Baseball

A man in Washington just struck gold ... by turning $265 into $200K after hitting a 12-leg parlay bet on a series of MLB games!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the lucky individual secured the bag on Thursday, earning over 700 times the amount of cash he put down.

A rep for BetUs -- the online sportsbook where the winning ticket was played -- tells us they don't release their customers' names, so the identity of the winner remains a mystery.

The sportsbook says the guy bet on 6 teams to win moneyline -- meaning he had to pick a winner outright -- and the rest of his picks were on "over/under" bets or totals.

His bets were as follows:

San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels moneyline.

The over/under or totals were Reds-Padres (Over 8), Pirates-Brewers (under 7½), Rockies-Phillies (over 7), Nationals-Marlins (under 8) Braves-Cubs (under 8½), and Yankees-Orioles (over 8½).

BetUS exec Tim Williams tells us, "Believe it or not, we really do love to see our valued customers hit big payouts -- and this young man from Lakewood, WA sure knows how to pick some winners!"

Williams says he hasn't spoken to the man who won the $200K, but he "hopes he has a great summer" with his new fortune.

Trevor Bauer just got hit with one of the longest suspensions in MLB history -- the ace was suspended 2 years without pay after Major League Baseball concluded its investigation into claims of sexual assault.

MLB launched a probe in June 2021 after a woman accused the Cy Young winner of going too far during two sexual encounters in April and May 2021 ... allegedly punching and choking her unconscious ... resulting in bumps, bruises, scratches and other injuries.

The league concluded after an extensive investigation, he did, in fact, violate the league's joint policy on domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse.

Bauer -- who has adamantly denied any wrongdoing -- says he will appeal the punishment and expects to win.

"In the strongest possible terms, I deny committing any violation of the league's domestic violence & sexual assault policy," Bauer said in a statement.

"I am appealing this action and expect to prevail. As we have throughout this process, my representatives & I respect the confidentiality of the proceedings."

Bauer's suspension comes two months after it was determined he would not face criminal charges over the allegations.

"After a thorough review of all the available evidence, including the civil restraining order proceedings, witness statements and the physical evidence, the People are unable to prove the relevant charges beyond a reasonable doubt," the district attorney said at the time.

Bauer went on to sue his accuser and her attorney ... claiming she fabricated her accusations in order to ruin his career and extract money from him.

Bauer hasn't pitched since June 2021 ... and if the suspension holds, will be almost 34 when he will be able to step on the mound again.

Bauer is in the middle of a 3-year, $102-million deal ... and was slated to make more than $30 million in 2022 and 2023. In other words, if the suspension holds, he will lose more than $60 million.

Law enforcement officials have determined no one affiliated with the Bethany College and Kansas Wesleyan University baseball teams was responsible for allegedly dumping paint thinner into a water cooler during a game this week, TMZ Sports has learned.

The Lindsborg Police Department says it conducted more than 60 interviews, collected multiple pieces of evidence, photographed the scene, and followed various leads in its investigation.

A spokesperson for LPD says the dept. ruled that no one associated with either school -- Bethany College or KWU -- was responsible for tampering with the water cooler.

Police say they have, however, identified two male juveniles as being involved in the incident, but are still actively investigating the situation.

As we previously reported, KWU filed a police report with LPD on April 24 ... after they found an unknown substance in their men's baseball team's water cooler.

In the report, Kansas Wesleyan is named as a victim several times ... with offenses listed such as: criminal threat; contaminated food/water sources, battery; knowing/recklessly causing bodily harm, criminal damage to property.

No suspects were named in the initial report.

An alleged picture of the water cooler made rounds on social media ... showing a foreign substance floating inside the liquid.

According to the statement, Bethany College also filed a report with LPD that same night in reference to KWU's water cooler being possibly tampered with.

Chaotic scene during the Mets vs. Cardinals game in St. Louis on Wednesday ... a wild brawl broke out during the middle of the game -- and NY superstar Pete Alonso was thrown to the ground by a Cards pitcher and coach.

The crazy moment went down in the bottom of the 8th inning at Busch Stadium ... after St. Louis third baseman Nolan Arenado was pissed following a pitch that nearly beaned him.

Arenado turned his body to avoid being hit by the Yoan López heater ... then nodded and motioned to Lopez as if to say "come get some."

The catcher and umpire tried to restore peace, but it was too late -- because both benches cleared in order to restrain Arenado from going after Lopez.

The two teams collided near home plate ... and, at one point, Alonso was dragged to the ground by Cardinals pitcher Génesis Cabrera and coach Stubby Clapp.

Thankfully, the melee was quickly broken up ... and Alonso and no one else was injured in the fracas.

But, afterward, Pete was pissed ... and told reporters that if he really wanted to, he could have "put someone in the hospital."

"I easily could," the Mets first baseman said, "but I was just out there trying to protect my guys."

Of course, the bad blood had been boiling between the two teams for a while ... especially after Tuesday night's game, when Alonso got drilled in the helmet by pitcher Kodi Whitley.

In fact, beanball drama happened earlier in Wednesday's game, when J.D. Davis was hit in the foot by a pitch from Cabrera in the top of the eighth inning.

Police are investigating the alleged attempt to poison a college baseball team by spiking their water jug with paint thinner ... and now cops are trying to get to the bottom of the wild claims.

In police docs we obtained, Kansas Wesleyan University filed an incident report with Lindsborg PD in Kansas ... where multiple unnamed people from the school are listed as victims.

In the report, several offenses are listed: criminal threat; contaminated food/water sources, battery; knowing/recklessly causing bodily harm, criminal damage to property.

On Sunday, a Twitter account (not affiliated with Kansas Wesleyan University or Barstool Sports) posted a picture of a water cooler that appears to show an unknown substance.

"Putting PAINT THINNER in our water coolers to get our baseball players sick and still getting toasted by 31 runs is WILD. Stay classy! Glad all our players are okay #buckfethany," the tweet read.

Important to note ... Bethany College, nor anyone from the school, is named in the police report.

The best play in the Padres vs. Reds game Tuesday night didn't belong to anyone actually ON the field ... no, it happened in the stands -- when a fan caught a foul ball while feeding a baby!

The awesome scene went down in the fifth inning of Cincinnati's tilt with San Diego at Great America Ball Park ... when Luis Campusano hit a foul ball up the third baseline.

The baseball ricocheted off some seats -- and then made a beeline for a dad who was quite occupied with a little baby in his arms.

You can see in the broadcast video from the stadium -- the dad, despite having a bottle in the baby's mouth, reached up over another fan, snagged the souvenir and didn't once disturb the toddler!

Everyone watching was shocked -- and the game's broadcasters couldn't help but gush over the dude's incredible dad feat.

"Nice job!" one of the announcers said. "Holds the bottle, no spillage! Baby in perfect bliss!"

Terrifying scene at a youth baseball game in South Carolina on Monday night ... a flurry of gunshots erupted near the diamond -- sending kids running in fear.

The incident -- which happened at around 8:44 p.m. at a local park in North Charleston -- was captured on video sent to ABC News 4 from a viewer ... showing as kids were playing in a game, dozens of gunshots rang out from a nearby parking lot.

According to the North Charleston Police Department, witnesses said the gunfire happened shortly after a large group of teenagers got into a fistfight in the area. Cops say the teens opened fire on each other following the physical altercation, but fled the area before officers arrived.

Police say three cars were hit by bullets during the incident ... but somehow, no one was injured.

As for the baseball game, you can see in video, coaches and players were horrified by it all -- with kids hitting the ground in an attempt to avoid any stray bullets.

A spokesperson for the NCPD said Tuesday morning the gunfire had nothing to do with the game ... adding that the mayor of North Charleston was "appalled by what he heard and saw."

The spokesperson said an investigation into the incident is underway ... explaining, "We will leave no stone unturned in bringing these suspects to justice."

Cops also said they're looking into ways they can make parks and playgrounds in the area safer -- and are providing resources to the kids who were affected by the terrifying incident.

Cleveland Guardians outfielder Myles Straw got right up in a Yankee fan's face and told him to "hit me, motherf***er" in the middle of a game over the weekend ... an altercation that resulted in spectators chucking trash in his direction.

The incident went down during the Yankees' walk-off win over the Guardians on Saturday ... after home fans allegedly mocked Steven Kwan for diving head-first into the outfield wall.

Straw was visibly upset with one of the fans in the front row ... climbing up on the fence and jawing at him.

A new video shows what exactly Straw said during the exchange ... in which he yelled, "hit me, motherf***er" repeatedly.

Of course, fans went after Straw again on Sunday ... calling him a "crybaby" and "Peter Parker" in reference to his wall climb.

Straw went off on Yanks fans in the locker rooms after the game ... referring to them as "the worst fan base on the planet."

No word on whether Straw will face any punishment for the altercation -- but bad interactions with fans are usually a big no-no.

Things got real between the L.A. Dodgers and San Diego Padres fans this weekend ... a bunch of brawls popped off at Petco Park, and the action was caught on video!

The series went down from Friday to Sunday ... and several fights broke out around the stadium. Men, women ... everyone partook in the fisticuffs.

In one of the more violent videos, you see two men wearing Padres attire goin' at it with two other guys rockin' L.A. gear -- as the men just tee off on each other.

Things took a scary turn at one point ... one of the guys seemingly slammed the back of his head on a metal bench.

Another showdown happened involving a big group of people ... and it was captured from two different angles.

Thankfully, stadium security eventually arrived and order was restored before the fight got any worse.

FYI, the Dodgers beat the Padres two out of three games ... and (thankfully) don't see each other again until 4th of July weekend.

This is awesome.

Tampa Bay Rays minor leaguer Tyler Zombro was met with cheers throughout the stadium on Sunday ... when he took the mound for the first time since his terrifying head injury last June.

Remember, 27-year-old Zombro was hit by a line drive during a minor league game for the Triple-A Durham Bulls ... requiring 16 plates and 32 screws to be installed into his head.

After nearly a year of recovery, Zombro made his big comeback on Sunday ... throwing a scoreless inning against Norfolk.

A welcoming message was displayed on the scoreboard as Zombro took the mound ... and players and coaches from both teams stepped out of the dugout to give the pitcher a standing ovation.

Zombro spoke about his comeback after the game ... saying, "I think it all came kind of full circle there and definitely was a symbol of me 'completing the journey' to be back to performing in Triple-A," according to MLB.

"It stirred up emotions in terms of everything that my support system has done for me -- Rays front office, Durham staff, wife, family, friends, teammates, etc."

Volodymyr Zelensky literally left his mark on America's pastime ... the world leader autographed a baseball that's up for auction, and the sale will help relief efforts in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian President signed his last name on the baseball in two different languages ... Ukrainian cursive and English print ... with his signature right below a Major League Baseball logo.

Zelensky left his John Hancock on the ball back in September 2019, during a visit to New York. The ball comes with a letter signed by Volodymyr Yelchenko, Ukraine's Ambassador to the United Nations at the time.

The baseball is going up for sale through RR Auction ... where it's expected to fetch at least $15,000.

Randy L. Kaplan, a government affairs specialist in New York, got the ball as a gift from Yelchenko ... Randy's been collecting signed Major League baseballs from world leaders and heads of state since 1996, starting with Bill Clinton.

The auction house says the ball is in "very fine" condition and Kaplan plans to donate a portion of proceeds from the sale to a Ukrainian relief fund ... RR says they will donate their cut to the same fund.

A Boston Red Sox prospect uncorked a haymaker on a pitcher after he was beaned during a game Thursday night ... and the punch was so violent, it ignited an all-out brawl on the field.

The wild scene went down during the Portland Sea Dogs' minor league baseball game against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies ... when Sea Dogs' first baseman and Sox prospect Tyreque Reed was drilled on the arm during the third inning.

You can see in footage of the play, following the hit-by-pitch, pitcher Marcel Renteria -- a New York Mets prospect -- appeared to say something to Reed that set him off.

Reed immediately charged at Renteria ... and then socked him in the face -- sending him crashing to the grass.

All hell broke loose following the punch, with players from both teams racing in to get in on the action.

At one point during the brawl, Renteria appeared to tackle another Sea Dogs player ... but once the fracas died down -- Renteria was clearly hurt.

It's unclear if Renteria suffered any serious injuries in the altercation -- but he was replaced by another pitcher. Reed, meanwhile, was ejected for his role in it all.

The game, thankfully, went off without another hitch following the brawl -- with the Sea Dogs coming out on top, 12-5.

A college baseball pitcher looked more like an NFL linebacker on Wednesday ... absolutely pummeling his opponent during the guy's home run trot -- and the wild scene was all captured on video.

It went down just hours ago during the sixth inning of the North Central Texas College game against Weatherford in Weatherford, Texas ... when NCTC first baseman Josh Phillips hit a go-ahead homer off Owen Woodward.

It's unclear if Phillips said anything to Woodward as he rounded the bases -- but just after the slugger touched third, Woodward charged at him and leveled him to the grass.

You can see in the clip, the blow was brutal -- it flattened Phillips, causing his helmet to fly yards away from his body.

Phillips' teammates raced to the scene to pile onto Woodward -- and, somehow, Phillips was able to get up and touch home plate to give NCTC the lead.

Woodward was taken away from the area by his teammates ... and then he was, presumably, ejected from the contest.

A spokesperson for the Weatherford Campus Police tells TMZ Sports ... Woodward was not arrested, but they are investigating the incident.

As for Phillips, the spokesperson said he has "no life-threatening" injuries.

We've reached out to both schools for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Kendrick Lamar is a man of the people -- the rap superstar hit up the Dodger game and sat with fans in the stands on Tuesday ... just days after announcing his highly-anticipated album.

The pgLang rapper has been the talk of the town since revealing he's got a new project coming next month ... and despite all the hype surrounding him, Kendrick managed to show his supporters appreciation by mingling with them at the game.

Of course, K. Dot is rarely out in public and hardly has a social media presence ... so whenever he's seen out and about, it's always a big deal for fans.

The Dodgers' broadcast made sure to highlight Kendrick's surprise appearance ... showing him on the big screen in left field as the crowd cheered for the SoCal native.

Lamar has hit up Blue Heaven on Earth in the past -- in 2015, he threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Carl Crawford ... and it was a much better throw than some of the recent celebs who've been tapped to do the tradition (we're looking at you, 50 Cent, Conor McGregor, and Dr. Fauci).

It's been an exciting few months for Kendrick -- he performed during the Super Bowl LVI halftime show with Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Eminem. As always, Lamar had the visuals and aesthetics on point and he performed two of his classics -- "m.A.A.d city" and "Alright."

Kendrick's next album is expected to be his last one with Top Dawg Entertainment -- the lyricist previously announced he was leaving the TDE label.

MLB star Starling Marte wanted the #6 so badly with his new Mets squad ... his teammate, Jeff McNeil, said the outfielder gave up a pricey watch for it!

McNeil explained the trade to MLB.com writer Anthony DiComo prior to New York's game against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday ... saying after he gave away his NY #6 to Marte before the year, Starling returned the favor recently by getting him a Rolex.

McNeil had worn the number since 2019, but switched to #1 after making the deal with Marte, who signed with the Mets this offseason after playing for Oakland and Miami last year.

As for if it was worth it ... McNeil told DiComo, while grinning, that the watch was very nice.

No word on what the timepiece cost ... but most Rolexes come with a hefty four-, five- or even 6-figure price tag.

Of course, Marte signed a 4-year, $78 million contract with the Mets ... so he could certainly afford it.

Trades like these happen fairly often in sports -- but sometimes they can end up disastrous ... you'll recall, Clinton Portis and his former teammate Ifeanyi Ohalete got in such a dispute over payment for a jersey number back in the day that they actually ended up in civil court over it all.

Doesn't seem the Marte/McNeil swap has any shot of reaching that point ... especially 'cause both dudes are off to great starts this season in their new threads.

Men, you might wanna close your eyes.

Pirates pitcher J.T. Brubaker drilled Nationals shortstop Alcides Escobar in the balls ... in what will go down as one of the most painful pickoff attempts in MLB history.

The wild play went down in the fourth inning of Thursday's game between the Nationals and the Pirates ... Brubaker's throw over to first base hit Escobar square in the groin area.

In the video, you can see Escobar taking a lead off first base when Brubaker turns and fires a throw towards the bag (foreshadowing) that misses everything ... except, well, you know the rest.

Escobar immediately grabbed his marbles as he was falling backward to the ground ... and signaled with his right hand to the first base ump that he needed a few to gather himself.

Play was temporarily stopped (understandably so, if you've ever experienced that pain before) as Escobar rolled around on the ground in clear discomfort.

Fortunately, though, the veteran shortstop was able to laugh about it all as one of his coaches and the team's trainer helped him back to his feet.

Escobar would stay in to finish the game, going 1-for-4 at the plate with two strikeouts ... but the biggest hit of the day came unexpectedly, if you catch our drift.