Baseball

MLB star Joey Votto made a fan's day at the ballpark on Monday -- by fulfilling her request to create a TikTok video!!!

The adorable scene went down just before Votto's Cincinnati Reds played the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix ... when a young fan's sign caught the attention of the 38-year-old first baseman.

"Joey Votto," the girl's sign read, "will you make a TikTok with me?"

Votto, a fan favorite and a budding TikTok star himself, was all-in on the idea ... and immediately went to work with the fan -- a 12-year-old from Phoenix.

The two eventually had the idea to hit "The Griddy" -- a dance move popularized by NFL stars Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase -- and, check out the footage, it clearly came out awesome.

Joey did the dance well, but the girl clearly stole the show ... it certainly looked like she had some experience hitting it before!!

Joe Maddon chopped his hair into a mohawk in an effort to try and break the Angels' losing skid earlier this month -- but his team never got to see it ... because he was fired before he could show it off.

ESPN's Tim Kurkjian reported the somber story as part of a bigger piece on the Angels that aired before L.A.'s game against the New York Mets on Sunday night.

In the report, Kurkjian said the 68-year-old manager got the new 'do following the Halos' 12th straight loss on June 6 ... in an effort to try to bring better juju to his floundering squad.

The problem? Angels brass fired him unexpectedly -- and none of his team could see it.

Maddon had been hired by the Angels prior to the 2020 season. He piled up a 130-148 record in his two-plus seasons with the team.

Captain John J. Sax, son of Dodgers great Steve Sax, was one of five U.S. Marines killed when their aircraft went down during a training exercise in southern California on Wednesday.

He was 33 years old.

The cause of the accident, which occurred about 150 miles from San Diego, is still under investigation.

John, who served the corp. for over five years and was awarded The National Defense Service Medal, was identified as one of the occupants on board the aircraft at the time of the fatal crash. His father confirmed the tragic news in a statement on Saturday.

"It is with complete devastation that I announce that my precious son, Johnny was one of the five US Marines that perished on Wednesday, June 8, in the Osprey Military crash near San Diego," Steve said to CBSLA-TV.

"For those of you that knew Johnny, you saw his huge smile, bright light, his love for his family, the Marines, the joy of flying airplanes and defending our country! He was my hero and the best man I know, there was no better person to defend our country."

Steve, 62, won the National League Rookie of the Year award in 1982 and the Silver Slugger award in 1986.

Sax, who played eight seasons with the Dodgers (he also spent time with the Yankees, White Sox and A's), made five All Star teams. He also won two world championships with Los Angeles ... in 1981 and 1988.

Sax retired in 1994.

Major League Baseball released a statement on the passing of Steve's son ... saying, "Today we remember the lives of John Sax, the son of former All-Star Steve, and four fellow Marines of the Purple Fox family who perished in a tragic aircraft accident."

"With gratitude for their service to our country, we send our deepest condolences to their families and friends."

There's absolutely no way Mike Scioscia returns to manage the Angels following Joe Maddon's firing ... the former Halos coach tells TMZ Sports he's officially done with that part of his life.

The 63-year-old, who coached L.A. from 2000 to 2018 -- winning one World Series -- told us out at LAX that even though his ex-team is looking for another manager after canning Maddon this week, he won't be a candidate.

"No, man," he said with a laugh. "No, I'm relaxing now. I'm retired."

Scioscia is still hanging around the game -- he coached the U.S. Olympics team to a silver medal in Tokyo last year -- and he's slated to be a manager for one of the teams in the All-Star Futures Game next month.

He made it clear, though, dabbling here and there on the end of the dugout bench is as far as he'll go these days.

"I've done my time," he said. "I loved it. But now, I'm in a little different scenario."

Earmuffs, kids!!!

Dodgers pitcher Tyler Anderson dropped a massive F-bomb during a game on Thursday that was so loud, it was actually captured on a hot mic at the stadium.

Anderson let the obscenity fly in the fourth inning of L.A.'s game against the White Sox in Chicago, after throwing his fourth ball to Jose Abreu.

The pitch, on a 3-2 count, just barely missed ... but Anderson still clearly hated it.

"F***!!!!" he screamed.

The game's broadcasters had fun with the moment ... with one saying, "There was something that he yelled when he delivered that ball and I'm thinking, you're a very young man, close your headset. You don't want to hear that."

Anderson ended up being pulled from the game a few batters later -- not because of cussin', but rather because he was just ineffective -- but it all still could end up OK for him.

Not even Chad Kroeger's sweet vocals were enough to pull the Angels out of their losing skid ... 'cause despite playing Nickelback songs on repeat in L.A. on Wednesday to try to get a win -- the team still lost.

Every Angels batter walked out to a different Nickelback tune in their game against Boston in an effort to mix up the mojo amid a 13-game losing streak ... and the idea had initial promise.

With Shohei Ohtani coming out to "Photograph" and Jo Adell strutting to the dish to "Rockstar" -- the team held up strong against the Red Sox for most of the game.

Sadly for L.A., the Nickelback theme didn't work ... and Boston ultimately pulled out the win, 1-0 -- handing the Angels their 14th consecutive loss.

Afterward, interim manager Phil Nevin -- who replaced the newly fired Joe Maddon this week -- said he had no clue where the idea started, but he was in favor of it.

"I like it. I like Nickelback," the 51-year-old said. "The entire game I've got songs in my head I can't stop singing."

Stunning news in the MLB ... the L.A. Angels have just fired Joe Maddon after hiring him less than three years ago.

The team announced the move Tuesday afternoon ... canning the 68-year-old as the Angels are currently mired in a 12-game losing streak.

The org. has named Phil Nevin manager in the interim.

Despite the team's skid of consecutive losses, most figured Maddon would at least make it through the year -- given his track record (he's a 3-time Manager of the Year and two-time World Series Champ) and the fact that the team just signed him before the 2020 season.

But, L.A. execs clearly believed the squad was underachieving ... especially with two of the best players in baseball in Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani on the roster.

And, it certainly didn't help Maddon's case that he was getting snippy with reporters lately -- becoming visibly upset with some following the team's loss to the Red Sox on Monday night.

Tampa Bay Rays players refused to wear the Gay Pride logo on their uniforms this weekend -- saying their religious beliefs wouldn't allow it, but also saying they accept everyone.

The players are all pitchers, and there's 5 of them -- Jason Adam, Jalen Beeks, Brooks Raley, Jeffrey Springs and Ryan Thompson. On Saturday, during the team's Pride Night celebration, they reportedly ditched the custom jerseys/hats featuring rainbow-colored lettering and instead opted for standard unis.

The reason ... "faith-based" purposes. Adam explained ... "So it’s a hard decision. Because ultimately we all said what we want is them to know that all are welcome and loved here."

He adds, "But when we put it on our bodies, I think a lot of guys decided that it’s just a lifestyle that maybe -- not that they look down on anybody or think differently -- it’s just that maybe we don’t want to encourage it if we believe in Jesus, who’s encouraged us to live a lifestyle that would abstain from that behavior, just like (Jesus) encourages me as a heterosexual male to abstain from sex outside of the confines of marriage. It’s no different."

Manager Kevin Cash said the players' decision had sparked some conversation in the clubhouse, but it doesn't sound like things have gotten heated ... and that the team understands.

Adam concluded ... "It’s not judgmental. It’s not looking down. It’s just what we believe the lifestyle he’s encouraged us to live, for our good, not to withhold. But again, we love these men and women, we care about them, and we want them to feel safe and welcome here."

The team was certainly in support of hyping the fact that it was Pride Night, as they've even changed their official logo on social media to reflect the month (as do many companies).

Longtime MLB announcer Jim Kaat has found himself embroiled in controversy yet again ... this time, it's because he referred to New York Yankees star Nestor Cortes as "Nestor the Molester" during a broadcast.

83-year-old Kaat was providing color commentary for the Detroit Tigers vs. Minnesota Twins game on Thursday afternoon ... when he tried to offer some on-air praise to Cortes, who was pitching against the L.A. Angels in a game in New York at the same time.

Kaat made a reference to Twins pitcher Devin Smeltzer and said, "That favorite pitcher, being kind of like Devin Smeltzer, 'Nestor the Molester!'"

"Nestor Cortes," Kaat added. "Man, he is fun to watch."

The comment was immediately hit with raised eyebrows on social media ... and while Kaat didn't address it again on-air, a Twins official told the Associated Press the team did speak with the Hall of Famer about the matter following the game.

"Obviously, we take these matters seriously and, like in all cases, will handle this internally and privately," Twins vice president of communications and content Dustin Morse said, before adding, "Jim meant no ill will."

Cortes, meanwhile, was also asked about the comment ... but he told the AP he was not offended.

"I'm sure, you know, he didn't really mean it," the left-handed pitcher said, "and people make mistakes, but it didn't offend me at all."

This is the second time in less than a year Kaat has faced backlash for an on-air remark ... back in October, he was forced to apologize for making a slavery reference during a Yoan Moncada at-bat in an Astros vs. White Sox playoff game.

Kaat -- a former Twins pitcher who was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame last year -- has been broadcasting games for decades.

One of the most recognizable fight songs in all of college sports is getting a makeover ... Notre Dame just announced its changing lines in its famous tune to recognize the university's "daughters."

The school just made the change official ... revealing Friday morning instead of singing "While her loyal sons are marching/Onward to victory" in the song, the line will now be sung as, "While her loyal sons and daughters/March on to victory."

Notre Dame officials say they made the change to the song -- which is played and sung continuously at Fighting Irish sports events -- in part to honor the 50th anniversary of the university's decision to admit female undergraduate students.

Joe Girardi is out in Philadelphia ... the Phillies just canned the manager after the team's disappointing 22-29 start.

The team announced the move Friday morning, revealing bench coach Rob Thomson will replace the 57-year-old.

"It has been a frustrating season for us up until this point, as we feel that our club has not played up to its capabilities," president of baseball operations David Dombrowski said in a statement.

"While all of us share the responsibility for the shortcomings, I felt that a change was needed and that a new voice in the clubhouse would give us the best chance to turn things around."

The move is very early -- there's still more than 100 games left in the season -- but the Phillies are already 12 games behind the first-place Mets in the National League East division.

The Phils were a favorite to win the division this year ... after they shelled out huge contracts to Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber this offseason.

"I believe we have a talented group that can get back on track," Dombrowski said, "and I am confident that Rob, with his experience and familiarity with our club, is the right man to lead us going forward."

Girardi was hired by the Phillies in 2019 and never made the playoffs with him as headman.

Take notes, 50 Cent, Dr. Fauci and Steve Aoki ... Miles Teller showed exactly how a first pitch should be done on Wednesday -- throwing a perfect strike before the Phillies game!

The "Top Gun: Maverick" star was at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia for the Phils' "Top Gun" night ... and the team allowed him to toe the rubber for the game's ceremonial first pitch.

And, Teller didn't disappoint while on the mound -- ripping a fastball right down the middle to Phillies legend Ryan Howard!!!

Of course, the throw shouldn't surprise many ... 35-year-old Teller is a huge baseball guy -- and has previously said he might have picked a pro career on the diamond over an acting one if given the choice back in high school.

Teller told local media after the throw that he used some advice from Phillies star Nick Castellanos to complete the toss -- explaining the outfielder told him, "let it eat."

Trevor Bauer just sounded off on Amber Heard following the verdict in the defamation lawsuit with Johnny Depp ... saying the actress deserves to pay every single penny of the MILLIONS she was ordered to give her ex-husband.

"It took four years of torching Johnny Depp's reputation over false allegations of abuse to get to today, but he has finally been vindicated," 31-year-old Bauer tweeted Wednesday.

"Thank you to the jurors in this case for rightfully holding Amber Heard accountable for defamation."

Bauer is clearly sending a message here -- the Cy Young winner faced allegations of going too far with three women on multiple occasions, which he contended was consensual rough sex. He recently filed a defamation lawsuit of his own.

While Bauer was never charged criminally, Major League Baseball handed him a 2-year ban after a lengthy investigation ... one of the longest suspensions in modern sports history.

Bauer has maintained his innocence throughout ... saying the only bad decision he made was associating with the wrong people.

As for Depp and Heard, the jury awarded $10.35 million total in compensatory and punitive damages against Heard ... but his ex-wife will only have to shell out $8,350,000.

Tommy Pham says his fantasy football beef with Joc Pederson is really partially Mike Trout's fault ... explaining on Tuesday that the Angels MVP was actually the commissioner of the MLB stars' league!!

The Cincinnati Reds outfielder went in-depth Tuesday about the Joc drama with reporters before his team's game against the Red Sox ... revealing some key details about what led to him slapping Pederson in the head last week.

Pham explained the fantasy league was a $10,000 buy-in, where the last-place finisher had to pony up an additional 10 Gs. The 33-year-old also said MLB stars like Mike Moustakas, Manny Machado and Eric Hosmer were members.

Pham confirmed he was pissed at Joc over a bunch of things -- including roster moves and "disrespectful" text message trash-talk -- and he added that he believed Trout could have stepped in and stopped it all at one point.

"Trout did a terrible job, man," Pham said. "Trout's the worst commissioner in fantasy sports. Because he allowed a lot of s*** to go on and he could've solved it all."

Pham, though, did appear to have at least some sympathy for Trout ... adding, "Nobody wanted to be commissioner."

"I didn't want to be the f***ing commissioner. I've got other s*** to do. He didn't want to do it. We put it on him. It was kind of our fault too, because we made him commissioner."

Pham revealed he walked away from the league in the middle of the season -- but said he was in 2nd place at the time.

An MLB fan terrifyingly leaned over some railing with his baby in his arm to try to catch a home run ball on Tuesday -- but, thankfully, he avoided disaster, made the grab and kept everyone safe!

The wild moment went down in the first inning of the Washington Nationals game against the Mets in New York -- when Starling Marte crushed a home run to deep center field.

The ball landed in an area with no seats, took a huge hop -- and that's when a dad in the stands made a play that we're sure Mom wasn't too pleased to see.

Broadcast video from the game shows as the ball was coming back down from its initial carom, the man held his baby with one hand and made the barehanded catch.

"Did he catch that?!" the game's announcers asked. "Baby's fine! All good!"

The fan actually spoke to the Associated Press about the play following the game ... and revealed he was a former baseball player -- so the catch was no sweat.

"In Dominican Republic, we don't all get to have gloves, so we do play baseball barehanded, so I figured I could do it," the fan said. "I did it many times when I was a kid, so why not?"

The kid, meanwhile, was totally fine.

American actor Patrick Renna was just 14 years old when he was cast as Hamilton Porter aka 'Ham' -- the catcher (and s'mores connoisseur) for his tight-knit-neighborhood baseball team -- in the 1993 film "The Sandlot."

Renna shared the big screen with Mike Vitar as the team leader Benny 'The Jet' Rodriguez, Tom Guiry as Scott Smalls, Chauncey Leopardi as Michael 'Squints' Palledorous and Marty York as Alan 'Yeah-Yeah' McClennan.

PR can also be spotted in other epic '90s roles like the soccer goalie in "The Big Green" and the young cone-loving brother in the Pauly Shore movie "Son in Law."