Baseball

The Arizona Diamondbacks won the pennant AND the postgame party on Tuesday ... going totally bonkers in the locker room after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Championship Series -- and the pics of the boozy bash are nuts!!

The D-Backs came back from a 3-2 deficit to win the final two games of the series ... logging a 4-2 victory at Citizens Bank Park in the elimination tilt to punch their tickets to the World Series.

Of course, no one expected Arizona to face off against the Texas Rangers in the Fall Classic ... considering the D-Backs only won 84 games in the regular season.

Corbin Carroll led the charge for Arizona in Game 7 ... going 3-4 with two RBI, two runs, and two stolen bases. The D-Backs also got some big help from the bullpen, which combined for five shutout innings.

Ketel Marte had the best performance of the series ... batting .387 throughout the seven games for the NLCS champs -- earning MVP honors.

Arizona made sure to celebrate the huge accomplishment ... taking all the Budweiser, Michelob Ultra, and champagne bottles they could and letting the liquid fly!!

There wasn't a dry spot in the locker room ... as all the players threw on their ski goggles and NLCS championship shirts for the festivities.

It's a World Series no one predicted -- the Diamondbacks were 125-1 odds to win it all before the season, and the Rangers were 50-1.

The matchup might not feature the biggest markets in the league ... but it's shaping up to be an entertaining series.

The Texas Rangers are World Series bound ... and the whole squad celebrated like it on Monday -- raging their faces off after their huge American League Championship Series win!!

The Rangers officially eliminated the Houston Astros in Game 7 ... easily handling the defending road champs in an 11-4 victory.

But before Texas switched its focus to the winners of the Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks series over in the National League, the boys cracked open the bottles of bubbly and brew and doused each other in a locker room party for the ages.

The squad has a lot to be happy about -- it's only the third time they've made it to the Fall Classic in franchise history, and their first since 2011.

Corey Seager -- who won it all with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020 -- was at the center of the festivities ... with all his teammates drenching him in alcohol.

Cleanup hitter Adolis García was the star of the night ... winning ALCS MVP thanks to his two-homer game and 15 overall RBI throughout the series.

Brace yourselves, Dodgers fans ... there's a chance Clayton Kershaw's career is done -- or, perhaps worse, he ends up pitching for Texas next season.

L.A.'s play-by-play man Joe Davis tells TMZ Sports the two options are very much on the table for the future Hall of Famer ... saying he knows Kershaw won't do anything in 2024 other than stay with the Dodgers, throw for the Rangers -- or hang up his spikes.

The voice of the Dodgers says he fully expects Kershaw to have lengthy conversations with his family in the upcoming weeks and months to ultimately make the best choice of the trio.

"It's a pretty simple decision," the 35-year-old said. "But it's certainly one that a lot of the Dodgers' offseason plans will hinge on the outcome of."

If it is ultimately the end ... Davis said there's simply no debate that Kershaw will go down as "one of the best left-handed pitchers of all-time."

And, it's definitely not hyperbole ... through 16 seasons so far, Kershaw has a 210-92 record, a 2.48 ERA and 2,944 strikeouts.

Former Major League Baseball pitcher Danny Serafini is in some MAJOR trouble ... 'cause he just got arrested for serious felonies!!

Serafini and his alleged accomplice, Samantha Scott, were busted in Nevada Friday for the 2021 fatal shooting of Robert Gary Spohr and attempted murder of Wendy Wood.

Cops said the victims were Serafini's in-laws, but they wouldn't characterize the relationship between the ex-Minnesota Twins player and Scott.

According to a June 2021 press release, officers were called to a home in North Lake Tahoe, California, and discovered Spohr had been shot to death.

His wife, Wendy, suffered a bullet wound in the same attack and was rushed to a local hospital, where she was released after treatment. She passed away a year later.

Security video from their house shows a hooded masked man with a backpack lurking around the property in the hours before the bloodshed. Investigators have not disclosed a motive, and formal charges have yet to be filed against Serafini and Scott.

The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers nearly got into a bench-clearing brawl after a beanball incident during the 8th inning of their Friday night championship game.

The teams were going head-to-head in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series when Houston relief pitcher Bryan Abreu wound up and hurled a 98.9 mile-per-hour fastball, striking Rangers batter Adolis Garcia in his left arm.

Check out this video posted on X ... Garcia looks furious as he pushes Houston catcher Martín Maldonado, while the umpire gets between them.

Both teams then pour onto the field and run toward each other, gathering in one big heap near home plate.

The players start yelling and shoving one another, but the tense situation never escalates into a full-scale fight.

Still, Garcia continues to blow off steam as his teammates hold him back -- and eventually escort him off Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX.

The umpires ejected three people: Abreu, Garcia and Astros manager Dusty Baker.

When the game resumed, the Astros went on to beat the Rangers 5-4. The Astros now hold a 3-2 lead in the series as they travel back to Houston for Game 6.

Megan Thee Stallion's no longer tethered to the 1501 Certified Ent. label she railed against for years -- and Trinidad James thinks the "Savage" rapper can become an even bigger act.

TJ floated all the possibilities speaking to TMZ Hip Hop at LAX this week but predicts Meg will land all right. He says there's also a possibility momentum fizzles.

Thee Stallion is gearing up to resume her career Monday with a new release after telling fans she was entering a new journey, where she'll be paying out of her own pocket to give fans the good news.

TJ tells us having a solid team is crucial to making money in the music biz and the industry is especially shady when it comes to the needs of women.

Megan Thee Stallion le dijo recientemente a sus fans que su próximo álbum sería un esfuerzo indie, y no estaba mintiendo... Su batalla de años con su sello discográfico 1501 Certified y su jefe Carl Crawford, ¡se ha terminado!

Billboard informó el jueves que tanto Megan como 1501 acordaron "separarse amistosamente", poniendo fin a tres años de ida y venidas en las redes sociales.

Las dos partes comenzaron a tener problemas en 2020, cuando la rapera citó repetidos intentos del sello de bloquear el lanzamiento de nueva música y no cumplir su contrato.

No se sabe si alguna de las partes pagó dinero para poner fin al acuerdo, pero Crawford suavizó su postura sobre Meg a principios de este año después de conocer el veredicto de culpabilidad de Tory Lanez por dispararle.

Crawford estuvo conversando junto a Kai "Verse" Tyler, presidente del sello entonces, en TMZ Hip Hop en febrero, revelando que estaba arrepentido por su rol en las rencillas con Meg, las que incluyeron hablar mal de su jefe Roc Nation Jay-Z.

La fanfarria no duró mucho ... Desde entonces, Kai ha abandonado el barco, al igual que la otra creadora de éxitos de 1501, Erica Banks, que recientemente lanzó una canción disidente dirigida a 1501 con las mismas quejas que Megan: "Me importa una m*** esa discográfica, me ven, y me deben dinero, son codiciosos".

Megan Thee Stallion recently told fans her next album will be an indie effort, and that's no cap -- her years-long battle with her record label 1501 Certified, and its boss Carl Crawford, is now over!

Billboard reported on Thursday that both Megan and 1501 will "amicably part ways" ... ending 3 years of back-and-forth swipes on social media.

The two parties started going at it in 2020 ... the "WAP" rapper cited repeated attempts by the Houston-based label blocking her from releasing music and fulfilling her contract.

No word if either party paid out any money to end the deal, but Crawford softened his stance on Meg earlier this year after the Tory Lanez guilty verdict for shooting her.

He debuted his new label president Kai "Verse" Tyler to TMZ Hip Hop back in Feb. ... revealing he was sorry for his part in the Meg wars, which included bad mouthing her Roc Nation boss Jay-Z.

The fanfare didn't last long ... Kai's no longer a part of the machine and 1501's other hitmaker, Erica Banks, recently dropped a diss song aimed at 1501 with the same gripes as Megan -- "Give a f*** about that label they see me/And they owe me some money, they greedy" ... but we're told cooler heads have prevailed.

Carl's a former MLB All-Star, so it's time to draw on that "team-building" expertise.

Ian Kinsler wasn't repping the Rangers or Astros last night, the former MLB star had a bigger cause on his mind than the ALCS ... the 4x All-Star, who is Jewish, threw out the first pitch wearing a Team Israel jersey.

Kinsler is a special assistant to the Rangers general manager ... and the organization invited him to kick off Game 3 of the American League Championship Series at Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX with the ceremonial first pitch.

IK was born in America but obtained Israeli citizenship (dual citizenship w/ U.S.) a few years back when he wanted to play for Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Ian then went on to serve as the manager for the Israeli team at the World Baseball Classic in 2023.

Since the horrific attack two-and-a-half weeks ago, Kinsler says he's been following the situation on the ground closely.

Kinsler is just one of many star athletes and celebs who have spoken out since October 7 ... 1,400 Israelis have been killed since the incursion began.

Perhaps none have done more than Floyd Mayweather, who sent his plane full of supplies to Tel Aviv over the weekend. He also FaceTimed IDF special forces soldiers and walked in a pro-Israeli march in Los Angeles.

Ian Kinsler no representaba ni a los Rangers ni a los Astros, la ex estrella de la MLB tenía en mente una causa mayor que la ALCS. El cuatro veces All-Star, que es judío, realizó el primer lanzamiento con una camiseta del Equipo Israel.

Kinsler es un asistente especial del gerente general de los Rangers, y la organización lo invitó a iniciar el tercer Juego de la Serie de Campeonato de la Liga Americana en Globe Life Field en Arlington, con el primer lanzamiento ceremonial.

Ian nació en Estados Unidos, pero obtuvo la ciudadanía israelí (doble nacionalidad con EE.UU.) hace unos años cuando quiso jugar para Israel en los Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 2020 en Tokio. A continuación, Ian pasó a ser el mánager del equipo israelí en el Clásico Mundial de Béisbol de 2023.

Desde el horrible ataque de hace dos semanas y media, Kinsler dice que ha estado siguiendo de cerca la situación.

Kinsler es solo uno de los muchos atletas y celebridades que se han expresado desde el 7 de octubre, 1.400 israelíes han sido asesinados desde que comenzó la incursión.

Quizás ninguno haya hecho más que Floyd Mayweather, que envió su avión lleno de suministros a Tel Aviv durante el fin de semana. También se comunicó por FaceTime con soldados de las fuerzas especiales de Israel y participó en una marcha proisraelí en Los Ángeles.

It's been over a month since Max Scherzer has thrown for the Rangers, but ALCS announcer Joe Davis says the Astros still better be wary of the ace ... telling TMZ Sports the guy could turn into "a psycho" in Game 3 on Wednesday night.

"I mean this in the best way I could," Davis said of the term with a smile, hours before Texas and Houston kick-off.

"I wouldn't be shocked if he found a way to go five innings and they couldn't touch him."

Of course, Davis says he could see things going the other way for the 39-year-old too ... as Scherzer's been away from the mound for such a lengthy period of time while trying to get his shoulder healthy.

"I think it's the most fascinating storyline of this series," Davis said. "What are they going to get from Scherzer?"

If last week's ALDS celebration showed anything, it's that Scherzer will be fired up to take the bump Wednesday night regardless ... particularly with the Rangers already up 2-0 in the series.

An overzealous Phillies fan learned the hard way he should've just celebrated his team's NLCS win from his seat Tuesday night  ... 'cause when he tried to race onto the field to cheer on his squad, he got LEVELED by a security guard.

The man's ill-advised jaunt in the outfield of Citizens Bank Park happened just seconds after Philadelphia put the finishing touches on its 10-0, Game 2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

You can see in video shot by a fan at the game ... the field invader hopped over an outfield wall and sprinted across the turf -- only to be met by a security guard who looked like an NFL linebacker.

The official put the Philly fan right to the ground with a form tackle that was so pure ... even Phillies players couldn't help but notice the action as they high-fived a few hundred feet away.

The man was ultimately swarmed by a slew of other stadium workers ... and once he got to his feet, blood could be seen trickling from his mouth area.

There must've been a "no girls allowed" rule between the Kelce brothers at the Philadelphia Phillies game on Monday ... 'cause Travis and Jason were spotted enjoying the playoff matchup together -- and Taylor Swift was M.I.A.

The two NFL superstars hit up Citizens Bank Park for Game 1 of the NLCS against the Arizona Diamondbacks ... and the crowd was certainly happy to see them -- erupting in cheers as the bros were shown on the scoreboard in the middle of the contest.

Even though the pop singer was nowhere to be found, her presence was still felt -- as her songs were played over the sound system multiple times throughout the night.

Of course, it's not too crazy for the Phillies to show love for T-Swift -- after all, she is a Pennsylvania native ... and has previously professed her allegiance to Jason's Eagles.

Speaking of Jason -- who's beloved in the city amid a Hall of Fame career with the Birds -- he also stole the show when he chugged a beer, much to Travis' delight.

Travis' appearance at the game comes on the heels of his romantic weekend with Swift -- as we previously reported, the couple was inseparable in NYC ... including two date nights and attending "Saturday Night Live."

Taylor has since returned to the west coast ... but Travis decided to hang back for a bit longer.

Don't sweat it, Swifties ... just 'cause Taylor wasn't there with her new man doesn't really mean much -- Jason's wife, Kylie, wasn't there either ... so we take it the guys just wanted to bro out for the night.

David Ortiz aún lamenta la muerte de Tim Wakefield ... le dijo a TMZ Sports esta semana que su excompañero de Red Sox era un "gran tipo, hombre".

"Gran tipo", repitió.

Ortiz se sinceró con nosotros sobre Wakefield durante unos minutos mientras se encontraba en Los Ángeles ... unos días después de que el exlanzador estrella de Boston falleciera de cáncer cerebral.

Big Papi dijo que el lanzador de bolas de nudillos era franco "como mi familia, hombre" ... y se puede ver en el video, obviamente aún sigue adolorido por el fallecimiento.

Ortiz y Wakefield formaron una amistad durante su estancia en el Fenway Park - podrán recordar que compartieron un vestidor durante nueve temporadas. Y, los dos formaron un fuerte lazo ... Wakefield asistió a Cooperstown el año pasado para ser testigo del ingreso de Ortiz al Salón de la Fama.

Papi no es el único exjugador de los Red Sox que ha expresado su dolor por la muerte de Wakefield - varios de sus excompañeros de equipo también enviaron sus condolencias y oraciones en redes sociales.

Tim tenía 57 años.

David Ortiz is still mourning the death of Tim Wakefield ... telling TMZ Sports this week his former Red Sox teammate was a "great guy, man."

"Great guy," he repeated.

Ortiz opened up to us about Wakefield for a few moments while out in Los Angeles ... just days after the former Boston star pitcher died from brain cancer.

Big Papi said the knuckleballer was straight-up "like my family, man" ... and you can see in the clip, he's obviously still in pain over the passing.

Ortiz and Wakefield grew close during their time together at Fenway Park -- you'll recall, they shared a locker room with one another for nine seasons. And, the two formed such a strong bond ... Wakefield actually showed up to Cooperstown last year to watch Ortiz get inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Papi is hardly the only former Red Sox player to express heartbreak over Wakefield's death -- multiple former teammates sent thoughts and prayers on social media as well.

Tim was just 57 years old.

10/16/23 12:45 PM PT -- Cops say they took Walter into custody over the weekend.

3:23 PM PT -- Marty York just broke his silence, posting a photo of Walter and writing, "This is the hardest post I'm ever going to have to write. Last night my mother was murdered by a man she was seeing. Right now there is a nationwide manhunt."

He continues, "If you've seen this man please call the police immediately. I can't even comprehend what is happening right now, but I feel if I find this person I'm going to physically maul him. I pray to God I don't find him because it will be a fate worse then hell."

Tragedy has struck the family of "The Sandlot" actor Marty York, his mother, a sheriff's deputy, was murdered in her own home ... and cops are on the hunt for the alleged killer.

Cops say Deanna Esmaeel was found dead Thursday inside her home in Crescent City, California. On Friday, the Del Norte County Sheriff's Office -- where Deanna is a deputy -- put out an alert to the public in hopes of tracking down Deanna's boyfriend, Daniel James Walter.

Investigators say Walter, who recently changed his name to Edward Patrick Davies, is the suspect in Deanna's murder ... though they don't say what happened.

According to the alert, deputies were able to locate Walter's vehicle, but the 54-year-old was nowhere to be found.

Sheriff Scott of the DNSO released a statement following Deputy Esmaeel's death, saying, "We are all deeply heartbroken with the loss of Deputy Esmaeel. Our hearts and prayers go out to her family, friends, and co-workers."

Marty York played "Yeah-Yeah" in the 1993 classic "The Sandlot" and has continued to act on various projects through the years. He has not yet publicly commented on his mother's murder.