moment anyway ... have you seen all the grand slams they've been hitting lately?!?!

2019 World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg might be DONE for the season ... and the team says it's all 'cause of an ailment you get from typing too much!!!

Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Friday the ace could have season-ending surgery due to carpal tunnel syndrome -- a nerve issue in the wrist.

Of course, the injury is commonly brought on by people who spend too many hours at a keyboard ... but Strasburg clearly got it from hurling curveballs and 95 mph fastballs.

Strasburg had complained of tingling and numbness in his hand prior to taking the bump this season ... and ultimately went on the IL last week over the injury after only starting 2 games.

Martinez says the 32-year-old saw a hand specialist this week ... and the Nats got the bad news Friday.

It's a huge blow to the team ... Stras was arguably the biggest reason the Nats won the World Series last season -- and not having him for a postseason run could spell an early exit.

WARNING: THIS VIDEO WILL MAKE YOU SQUIRM!!!

A Philadelphia Phillies pitcher was hit square in the groin by a 105 mph line drive Thursday ... and the ball caught so flush with the guy's man junk -- he needed a cart to leave the field.

Relief pitcher Jose Alvarez was facing Blue Jays outfielder Lourdes Gurriel in the bottom of the 5th -- when LG launched a comebacker that found its way straight into Alvarez's crotch.

Alvarez was able to shake off the pain for long enough to get the out at first ... but immediately after, the dude crumpled to the grass, wincing and grabbing his ding dong area.

Jose was down on the field for several minutes ... before, eventually, trainers loaded him onto a cart to take him into the locker room.

Unclear the extent of Jose's injuries ... but dude did give a wave on his way off the diamond -- a decent sign everything might be all right after all.

But, man. Yikes.

Cincinnati Reds announcer Thom Brennaman says he's "ashamed" that he used a homophobic slur on air ... and says he's now dedicating himself to working with the LGBTQ community to grow from this experience.

"As many of you know, I said something hateful on the air Wednesday night," Brennaman said in a long op-ed posted on Cincinnati.com ... "something no one should ever say."

Brennaman says he didn't realize the homophobic f-word was "so rooted in hate and violence" -- and says he vows to never use it again.

"I cannot erase what I have done," Thom said. "The only thing I can do is humbly apologize, accept the consequences of my actions and resolve to be better and behave differently from now on."

Brennaman directly addresses the LGBTQ+ community ... saying, "I am truly and deeply sorry. You should never be denigrated with crude and hateful language. I failed you, and I cannot say enough how sorry I am."

Brennaman also says he has already spoken with MLB exec Billy Bean -- who's openly gay -- and Bean has agreed to work with him on how to "become a more informed person."

"I immediately plan to participate in diversity, equity and inclusion training and have reached out to PFLAG for resources and guidance," Thom said.

Brennaman -- who's been suspended by the Reds and pulled from the "NFL on FOX" schedule -- says he doesn't know if he'll ever work in broadcasting again ... but says this incident has forced him to "reflect on who I am and how I am want to be seen and thought of."

Cincinnati Reds announcer Thom Brennaman uttered an offensive, homophobic slur while calling the Reds game Wednesday ... apparently not realizing his microphone was on.

Brennaman -- who was announcing a doubleheader against the Kansas City Royals -- was heard referring to a city as "one of the f** capitals of the world."

Seconds later he snapped back into announcer mode and read a promo for the Reds Live Pregame Show ... as if nothing had happened.

But, viewers were SHOCKED ... and the clip went viral on social media in a matter of minutes.

56-year-old Brennaman has been calling MLB games since the '90s and has been the featured play-by-play broadcaster for major events like the BCS National Championship Game, the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, the 2008 Sugar Bowl ... even the 2011 Pro Bowl.

He's been working with the Reds since 2006.

Maybe Carlos Santana didn't get the memo ...

The Cleveland Indians star 1st baseman rocked a "Chief Wahoo" shirt under his jersey during Tuesday's game -- despite the team BANNING that logo back in 2019.

Remember, the team -- along with Major League Baseball -- put out a grand statement back in 2018 saying the club would officially do away with Chief Wahoo, explaining the logo was "no longer appropriate."

Critics have long said the logo felt like an insensitive, racist caricature of a Native American.

MLB and the Indians put out a joint statement saying they had "thoughtful and productive discussions" and ultimately agreed to move on from the logo by the start of the 2019 season.

The last time Wahoo was on an official Indians uniform was Oct. 2018.

So, you can imagine the shock when Santana wore the shirt during Tuesday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates ... in a monster game for Santana in which he had 2 hits and 5 RBIs. Lots of camera time.

Plus, he wore the undershirt -- without his jersey -- at the post-game presser where Wahoo was more prominently displayed.

Our MLB sources tell us ... the league is aware of the shirt -- and there are plans to talk with the Indians organization about the issue so it won't happen again.

Reds star Trevor Bauer is taking his support for Joe Kelly to his feet ... rockin' "Free Joe Kelly" cleats for Cincy's game Wednesday -- and the tribute is pretty amazing!!

As we previously reported, Kelly is set to undergo a 5-game suspension as soon as he comes off the Dodgers' injured list ... and it's all because MLB says he threw at cheating Houston Astros players last month.

But, dozens of guys in The Show -- including Kelly himself -- think it's all BS ... saying Joe didn't actually hit anybody, and he really wasn't involved in the near brawl on the field either.

Enter, Bauer ... who hates the Astros so much and is so firmly in Kelly's corner on the situation -- he had custom Joe Kelly cleats made for his start against the K.C. Royals!!!

TB showed off the footwear just hours before he took the bump ... and on the left shoe, Bauer had Kelly's infamous mocking face painted over the Nike swoosh.

On the right shoe, Bauer had the words "Free Joe Kelly" scribbled over the emblem.

"FREE JOE KELLY!" Bauer said along with the cleat announcement.

Trevor's support for Joe went one step even further ... the Cincy ace also made shirts for Kelly -- and says the proceeds from the tees will go to a charity of Joe's choice.

How's that for a pitching brotherhood?!?!

Imagine hitting a towering 400-foot grand slam in an MLB game ... and APOLOGIZING FOR IT?!?!

Fernando Tatis Jr. did exactly that Monday night ... with the bizarre scene making baseball purists go CRAZY over the 21-year-old!!

Here's the deal ... the San Diego Padres were up 10-3 on the Texas Rangers in the 8th inning when Tatis Jr. was ahead 3-0 in a count.

Padres manager Jayce Tingler says he instructed Tatis Jr. to take the next pitch and to NOT run up the score ... but the shortstop says he missed the sign from coach, and blasted the baseball to the moon!!

The homer was SICK -- it traveled over 400 feet and was Tatis Jr.'s 2nd of the night ... giving him 7 RBIs in total -- but EVERYONE was seemingly pissed at the Padre for it.

Check out the footage from the field ... Rangers manager Chris Woodward was furious -- and when Tatis Jr. got back to his own bench, you can tell his teammates weren't pleased either.

Afterward, Tatis Jr. says he was sorry for smacking the home run ... saying next time he'll likely take the pitch instead of crushing it and piling on runs.

"Those experiences, you got to learn from it," Tatis Jr. said. "Probably next time, I take a pitch now that I learned from it.”

Added Tatis Jr.'s manager, "He’s young, a free spirit and focused and all these things, and that’s the last thing we’ll ever take away. But that’s a learning opportunity, that’s it and he’ll grow from it."

In fact, the Rangers were so pissed over Tatis Jr.'s swing ... they nearly hit San Diego's next batter, Manny Machado, with a fastball in retaliation.

Of course, other baseballers rushed to Tatis Jr.'s defense ... saying the unwritten MLB rule needs to be abolished -- and the dude should keep swinging no matter what.

"Hey [Fernando] listen up," Reds star pitcher Trevor Bauer said of the controversy. "1) Keep swinging 3-0 if you want to, no matter what the game situation is 2) Keep hitting homers, no matter what the situation is"

Detroit Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire was thrown out of a game Sunday in an epic F-bomb laced rant ... and the whole glorious incident was caught on a field's hot mic!!!

Ron G was furious with 1st base umpire Tim Timmons during the Tigers' game against the Cleveland Indians ... after Timmons overturned a call in the 3rd inning that negated a Detroit run.

Gardenhire was fuming over the ruling ... and when the 62-year-old manager came out to complain to Timmons -- field mics picked up part of the ump's clapback.

"Hey!" Timmons could be heard screaming at Gardenhire. "I didn't f*ck it up!"

Then, Timmons' ejection of Ron was picked up on mics as well ... with the ump clearly screaming, "Get the f*ck out!!!"

Cleveland's broadcast team couldn't help but comment on the profane tossing ... with one of the guys saying, "Oh! Easy, Tim!"

The best part of the whole scene? Other camera angles showed the umps made Gardenhire pull up his mask during the heated argument!!!

Of course, with no fans in the stands ... F-bombs have been heard all over MLB diamonds this summer -- check out Joc Pederson droppin' one during the Dodgers game against the Angels on Sunday.

Cleveland pitcher Zach Plesac says he's been wrongfully portrayed as a reckless monster for breaking MLB's COVID rules during a night out in Chicago ... insisting he was being safe the entire time.

"The media's portraying me and my best friend and teammate to be malicious with our actions when we were really ... practicing safe practices," Plesac says.

Here's the deal ... Plesac ADMITS he and teammate Mike Clevinger broke MLB rules by leaving the team hotel and staying out past curfew during a road trip to Chicago.

"I went out to dinner with some buddies. We ended up going back to his place -- the same group that we went to dinner with ... and we opened up baseball cards," Plesac says.

"That entire night, dinner and hanging out at my buddy's place after, we were not with more than 8 people the entire night."

The problem ... obviously ... is that MLB had put strict rules in place to prevent another outbreak after COVID hit the Miami Marlins and the St. Louis Cardinals.

When news broke of Plesac's night out, he was killed in the media -- AND by teammates like Adam Plutko who felt he violated their trust and put the team at risk.

But, in a 6 minute and 30 second IG video, the 25-year-old pitcher argues he followed CDC guidelines that night and doesn't really understand why everyone is making such a big deal about it.

"You can't sit in a room all day," Plesac said.

Plesac says he's been doing research and vows to follow the rules moving forward -- but feels he's been "dragged across the mud."

He's adamant he'd never purposely put his teammates at risk -- citing his brother has diabetes and his mother is a nurse.

"I understand the significance of this illness and this disease and I know how important it is that we must follow certain procedures and guidelines to ensure safety for the entirety of the group."

Ultimately, Plesac says he's dying to get back on the mound and play again -- so he can "start shoving it up people" ASAP.

"I think I'll be irritated forever."

L.A. Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly just RIPPED the Houston Astros ... calling the players "snitches" and "little bitches" over their cheating scandal in a scathing rant.

The reliever sounded off on his teammate, Ross Stripling's "Big Swing Podcast" ... making the comments shortly after he was suspended 8 games for his role in a near Astros-Dodgers brawl last month.

Kelly explained to Stripling how he thought his ban was BS ... and then went absolutely IN on the Astros for the way he believes they passed off blame in their 2017 cheating scandal.

Kelly says the players wrongly let bench coach Alex Cora and GM Jeff Luhnow -- who were both fired after MLB's investigation -- take the fall for the sign-stealing scheme ... saying, "all they do is go snitch like a little bitch, and they don't have to get fined, they don't have to lose games."

Kelly added, "When you take someone's livelihood ... to save your own ass, that's what I don't like. Cheating? They cheated. Everyone knows they're cheaters."

"They know they're cheaters. It's over. That's been there, done that. But now, they mess it up by ruining other people's lives, so they f*cked it up twice."

Kelly -- who wasn't on the 2017 Dodgers team that lost to the Astros in the World Series but did play under Cora in 2018 with the Red Sox -- says Houston players' actions were "one of the worst things that you could probably do."

"They're not respectable men to me," Kelly said.

As for his role in the infamous Astros-Dodgers game last month ... Kelly says he has no idea why baseball banned him -- insisting when he threw at Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa, it wasn't intentional.

In fact, Kelly blamed the Astros for all of the ensuing commotion ... saying he was the one who properly socially distanced and followed CDC guidelines amid the chaos.

"They walked out of their dugout, walked toward us," Kelly said. "Carlos Correa f*cking spit at our team."

Cleveland Indians pitcher Adam Plutko just roasted the hell out of his teammates Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac for partying amid the pandemic ... saying straight up, "They hurt us bad."

"They lied to us," Plutko told reporters after the Tribe's loss to the Cubs on Tuesday. "They sat here in front of you guys and publicly said things that they didn't follow through on."

"It's gonna be up to them. It really is. I'll let them sit here and tell you how they're gonna earn their trust back."

As we previously reported, both Plesac and Clevinger were busted for leaving their team hotel over the weekend to hang out with friends in the Windy City.

It's obviously a huge no-no ... MLB teams like the Marlins and Cardinals have had their seasons completely derailed by COVID outbreaks, so unpermitted meetups are seriously frowned upon.

Both Clevinger and Plesac were placed on the restricted list for their actions and forced into quarantine ... and Plutko -- who had to fill in for Clevinger on the mound Tuesday -- was pretty pissed over it all.

"I don't need to put words in their mouths," the 28-year-old said. "The term that I continue to hear -- and excuse my language -- is 'grown-ass man.'"

"So those grown-ass men can sit here and tell you guys what happened and tell you guys what they're gonna do to fix it. I don't need to do that for them."