Baseball

Lionel Messi was back on the pitch in Florida for the first time in nearly a month Wednesday night ... and, as has become tradition, celebs flocked to see him -- including Floyd Mayweather and Alix Earle, who got VIP treatment at the game.

The new MLS superstar had maybe his quietest night since joining Inter Miami -- scoring zero goals in a 0-0 tie against Nashville SC -- but A-listers were spotted throughout DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale enjoying the GOAT in action nonetheless.

Mayweather and Earle, flanked by NFL superstar Jaylen Waddle, got prime seats and field access as guests of Miami mogul David Grutman.

Ken Griffey Jr. even showed up too ... though he chose to grab a media credential instead of suite seats -- opting to shoot the game with his camera instead of rubbin' elbows in the stands with the stars.

At one point, however, the MLB legend was able to link up with Mayweather -- who was also with friend Lionel Khoury -- sharing an embrace with the boxer and getting in a pic.

Unclear how much facetime all of the celebrities got with Messi -- the soccer player was, after all, busy trying to scrape out another win for his squad -- but everyone was grinning ear-to-ear throughout the night nonetheless.

They'll all have to wait a bit to do it again -- Messi's not set to play in Ft. Lauderdale 'til Sept. 9 now -- unless, of course, they want to fly out to Los Angeles this weekend to see him vs. LAFC.

Hurricane Idalia's trail of destruction across Florida includes a direct hit on Gov. Ron DeSantis' home, where a century-old oak tree came slamming down as his wife and kids were inside.

DeSantis' wife, Casey, shared the frightening news Wednesday evening, as the brutal storm made its way through Florida and Georgia -- she wrote, "100 year old oak tree falls on the Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee."

What's worse, she says she was hunkered down in the home -- with their 3 young kids, Madison, Mason and Mamie -- when Idalia toppled the mighty oak!

Luckily, she says no one was injured, but it's safe to say it'll take a pretty big cleanup crew to get rid of the lumber.

The FL Governor was asked about the tree damage while giving the state updates on the storm ... reassuring folks his family was safe despite the close call.

He managed to find a silver lining for the fallen tree, though ... joking (we hope) his kids would now have more room to practice baseball.

Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. was accosted out of nowhere by a couple of fans ... getting knocked to the ground during his team's Monday night game against the Colorado Rockies.

The bizarre incident went down in the 7th inning at Denver's Coors Field when one fan dashed into the outfield and gave Acuña a huge hug.

Check out the video ... the hugger won't let go of Acuña as security guards run up to them and try to break it up.

Eventually, the guards pull the dude off Acuña ... but Acuña isn't out of the woods just yet.

Another fan sprints up to Acuña and bumps into him, causing him to fall on his butt. More guards respond and haul away the two rowdy men.

As for Acuña ... he told reporters after the game he was okay, but felt a bit scared by the fans, who wanted to take photos with him.

We've reached out to Denver PD to see if they got involved ... so far no word back.

By the way, the Braves trounced the Rockies 14-4 ... and Acuña had one of his biggest games of the year despite the incident, logging 5 RBIs.

Sister Jean is proof age ain't nothin' but a number!

The famous chaplain for the Loyola men's basketball team threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Brewers-Cubs game ... at an astounding 104 YEARS OLD!!

Jean Dolores Schmidt -- Sister Jean's government name -- showed off her fastball Monday night at Wrigley Field before the Chicago Cub's played the Milwaukee Brewers.

Sister Jean rocked her custom Cubs 'fit ... and tossed a better ball than 50 Cent and Conor McGregor.

No shade!

Of course, this wasn't Sister Jean's first time on the mound ... she's a pro! Last year she tossed the first pitch to celebrate her 103rd birthday!

This year's celebration isn't over just yet ... Loyola is hosting a block party on Thursday in her honor.

Sister Jean is known to be the life of the party ... first rising to fame nationally as the Loyola Ramblers went on an NCAA tourney run, making it to the Final Four, and Jean was their good luck charm.

In fact, Sister Jean was so popular, her bobblehead sold for over $300 on eBay.

Someone's trophy case just got a whole lot cooler -- Roberto Clemente's Silver Bat award from 1964 just sold at auction ... and it came with a hefty price tag!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the awesome trophy given to the Pirates legend for having the highest batting average in the National League during his tenth season has a new owner after being made available at SCP Auctions this month.

Bidding closed over the weekend ... and the final number came out to be $307,500.

It was quite the popular item, as the bids skyrocketed over the final days of the auction.

As we previously reported, the Silver Bat -- inscribed with "BATTING CHAMPION 1964 NATIONAL LEAGUE B.A. .339" -- was modeled after Clemente's 34-inch Louisville Slugger bat ... and is made of 55.6 Troy ounces of silver.

Even though the award is more than half a century old, it's in great condition and only has a few blemishes.

MLB star Stephen Strasburg is walking away from the game -- the 2019 World Series MVP is reportedly planning to retire at 35 years old ... amid a battle with a medical condition.

Strasburg -- the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 MLB Draft -- last played in June 2022 ... pitching just four innings after having surgery to treat thoracic outlet syndrome a year prior, which resulted in having a rib and two neck muscles removed.

According to the Washington Post, a press conference is scheduled for Sept. 9 before the Nats host the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Strasburg was one of the most-hyped prospects after a stellar career at San Diego State ... but unfortunately, the ace dealt with multiple injuries over the course of his career.

The report says Strasburg is still dealing with "severe nerve damage" as a result of his condition ... and struggles with everyday tasks like opening doors and lifting his children.

FYI, according to the Mayo Clinic, TOS is "a group of disorders that occur when blood vessels or nerves in the space between your collarbone and your first rib are compressed" ... which results in shoulder and neck pain, as well as finger numbness.

Roberto Clemente didn't only personify greatness off the field ... the Hall of Famer was a problem at the plate, winning countless awards throughout his Hall of Fame career, including the 1964 Silver Bat Award for leading the league in batting average!

Lucky for baseball fans, the award, which looks absolutely awesome, is now on the block at SCP Auctions.

FYI, the Silver Bat (different from today's Silver Slugger award) was given to the player with the highest batting average in both the National and American League during Roberto's era. Clemente won four NL batting titles with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Silver Bat was modeled after Clemente's Louisville Slugger bat. The 34-inch long award is actually made of 55.6 Troy ounces of silver (that's worth over $1,300 in silver alone). Despite being almost 60 years old, SCP says the bat is still in excellent condition with only a few blemishes.

The award is inscribed with ... “BATTING CHAMPION 1964 NATIONAL LEAGUE B.A. .339.”

"Clemente is one of the most prolific hitters in major league history, batting .317 in his career and reaching the prestigious 3,000 career hit milestone," SCP said.

"This history trophy wonderfully commemorates the season in which Bob had a career-best 211 of those 3,000 hits."

The 211 hits were good enough the lead the league. Clemente was also named an All-Star in '64 (one of 15 All-Star appearances), and earned a Gold Glove (one of 12 he won) for his spectacular defense in the outfield.

As great as RC was on the diamond, he was known just as much for his charitable work away from the field.

Tragically, Roberto died in an airplane crash while trying to deliver aid packages to earthquake victims in Managua in 1972. He was only 38.

The Silver Bat Award auction ends Saturday, but it's not too late to bid, however, it won't come cheap. The bat already has a bid of over $97k.

SCP expects the SB Award, which comes with a letter of provenance from the Clemente family, to ultimately sell for around $350k.

Justin Verlander was so pissed at Alex Cora during their game Tuesday night, he straight up told the Red Sox manager to "f*** off" ... and the heated dispute was all captured on a hot mic!!

The Astros ace had been dealing with some PitchCom issues during the second inning of Houston's tilt with Boston at Minute Maid Park ... and he needed a break from the action to get it all squared away.

But, when Cora thought he was taking advantage of the situation to avoid a pitch-clock violation ... he came out to argue -- and the two then got into it.

"You shook him off five times!" Cora could be heard telling the right-hander.

"I didn't shake that at-bat!" Verlander fired back. "I didn't shake that at-bat! F*** off, Alex!"

The situation was so unique, one of the game's announcers could be heard on the broadcast letting out a loud chuckle.

Ultimately, Verlander would go on to get the last laugh in the situation ... 'cause once he returned to the pitching rubber, he shoved -- going six strong innings while allowing no earned runs and striking out nine.

Ya gotta give this Little League World Series player an A for effort -- one kid tried to shrink the strike zone as much as possible during an at-bat on Tuesday ... by practically sitting in the box!!

It all went down during Mexico's matchup against Venezuela ... when second baseman Santiago Hernandez stepped up to the plate in the top of the 5th inning.

With a 1-0 count, Hernandez crouched down until he was basically in the dirt ... but unfortunately for him, his master plan didn't go according to plan, as Venezuela's pitcher threw a strike.

The announcers got a good laugh out of it ... wondering if the young athlete had practiced the stunt in the past.

As it turns out, the Little League rulebook specifically addresses this sort of thing -- stating a batter's strike zone is determined based on their normal stance ... displayed when they swing at a pitch or take a practice whiff.

In other words, Hernandez's crouching didn't change his strike zone one bit ... resulting in a called strike.

It appears MLB star Wander Franco won't be taking the baseball field anytime soon -- the Tampa Bay Rays shortstop has been placed on administrative leave as the league investigates claims he had inappropriate relationships with underage girls.

Franco -- who was previously on the Rays' restricted list -- is currently under police investigation in his native Dominican Republic ... after the allegations made on social media went viral.

"Per an agreement between MLB and the MLBPA, Wander Franco has been placed on Administrative Leave until further notice as MLB continues its ongoing investigation," MLB announced Tuesday.

"The administrative leave, effective immediately, is not disciplinary under the Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy."

22-year-old Franco last played on Aug. 12 ... and did not travel with the team during its road trip against the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Angels.

He will be able to appeal the leave, although it's unclear if he will do so at this time. He will still be paid throughout the duration of his time away from the team.

Dodger fans had at least one thing to cheer about before falling to the Marlins on Friday ... 'cause "American Idol" star Nutsa Buzaladze had the whole stadium going wild after a killer rendition of the national anthem!!

The Georgian singer was a special guest at Dodger Stadium for the home team's contest against Miami ... getting the honor of singing the "Star-Spangled Banner" in front of 46,000 spectators.

Nutsa -- who's repped by agent/manager Darren Prince -- got to hang out with some high-profile peeps at the game ... including Magic and Cookie Johnson, Guggenheim Partners CEO Mark Walter and Dodgers pitcher Brusdar Graterol!! Small world, 'cause Prince also has repped the Lakers legend for nearly 30 years.

Of course, Nutsa made the top 12 of the famous singing show ... but after hearing her perform at the game, it's hard to figure out how she didn't go all the way!!

No baseball was played at Dodger Stadium on Sunday due to Hurricane Hilary ... but a swimming meet coulda broken out -- 'cause the epic storm nearly flooded the historic venue.

As the squall made landfall in Southern California, it pelted Los Angeles with so much rain, it left L.A.'s ballpark covered in water.

Footage shot from up above the downtown stadium shows the parking lot surrounding the site was underneath feet of water ... though, thankfully, it appeared the diamond and its surrounding seats survived the inclement weather.

Of course, the Dodgers moved their Sunday afternoon game against the Marlins to Saturday ... so there were no issues with the team's schedule -- though it's unclear if the effects of the weather will impact L.A.'s next slate of games at Dodger Stadium next week.

As for Hilary, it's still bombarding the southwestern U.S. with rainfall ... causing major flooding on roadways and severe damage to buildings elsewhere.

All seems to be back to normal in the James' household -- as Lebron, Bronny and Bryce all hit Dodgers Stadium to honor LeBron -- about a month after Bronny's scary health emergency.

It was LeBron bobble-head night Saturday in L.A. and fans packed the stadium to get their hands on one of the free souvenirs. Even more special -- LeBron was there in person to show his gratitude while also accepting a $100k check for his LeBron James Family Foundation.

Of course, it was even more special to see Bronny with Dad considering it was less than 2 months ago when he collapsed at a USC basketball practice.

TMZ broke the story -- Bronny was rushed to Cedars Sinai Hospital after he went into cardiac arrest. At the time, the family told us, "Yesterday while practicing Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest. Medical staff was able to treat Bronny and take him to the hospital. He is now in stable condition and no longer in ICU."

We've seen Bronny out and about since the incident, but the guys seemed totally carefree while taking in Friday night's game.

We also got video of LeBron and Bronny in Minnesota a couple weeks back visiting the Mayo Clinic -- one of the top medical heart facilities in the world -- safe to say the family's been doing all they can to get to the cause of the scary issue.

It's been smooth sailing for the Dodgers on the field in the second half of the MLB season, but off the field, two of the team's biggest stars have had a much tougher time, having to deal with some scary break-ins at their homes.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports ... at least two burglars got into Max Muncy's L.A.-area residence last week. And, about a month prior, Freddie Freeman's place was hit too.

In the Muncy case, authorities tell us the infielder was with his family on the way home from a game at Dodger Stadium earlier this month when his alarm company alerted him that thieves had broken into his place. We're told they were seen on video ransacking the unit -- but they took off before cops arrived.

It's unclear what was taken.

Back in July, law enforcement sources tell us a similar incident happened at Freeman's L.A.-area pad ... though it's not yet known if the two burglaries were related.

We're told cops are investigating both matters -- and are actively trying to see if the burglars were targeting athletes, or if they were simply just random break-ins.

Baseball prodigy Paul Skenes says the rumors are true -- he is, in fact, dating LSU star gymnast Olivia Dunne ... and now, he's calling on all their fans to stop bugging her at his games.

The Pirates draftee opened up on his relationship with the social media superstar in an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette this week ... saying they both bonded over being so popular that going out in public is a real "pain in the butt."

"If one of us went out in Baton Rouge by ourselves, there’s probably gonna be someone there asking for something -- picture, autograph, whatever," Skenes told the outlet.

As we previously reported, there was a ton of speculation surrounding the couple recently ... especially after Livvy started popping up at his games.

Her appearance at Skenes' Single-A debut in Bradenton on Tuesday resulted in so much commotion, she had to move from her seat behind home plate to the broadcast booth just so she could get some peace.

Skenes -- the top pick in the 2023 MLB Draft -- said despite being able to relate to each other on the hype surrounding them, he wishes people would leave her alone at the ballpark.

"I do wish she could come to a baseball game and just enjoy it," he added. "It does irk me. I don’t have any control over it. She really doesn’t either. I’m sure it’ll get better as I go up levels, but that’s something I want for her."

As for how they met, Skenes said it was a "small-world type of thing" -- his best friend was dating Dunne's roommate and fellow LSU gymnast, Elena Arenas.

All of the professional sports teams in Los Angeles have come together to help those affected by the wildfires in Hawaii ... pooling up $450,000 to send to the Red Cross to support the victims.

The Lakers announced the generous donation Thursday morning ... saying they and the other teams in the City of Angels wanted to do what they could to make sure Hawaiians are getting aid during their time of need.

In addition to the Lakers -- who had previously held their training camps in Hawaii for more than two decades -- the Clippers, Angels, Angel City Football Club, Chargers, Dodgers, Anaheim Ducks, L.A. Galaxy, LAFC, Kings, Rams and Sparks all contributed.

"Despite California and Hawaii being separated by more than 2,000 miles," the Lakers said in a statement, "the two states are very connected with a robust Hawaiian community calling Southern California home."

More in the sports world have also recently pitched in, including Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, whose been consistently speaking with organizations in Hawaii with the hopes of getting people to donate to the Hawaii Community Foundation Maui Fund.

Legendary surfer Kelly Slater told us last week he and the surfing community also plan on helping out by sending money and supplies.