Baseball

Brewers pitcher Josh Hader got BOOED for several minutes in his first road game since his racist and homophobic tweets from seven years ago surfaced.

Hader took the long walk from the bullpen to the mound Thursday night in San Francisco ... and Giants fans greeted him with a loud round of jeers.

Remember ... Josh had to apologize after his old tweets that included "I hate gay people," "White power" and "KKK" were dug up last week.

Milwaukee fans were forgiving ... treating him to a standing O in his return to the Brew Crew's ball park last Saturday.

The NY Mets still suck ... and Tim Tebow can't even save them now -- 'cause the ex-NFLer broke his hand this weekend and is likely DONE FOR THE SEASON!!

ESPN reports the Mets minor leaguer broke the hamate bone in his non-throwing right hand while taking some hacks over the weekend and will have surgery on Tuesday to fix it.

It's too bad ... Tim was raking for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies this year -- even making the Eastern League All-Star Game earlier this month.

"Sunday Night Baseball" announcer Matt Vasgersian is under fire for mocking a bachelorette party at Wrigley Field on Thursday -- while on the air -- saying he hates seeing them at MLB ballparks.

"Is there anything more obnoxious than the bachelorette party at the ballpark?" Matt said.

"You're sitting behind like the bridal party -- 'Like, oh my god! We're getting married! Ehhhhhh."

Matt's cohost Jessica Mendoza fired back -- telling him he's wrong and that she would probably have her bachelorette party at a baseball field if she could.

Matt joked that it's probably better than having the party in Vegas.

After the game, people went nuts on Twitter -- some people called him sexist. One person took it a little too far.

Dodgers' superstar Matt Kemp says he's "really excited" for his good friend, Manny Machado, to join the Blue Crew -- telling TMZ Sports the squad has a real shot to win the World Series.

"Great baseball player, friend of mine," Kemp told us at the airport in D.C. ... "I think the city of Los Angeles is really excited at the moment."

Kemp also admits he knew about the Machado trade during the All-Star game on Tuesday -- when he took a selfie with Manny on the field.

We also asked Kemp if he had any advice for LeBron James on how to succeed in L.A. -- and Dodgers fans are REALLY gonna like his answer.

MLB All-Star pitcher Josh Hader has apologized for all of the insanely offensive tweets on his timeline -- including multiple attacks on gay people and use of the n-word -- explaining, "I was immature."

Back in 2011 and 2012, the Milwaukee Brewers star posted all sorts of hate speech -- throwing around the n-word multiple times and stating, "I hate gay people."

It all came to light Tuesday night while 24-year-old Hader was pitching in the All-Star game -- and, right after the game ended, reporters swarmed him to get some answers.

"I was 17 years old and, as a child, I was immature and I obviously said some things that were inexcusable," Hader said.

"That doesn't reflect on who I am as a person today, and that's just what it is."

The 24-year-old was backed by his teammates ... despite the racist commentary.

"We'll move on from it," said Brewers outfielder Lorenzo Cain -- who is African American.

"I know Hader. He's a great guy, a great teammate. So, I'm fine. Everybody will be OK. We'll move on from this for sure."

There has been some speculation Hader could be suspended for the tweets -- something the pitcher says he'll accept fully.

Aaron Boone owes Matt LeBlanc some tickets ... 'cause the "Friends" star is the reason the Yankees manager can now speak to his ace pitcher without an English-speaking translator.

And, we're dead serious.

NY stud Luis Severino went on "The Jim Rome Show" Monday and revealed the sitcom -- and his favorite character, Joey -- is where he picked up most of his English after he came to the U.S. to play baseball.

"I love watching 'Friends,'" Severino says. "I think I learned a lot of English from watching 'Friends.'"

Luis moved to the States from the Dominican Republic about 5 years ago ... and admits it was all tough -- especially the language barrier -- until Ross, Chandler and the gang taught him the lingo.

Twins pitcher Fernando Rodney had a pretty good excuse to make it a half-day at work Sunday ... 'cause dude had to bail mid-game to become a U.S. citizen!!

The story's awesome ... the Minnesota closer -- who locks down the ninth inning on the reg for the MLB squad -- had to leave Target Field only two hours after the first pitch to catch a flight for an immigration hearing Monday morning in Miami.

Sooo ... Twins manager Paul Molitor put him into the 5th inning to get 2 outs against the Tampa Bay Rays ... and then let him off to the airport.

Minnesota went on to win after Rodney pitched a perfect two-thirds of an inning ... and then Fernando scored a perfect hearing this morning.

"Today I fly the American Flag but in my heart always hold my Dominican Flag," Rodney wrote on social media.

"I want to thank all those who have been with me throughout the process and especially thank the @twins organizations for allowing me to catch my flight."

Here's Bobby Bonilla ... with a big ol' smile on his face -- because he just got his annual $1 MILLION check from the NY Mets!

You've probably heard of "Bobby Bonilla Day" -- every July 1, Bobby gets $1.19 million stemming from a contract he signed back in his playing days.

Instead of paying Bobby the $5.9 million they owed him back in 2000 ... his agent negotiated a deferred payment deal with the Mets in which they send him an annual $1.19 mil check until 2035!!!!

So, when we saw Bobby at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C. over the weekend ... we had to ask how he celebrated.

But, the 55-year-old -- who hasn't played since 2001 -- was more interested in giving credit to his agent, Dennis Gilbert ... a "special man."

NBA star John Wall is one of the most incredible, talented athletes on planet Earth -- but, when it comes to baseball, he stinks.

Remember ... the Washington Wizards star threw arguably the worst first pitch in MLB history about seven years ago ... and, unfortunately, he's not much better with a bat in his hands.

Wall was at Nationals Park warming up for the MLB celebrity softball game Sunday night ... when he took some BP.

If you're counting at home ... that was three fouls, a complete whiff, and maybe a base hit -- all from a dude throwing lobs from about eight feet away!!

Wall's confidence wasn't shaken ... he was somehow able to hit a single and score a run when the bright lights actually came on -- but, still.

Here's some real talk featuring Hollywood super heavyweight Aaron Sorkin ... a die-hard Yankee fan who's doing the unthinkable ... questioning the legitimacy of the career of BABE RUTH.

Yeah, he did it.

We got Sorkin out at Craig's and asked him if the current Yankees home run hitting tear should come with an asterisk ... because the new Yankee stadium has short fences in places.

That's when it happened.

"If there's no asterisk next to Babe Ruth for only facing white pitchers, then there can't be any asterisk on the Yankees."

It's a point that's been raised before, basically stating that segregation meant that Babe Ruth never faced the VERY best competition, because some of that competition was black.

9:30 AM PT -- Justin just posted, "You're going to be the most amazing Mom!! I can't wait to start this new journey with you! You're the most thoughtful, loving, caring, and strong woman I've ever met! I'm so proud that our little one is going to be raised in this world by a woman like you! I love you so much."

Kate Upton is catching what seems like the wave these days ... she's pregnant!!!

Kate just announced she's having a baby ... posting this pic Saturday from Miami. We've learned she's there for Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Model Search during Miami Swim Week ... so pregnancy's not stopping her from working it.

Kate married Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander last November. They dated for 5 years. As you know, they got hitched just days after the Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the World Series.

Kate captioned the pic, "#PregnantinMiami @justinverlander."

Unclear how far along she is ... but one thing's for sure -- Kate looks great!

WE GOT TIM TEBOW'S MOM!!!! How cool is this?!

Tim Tebow's mother, Pamela, tells TMZ Sports her son is ready to play in the Big Leagues ... and she couldn't be more proud of the way he's playing!

FYI, Tim's been raking down in the minor leagues -- earning a spot in the Eastern League All-Star Game -- and Mama Tebow says he's ready for the call up to the Mets' MLB roster.

"We're partial, so we would vote for him to go up to the majors," Pam said at LAX ... "But, it's not up to us!"

We also asked how the Tebow family felt when Tim decided to make the switch from football to baseball -- and she was super candid about it.

"Timmy never had any bitterness. He had such a great attitude, because he believed it was God's plan for him. And then, we just all supported him because he still had a competitive drive."

"And he just still wanted to play ball. So baseball was second, so why not try it?"

"I think he's an example for all the little boys that maybe are afraid to try something because people don't think they'll succeed. So, you don't make it? At least you tried! That's what his main purpose is, he really wants to be a good example for them."

A minor league baseball pitcher had the ultimate feather in his cap on Wednesday -- when he caught a bird with his glove ... and wore it on his head!!!

The bird collector is Jesus Cruz -- who plays for the St. Louis Cardinals' minor league affiliate, Peoria Chiefs.

Cruz was exiting the mound after pitching 4.2 innings -- when a little bird flew in his path.

The 23-year-old righty snatched the animal on his way to the dugout ... and when it fell to the ground, he scooped it up into his glove and appeared to say a prayer for his new feathery friend.

It worked ... the bird sprung to life -- so Cruz promptly placed it on top of his head!!

Don't worry ... the bird looked all good after the incident (hopefully, he's okay!).

Tim Tebow's bat has been hot lately ... but, his defense -- not so much, 'cause the ex-NFLer and current Mets farmhand took a ball straight to the dome in a minor league game Monday night!!

It all went down in Portland, Maine in a tilt between Tebow's Binghamton Rumble Ponies and the opposing Portland Sea Dogs ... when Josh Ockimey belted a ball deep to Tebow in left field.

The ball hit high off the wall and came crashing down ... right at Tim's head.

It clanked off his head -- rolled all the way to the fence in foul territory ... and ended up as an RBI triple.

Tebow's squad took the L, 5-3 ... but, it wasn't all Tim's fault -- he went 3-for-4 with two RBIs at the plate!!

By the way ... Tebow IS an All-Star this year, getting named to the Eastern League roster last week.

And, hey ... even MLB legends make blunders with their heads in the outfield every once in a while ...

Bruce Maxwell -- the only MLB player who took a knee during the national anthem -- has been sentenced for that incident in which he allegedly pulled a gun on a Postmates driver ... and he won't be going to jail.

As we previously reported, Maxwell was arrested back in October after a female driver claimed Maxwell threatened her with a gun when she tried delivering his food to his Scottsdale home.

Maxwell was initially arrested for aggravated assault -- but, he cut a deal with prosecutors in which he agreed to plead guilty to disorderly conduct ... a lesser charge.

In exchange, Maxwell was sentenced to 2 years probation -- with a 6-month deferred sentence ... which means if he violates the terms of probation, he gets 6 months in jail.

As for Bruce, he's kept a very low profile since the arrest -- we have yet to hear from him.

We last saw Maxwell in police body cam footage -- when he was cussing out the arresting officers who responded to the gun call.

Yankees nation rallied together for CC Sabathia on Thursday -- using their star power to raise $1 MILLION for the pitcher's charity organization ... despite a torrential downpour!

Stars like Jennifer Lopez, Alex Rodriguez and Victor Cruz teamed up with Aaron Judge, Amar'e Stoudemire, Saquon Barkley, Leslie Jones and Mariano Rivera to play in a softball game at Yankees Stadium.

And get this, Meek Mill's attorney Joe Tacopina also got the VIP treatment -- posing for pics with the likes of Giancarlo Stanton. Tacopina was actually named co-MVP of the game!

There was also a moment of silence to honor Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz -- the teenager who was stabbed to death by gang members earlier this month in the Bronx.

CC's charity -- PitCCh In -- focuses on helping underprivileged kids in inner city communities.