Baseball

A Roberto Clemente 1955 Topps rookie card just sold for $1,050,000 at an auction -- nearly breaking a record -- TMZ Sports has learned.

PWCC officials tell us the sale of Clemente's rookie card marks the second time a card from the legendary outfielder has passed the seven-figure mark.

As we reported, PWCC believed it could rival the previous mark for a Clemente card of $1.107 million -- and it came close.

"It's an exciting price and signals that collectors continue to see Roberto Clemente assets and vintage trading cards as a very desirable investment," said PWCC exec Jesse Craig.

"It's really amazing when these museum-quality pieces appear at auction because we not only get to curate and present the card, but we also get to discuss Roberto Clemente with new audiences."

MLB celebrated the 21st annual Roberto Clemente Day last week, with players, managers, and coaches in the Pirates-Mets game wearing No.21.

Clemente finished his Hall of Fame career with the Pirates as a 15-time All-Star, four-time batting champ, two-time World Series winner, and World Series MVP.

Aaron Judge is on the cusp of making history -- just a couple blasts away from setting both Yankees and American League home run records -- and we're told those baseballs will be worth a fortune at auction!

The 30-year-old NYY slugger leads all MLB with 60 dingers, and no one else is even close (Yordan Alvarez has 39 HR's). More importantly, the 6'7" centerfielder is knocking on history's door ...and the baseballs might as well be flying lottery tickets, according to David Kohler from SCP Auctions.

On Tuesday night, Judge tied Babe Ruth's all-time single-season high (60 HR's) -- which the Bambino set in 1927 -- a ball that Kohler estimates to be worth between $100-150K!

The fan who caught 60 gave it back to Judge in exchange for a signed bat and ball. His buddiesd also got signed baseballs. Good trade?

The next home run's big -- number 61 -- it'll tie the all-time Yankees and AL record ... set by Roger Maris in, you guessed it, 1961.

That ball, according to Kohler, will be worth between $200-250K!

Home run number 62 will set the new record Yankees and AL record, and could fetch over $500K at auction.

And, for the last HR Judge blasts, whatever number that happens to be ... that ball could be worth over $1 million!

Making the balls even more valuable ... the sports memorabilia market's on fire, and New York Yankees' merch traditionally does great on the block.

The Yankees have 15 games left in the regular season ... setting Judge on a trajectory to comfortably surpass Maris.

Judge has hit a home run a little better than once every 9 at-bats this season ... meaning AJ's on pace to finish with around 66 HR's.

The all-time single-season record is a bit convoluted. In 2001, Barry Bonds hit an astounding 73 dingers ... but, was he cheating?

Same deal with Sammy Sosa (66) and Mark McGwire (70) in 1998. Many credit the home run race with bringing fans back to baseball after the strike. However, Sosa and McGwire are both alleged steroid users.

SCP has auctioned off some of the most desirable home run baseballs ever hit ... including Bonds' all-time record-setting 756th HR ball ($752,467), the 755th ball ($186,750) that tied the legendary Hank Aaron, and the 762nd HR ball ($362,000), the all-time career record.

They've also unloaded Alex Rodriguez ($103,579), McGwire ($50,162), and Bond's 500th HR balls ($303,277).

Obviously, outside of Roger, home run records are a bit tainted ... and that's why many people believe if Aaron hits 62 plus, he'll be recognized as the true single-season home run record holder.

Easton Oliverson's family is now suing Little League Baseball after the 12-year-old was injured in a fall from his bunk bed at the Little League World Series last month ... claiming the org.'s negligence contributed to his accident and subsequent injuries.

The suit, obtained by TMZ Sports, was filed in Philadelphia County last week ... one month after it was reported that Oliverson suffered a fractured skull and brain bleed following a fall from his bed at the Little League World Series' dormitory complex in Williamsport.

In the docs, Oliverson's family alleges the beds at the LLWS were not safe because they did not have proper railing attached to them.

The family claims in the docs "Little League was negligent for allowing the bed to exist in a dangerous condition" -- adding it all "contributed" to Oliverson's fall.

The lawsuit is seeking damages in excess of $50,000.

The attorney representing the Oliversons in the case, Ken Fulginiti, says that while Easton has returned home following several surgeries -- "he's plagued with seizures" and is battling health issues daily.

Fulginiti added that Oliverson -- a pitcher and outfielder for the Snow Canyon team -- was a "very healthy" and "very physically active" baseball player with "no problems at all" prior to his fall.

Fulginiti said he and the Oliversons are hopeful the lawsuit eventually prevents any similar situations from ever happening again.

Los Angeles Dodgers legend Maury Wills -- the MVP of the 1962 MLB season -- has sadly died at 89 years old ... the team announced Tuesday.

"The Los Angeles Dodgers are saddened by the passing of Dodger legend Maury Wills," L.A. officials wrote in a tweet. "Our thoughts are with Wills' family, teammates and friends."

A cause of death was not revealed.

Wills -- one of the greatest base stealers of all time -- initially broke into the Big Leagues with the Dodgers way back in 1959 after a lengthy career in the minors ... and he quickly became one of the best players in the sport.

The shortstop made an All-Star team in his third season with the club -- and then won league MVP honors in '62, after hitting .299 and stealing 104 bases.

Wills went on to help the Dodgers win three World Series titles ... and finished his 14-year career with seven total All-Star selections and two Gold Gloves.

Following the end of his playing days, Wills went on to manage the Seattle Mariners in the 1980 season -- before he was fired prior to the end of the 1981 season.

Wills later went on to work as a spring training instructor for the Dodgers.

Wills had such an impact on baseball, Dave Roberts, L.A.'s manager, currently wears No. 30 as an homage to the former Dodgers great.

Detroit Tigers star Javier Baez is worried for everyone in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Fiona struck the island this weekend -- and he's now offering free food to those who are suffering from the devastating storm.

The hurricane made landfall in PR on Sunday -- and according to governor Pedro Pierluisi, it's caused "unprecedented" flooding in some areas. In fact, one flood actually forced a metal bridge to collapse in the Guaonica River.

Hurricane Fiona has also left millions without power ... which means cooking food has been difficult -- but Baez says he has people in his home country covered there -- at no cost.

"All those families who are in need of a hot meal can stop by @taquizapr in Toa Baja," the two-time All-Star said on Monday, "and we will serve it to you for FREE!!"

"If your community is affected and you're in need of hot meal, you can call 787-665-2323 (Joshua) or stop by @taquizapr and we will make all the arrangements. Blessings to all of you!"

Baez added, "I know we're going through something very difficult. I'm with you."

Puerto Rican boxing star Amanda Serrano also prayed for her home country -- saying on her social media page, "It’s storm season & we are experiencing one now."

"May we all come out safe 🙏♥"

Pierluisi said they're doing everything they can to bring back power to the island as "inspection and restoration work is being done."

A glove worn by Brooklyn Dodgers legend Jackie Robinson during the 1955 and 1956 Major League Baseball seasons just hit the auction block ... and it could sell for $750K!

The Wilson glove was worn on the left hand of the BK Dodgers star infielder for the final two seasons of his storied career.

Jackie's glove -- made with top-grade tanned steer hide and nylon stitching -- appears to show no signs of re-lacing, per Goldin, the auction site selling the awesome memorabilia.

The coolest part ... Jackie's iconic No. "42" -- retired by all MLB teams in 1997 in honor of his career -- is written on the glove.

Goldin believes the glove, which appears to be in its original condition, was most likely used by Jackie as a backup glove or during pre-game warm-ups.

The glove comes with a letter of authenticity (LOA) from PSA/DNA ... one of the top authenticators in the industry.

It also comes with a letter of provenance from Jack Semel -- a longtime ticket holder of the Dodgers -- who was gifted the glove as a token of appreciation when the team moved from NYC to Los Angeles.

Robinson -- a seven-time MVP, Rookie of the Year, and 1955 World Series Champ -- was inducted into the Baseball of Fame in 1962.

Every year, MLB celebrates "Jackie Robinson Day" on April 15 -- all 30 teams commemorate the life and legacy of the man attributed with breaking the sport's color barrier.

John "Bad Dude" Stearns -- a beloved New York Mets catcher and four-time All-Star -- has sadly died at 71 years old.

Former Mets exec Randye Ringler announced the news on his social media page ... saying Stearns -- who played for NY from 1975 to 1984 -- passed away on Thursday.

"May he be setting up to catch Tom Seaver in Baseball Heaven and Resting in Peace," Ringler said. "He left us all with so many wonderful memories."

A cause of death was not revealed ... but Stearns had been battling prostate cancer.

"No one played the game with more spirit or determination than John Stearns," Mets president Sandy Alderson said Friday morning. "He literally willed himself to attend Old Timers' Day last month so he could visit friends and old teammates."

"Despite his illness, he even managed to step into the batting cage to take a few swings. His nickname, 'Bad Dude' couldn’t have been more appropriate. A four-time All Star, John was one of the most complete catchers in Mets history. Our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family."

Stearns started his career in the show with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1974 -- but only played one game before he was traded to the Mets.

He went on to become a fan favorite for the way he played behind the dish. In one of his most memorable moments as a catcher, he broke Pirates outfielder Dave Parkers' cheekbone after he tagged him to end a game in 1978.

Stearns' most famous moment, though, came in 1980 ... when he subdued a fan who ran onto the playing field. Stearns also gained notoriety for his involvement in a bench-clearing brawl weeks later.

After retirement, due to career-ending injuries, Stearns held several roles in the league including being a scout for the Mets, Brewers and Reds.

He also became an ESPN broadcaster in 1993.

If Zack Hample does what he does best, he'll end up with at least one of Albert Pujols or Aaron Judge's historic and record-breaking home run balls ... and he tells TMZ Sports they'll be in good hands -- 'cause they'd be going back to the rightful owner.

If you're unfamiliar with Hample, he's a foul ball and home run magnet at MLB games ... and has caught more than 12,000 in his lifetime -- including Alex Rodriguez's 3,000th hit and Mike Trout's first career home run.

Given Pujols' quest for 700 career home runs and Judge inching closer to Roger Maris' American League record of 61 dingers in a season ... we had to hit up Hample to see what his game plan is for the rest of the season.

Hample lays it all out -- explaining his best shot at getting one of the historic balls ... which ranges from crowd size to ticket prices and more variables.

But if he succeeds, Hample says Pujols and Judge won't have to sweat it one bit -- he wants to get the balls in the hands that they would mean the most to.

"I personally won't ask for that much," Hample said. "With the A-Rod (3,000th hit) ball, the Yankees ended up donating $150k to a children's baseball charity that I've been supporting for a number of years."

"So, if I do get a historic baseball, I'd love to give it to the player that hits it, encourage the player or the team to make a donation but I'm certainly not going to make a demand or anything like that."

Pujols currently has 697 dingers ... and Hample said any homer ball for the remainder of his career will be special. Same goes for Judge, who's currently at 57.

The Washington Nationals and Joey Meneses have made things right for the little girl who had a ball stolen from her at a game earlier month ... gifting her an autograph and a personalized note.

The incident happened back on Sept. 1 ... when a man was seen on video intercepting a baseball that was intended for the girl who was attending the Nats vs. A's game with her Shenandoah Rec League Babe Ruth 10U All-Star softball team.

According to the girl's mom, Regina Hilliard, the 10-year-old was broken up over it all -- and had hoped the Nats would do something to cheer her up.

Turns out, the team and its star outfielder, Meneses, did just that on Tuesday -- signing a ball for her, and writing her a sweet note.

"I'm sorry you didn't get the ball I threw to you," Meneses said in the card.

"I wanted to make sure you got one, so I hope this signed game ball makes up for it! Hope to see you at a game soon! Your friend, Joey."

Trevor Bauer is asking a judge to throw out a lawsuit filed by the woman who accused him of sexual assault ... claiming he has video proof, taken from bed after their second sexual encounter, which proves she lied about her injuries.

TMZ Sports obtained a motion filed by 31-year-old Bauer's legal team in southern California, which includes a video that was allegedly recorded by accuser Lindsey Hill after they had sex the night of May 16, 2021.

"She appears to be willingly in bed with a sleeping Mr. Bauer, and is smirking and uninjured," the Cy Young award winner's attorney wrote in the filing.

The clip, which we've seen, is less than 10 seconds long and doesn't contain audio.

Bauer's team believes the video -- which they say they recently received from the Pasadena police department -- proves Hill didn't actually sustain injuries to her face, torpedoing her case.

Hill previously claimed Bauer gave her two black eyes.

Bauer's accuser filed a lawsuit for battery against the pitcher in August 2022, claiming ... "Last year, disgraced Major League Baseball player Trevor Bauer violently and sadistically abused Hill in the most appalling manner imaginable, sexually battering and battering a defenseless woman."

Hill did not specify how much money she's seeking.

At the time, Trevor's team responded to the suit, saying ... "Lindsey Hill’s claims were judicially disproven last August following a hearing regarding a DVRO petition filed in bad faith."

In August 2021, a court denied Hill's request for a permanent restraining order against Bauer ... saying Hill hadn't set clear lines before they had sex. However, the judge described the injuries in photos presented as evidence as "terrible."

Despite the court's ruling, Major League Baseball hit the former Dodgers pitcher with a two-year suspension without pay.

Trevor is appealing MLB's decision.

Pure insanity broke out at the Guardians vs. Angels game on Monday ... with Cleveland skipper Terry Francona getting ejected and hurling multiple F-bombs at an ump -- and L.A. manager Phil Nevin getting the boot minutes later!!

The wild scene went down in the bottom of the 7th inning at Progressive Field ... when Tito believed Guards star Andrés Giménez got hit by a Ryan Tepera pitch, but the call didn't go that way.

A pissed Francona then stormed on the field to plead his case ... and after about 30 seconds of back-and-forth, he was thrown out of the game.

The arguing didn't stop there ... 'cause Tito -- who's known for being an all-around really nice guy -- started getting rated R with his rant.

Francona let several "f*** yous" fly as tempers continued to flare ... but finally, he made his way for the clubhouse.

As it turned out, that was just the start ... because when play finally resumed, the Halos skipper was teed off over Tepera not getting more time to warm up.

It was the same result for Nevin, 'cause he was sent to the showers early as well.

Halloween may be next month ... but the Dodgers celebrated early with some of their biggest superstars like Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman wearing costumes for the team's annual dress-up travel day.

The team posted pics of the players following their 11-2 victory over the Padres on Sunday ... and they're pretty good!

The tradition dates back a few years ... the Dodgers typically made rookies dress up in silly outfits, but a few vets decided to expand the practice to include all players on the team.

Betts -- one of the best players in baseball -- paid homage to the golf G.O.A.T. Tiger Woods, wearing TW's signature red Nike shirt and black pants.

Mookie's caddy was none other than teammate, Freeman, who looked the part ... and even had a golf bag full of miniature golf clubs at Mookie's disposal.

Of course, the best outfit has to go to Andre Jackson, Justin Turner, Joey Gallo and Cody Bellinger ... who dressed up as Chippendales dancers.

(Who says baseball players are out of shape?!)

Jackson, Turner, Gallo and Bellinger took the assignment to heart ... they were all shirtless and wore black bow ties with black pants and cuff links.

Trae Turner dressed up as Jordan Belfort, who was busted back in the day for financial crimes. JB was played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie 'Wolf of Wall Street.'

In fact, Trae's infatuation with 'Wolf' led him to create a celebration the team uses now ... where he hits his helmet like DiCaprio did with the mic during one of the movie's famous scenes.

A bunch of the players, including second baseman Gavin Lux, dressed up as characters from the classic baseball movie "The Sandlot."

Infielder Max Muncy dressed as a beer keg.

Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz was pulled from the team's game on Thursday and taken to the hospital -- after he scarily took a foul ball straight to the groin.

Nats manager Dave Martinez explained the cringeworthy situation to reporters following the team's win over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis ... saying Ruiz's testicles were swollen and injured during the odd play, which happened earlier in the afternoon.

According to the Washington Post, Ruiz was actually hit by the baseball in the bottom of the second inning ... but somehow stayed in the contest.

The 24-year-old, though, apparently felt awful as the day went on -- and needed a trip to a medical facility in the sixth inning in order to be checked out to make sure everything was OK.

No word on how he's doing Friday -- the team has yet to release an update.

Feel better soon, Keibert!

He plays golf really well, belly flops perfectly ... AND he throws heat on the mound???

John Daly proved he can truly do it all on Wednesday night ... tossing a pristine fastball during the ceremonial first pitch before the Cardinals vs. Nationals game in St. Louis.

The legendary golfer toed the rubber dripping with swag too -- he rocked sandals and what appeared to be some Cardinals-themed board shorts.

Then, the guy fired off a laser ... wowing the crowd and the game's announcers.

If you're not impressed -- ya should be ... because many have tried to do what Daly did on the MLB bump before and have failed miserably (looking at you, Conor McGregor, 50 Cent and Dr. Fauci).

The golfer seemed to be good luck for the home team as well ... because after Daly's throw, the Cards went on to win a thriller, 6-5.

Meghan King claims her ex-husband, Jim Edmonds, has been verbally abusing her over their child custody arrangement ... so she got a temporary restraining order against him.

According to court docs filed in Missouri and obtained by TMZ, the ex-'RHOC' star got the court order back in June over what she describes as "frequent and consistent verbal abuse" via texts, as well as their shared Family Wizard app which they use to co-parent.

It's unclear what exactly what Jim allegedly said to her -- but sources connected to the case tell us it all has to do with their shared custody arrangement ... the pickup/drop-off schedule specifically, which Meghan claims Jim hasn't followed.

It seems Jim's been trying to have this case sealed -- at least according to MK. She wants it public, for all to see.

It's just the latest instance of fighting between the exes -- they've gone after each other publicly over issues related to their children. He's accused her of putting their kids at risk during the COVID lockdown after he learned she was partying in Miami.

A hearing is scheduled for later this month on whether to make the restraining order permanent.

Jim's rep, Steve Honig tells TMZ … “This request for an order of protection is completely baseless and furthermore makes an absolute mockery of the pain suffered by the millions of women in this country who are legitimate victims of abuse."

The hottest sports take of the week goes to ... Jerry Seinfeld???

Yup, the comedian just unleashed the doozy on social media ... saying he believes the Mets' recent woes are all because of Timmy Trumpet.

Seriously.

Seinfeld -- a HUGE Mets fan -- made the claim in the comment section of SNYTV's Instagram post Wednesday ... pinning New York's September slide on Trumpet's Aug. 31 in-game concert.

"I blame that stupid Trumpet performance," Seinfeld said. "Celebrating in season. We haven’t won anything yet. Bad mojo."

Seinfeld then compared it to when his favorite team lost the 2000 World Series to the Yankees ... writing, "Same as when Baja Men showed up to play 'Who Let Dogs Out' in 2000 WS. Series ended right there."

Of course, it's going to be very hard to get Mets fans to agree with him. The team and its supporters have loved Trumpet and his famous "Narco" song, which plays over the stadium speakers when NY's closer, Edwin Diaz, comes out to the field.

In fact, the team's fans cheered LOUDLY when the musician played it in person at the Aug. 31 game.

Seems Seinfeld, though, is convinced it's all leading to the downfall of his beloved squad -- which is now tied for first place in the NL East with the Braves despite having a huge lead earlier this year.