Baseball

Former MLB superstar Darryl Strawberry says his teenage granddaughter went missing Wednesday in Nevada ... and the 8x All-Star is pleading for help finding her, and prayers to keep her safe.

59-year-old Strawberry took to social media to get the word out, writing ... "This is our granddaughter MyLisa who is missing right now! Please Please Pray for us as we desperately need your prayers! Thank You!"

MyLisa -- who was born in 2007 according to an online bio -- was last seen on September 22 around 7:15 AM. She was wearing all black at the time ... with a pair of white Jordans.

MyLisa's mom is Darryl's reality TV star daughter, Diamond Strawberry.

Diamond also went to Instagram to ask for help.

"PLEASE REPOST!! PLEASE SHARE!!!! Please help us bring MyLisa home!", she wrote, along with a description of MyLisa.

If you have any info on MyLisa's whereabouts, the Strawberry's are asking people to please call the Henderson Police Department at (702) 267-4555.

Blue Jays pitcher Ryan Borucki has just been banned 3 games ... after MLB officials say he purposely drilled Rays' outfielder Kevin Kiermaier in a game Wednesday night.

Borucki plunked the Tampa Bay star in the 8th inning of Toronto's tilt with the Rays ... and EVERYONE in the building knew it had gone down because of Kiermaier's card-stealing antics earlier in the week.

If you missed it, as Kiermaier was sliding into home plate during the two teams' game on Monday ... a game plan card fell out of Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk's wristband.

Kiermaier saw the piece of paper, picked it up, and reportedly refused to give it back to the Blue Jays -- which REALLY ticked off the org.

So much so, Borucki ended up firing a 93 MPH fastball into the guy's back on Wednesday as a clear retaliation shot ... and then he was promptly ejected.

The MLB obviously felt the tossing wasn't enough punishment though ... 'cause it tacked on an additional 3-game ban Thursday evening.

The MLB also hit Borucki's manager, Charlie Montoyo, with a one-game suspension and an undisclosed fine as well.

Incredible scene on the baseball diamond in Oakland Thursday ... Chris Bassitt returned to the mound just a few weeks after a comebacker broke his face -- and he dominated!!

The A's star pitcher -- who was seriously injured during a game against the White Sox on Aug. 17 -- took the hill for the first time since the freak play ... and threw 3 scoreless innings against the Mariners.

He also struck out four and only gave up one hit ... and the crowd in Oakland was THRILLED to see it all.

Of course, it was hard to fathom seeing this scene just a month ago ... 'cause Bassitt was hit so hard by a line drive, he needed a plate put into his face to stabilize the damage.

The 32-year-old, though, worked his ass off to come back to give Oakland just what it needed ... and, now, the A's currently lead 4-1 in the fourth inning.

A minor league baseball game had a four-legged interruption during the 1st inning on Wednesday ... when a bat dog named Rookie stormed the field -- and it was adorable!!

The cute moment happened during the Buffalo Bisons' home game against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at Sahlen Field ... a matchup that had Rookie filling in for bat-retrieving duties.

But, Rookie was fully prepared to go above and beyond his role to help out the Buffalo squad any way he could ... so he raced out onto the field in the middle of all the action!!

You can see the happy-go-lucky canine jumpin' with joy on the field right in front of the batter before a pitch is thrown ... and even making his way out on the pitching mound for a few seconds

Eventually, Rookie goes back to the dugout and resumes his position ... and we can't emphasize this enough, it was freakin' cute!!

BTW -- Rookie is a celeb ... he has his own Instagram page with more than 14,000 followers!!

"Tonight was a lot of fun, being with @buffalobisons," Rookie's IG page said after the game.

"I loved being able to go all over the stadium and giving out my baseball card to the fans, especially the kids."

Conor McGregor is going IN on all the trolls comparing his first pitch to 50 Cent's ... saying he straight-up believes the rapper's throw is not even in the same stratosphere as his.

"The audacity to compare mine with this piss!" the UFC superstar said in a lengthy social media post Wednesday night. "Picture to picture alone buries this."

"Mine," he continued, "bar the accuracy, was the most powerful and fastest first pitch of any of these other athletes/ artist over the years. No comparison."

If you missed it, Conor overthrew his target by about 30 feet while doing the first-pitch honors at a Cubs game Tuesday night ... causing many to say it reminded them of 50's horrific 2014 throw.

The similarities are hard to ignore -- neither dude got close to their catcher's mitt -- but Conor insisted his was way better, and threw shade all over 50 in the process.

"Small bucks 50 Cent," McGregor said. "One has power. One is the director of media relations for some show called power. You know what it is."

Conor added that his throw contained "Venom. Composure. Balance!" -- all while praising the pricey watch on his wrist.

Of course, Conor is most likely being a bit tongue in cheek with all this ... but we're here for it either way.

Move over, 50 Cent, there's a new worst first pitch of all time ... courtesy of Conor McGregor's ceremonial toss at the Cubs game on Tuesday!!!

The sharply-dressed UFC superstar strutted to the mound for the first pitch before the Cubbies faced off against the Minnesota Twins at Wrigley Field ... and chucked his attempt about 20 feet to the right of home plate.

As Harry Doyle would say, it was "juuuuuust a bit outside."

On a positive note, McGregor's repaired leg looked great!

The fighter was a great sport about it all ... dapping up Cubs infielder Patrick Wisdom after the wild pitch.

Of course, this is Conor we're talking about ... so we're assuming (and hoping) he was just trying to give fans a fun time.

Then again, we've seen him throw a football before ... and he was mocked incessantly for that, too.

It's a safe bet Conor's pitch will now take honors for "worst first pitch ever" from Fiddy, who had a straight-up embarrassing toss that went wide left before a Mets game in 2014.

Conor's been living it up while rehabbing his leg ... from hanging with Justin Bieber to attending the VMAs (where he also tested out his arm with a different object) and hitting up just about every hotspot L.A. has to offer.

Never change, Conor ... but maybe try some practice throws next time???

A couple of protestors didn't get too far with their signs when they ran onto the field during the Dodgers game Wednesday -- 'cause stadium security ragdolled both of them to the ground in seconds.

The wild scene all went down in L.A. -- when the Dodgers were playing the Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium.

You can see in footage captured by a fan in the stands ... one man invaded the outfield while carrying a big sign.

Quickly, however, he was tackled to the grass -- and then jumped on by 5 other guards.

Meanwhile, while they were trying to reel in the first protestor, a second one jumped onto the field as well. Immediately, though, that fan was dropped to the ground too by a security guard.

Eventually, all of the protestors were taken off the field without further incident.

The signs they were holding reportedly read Bishop, La Loma and Palo Verde ... and represented three low income neighborhoods of Chavez Ravine that were removed in the 1950s in order to build Dodger Stadium.

Of course, this is far from the first time stadium officials have had to take down field invaders ... you'll recall, a ball girl stopped a fan in his tracks in epic fashion back in August.

Winning Super Bowls and Olympic medals works wonders for your clout ... 'cause Tom Brady and Simone Biles are on Time's list of most influential people once again.

Of course, the esteemed list highlights the biggest activists, innovators, athletes and artists each year ... and in 2021, several sports stars were honored with the recognition.

Joining TB12 and Biles are Team USA gold medalist Suni Lee, tennis superstar Naomi Osaka, USA track legend Allyson Felix and L.A. Angels pitcher/slugger Shohei Ohtani.

Biles also graces one of the 7 different covers for the magazine ... which features a touching writeup from Serena Williams on the gymnast's highly publicized mental health battle at the 2020 Tokyo games.

"What she embodies truly reflects the endless potential of Black women." Williams says. "I wish I had her to look up to when I was younger and trying to realize my dreams."

"By living her truth so loudly and by championing mental health, she is setting new standards of beauty, strength and resilience, breaking down today’s image-obsessed stereotypes and encouraging others to do the same."

"Simone is a shining example of what success looks like when you let go of what the world thinks and gather your strength from yourself ... from your soul."

MLB umpire Junior Valentine was rocked in the face by a wayward throw Monday night ... and the ball hit him so hard, he crumpled to the ground in pain and began bleeding from his cheek.

The bizarre scene all went down in the Cardinals' game against the Mets in New York ... right after Kevin Pillar hit a ground ball to St. Louis infielder Edmundo Sosa.

As the shortstop ranged to his left and spun to try to throw out Pillar ... the ball got away from his intended target -- and ended up smacking Valentine in the face.

You can see in the footage of the play ... Valentine was visibly shaken up -- and needed to be tended to by trainers.

Somehow, though, the dude wiped away the blood and stayed in the game.

Afterward, Valentine's crew chief, Jerry Meals, said in a statement Valentine was doing fine despite the scary scene.

"He's been checked out and has no broken bones," Meals said. "He was incredibly alert from the get-go. The blood seemed to stop fairly quickly, thankfully, and he was adamant that he was fine."

The Yankees and Mets almost fought each other in the middle of the diamond Sunday night ... and it was all 'cause a pitcher in the Pinstripes' dugout had been whistling.

For real.

The wild scene all went down at Citi Field ... just seconds after Giancarlo Stanton hit a huge home run in the 7th inning of the final game of the New York teams' weekend series.

As Stanton was rounding the bases, Francisco Lindor yelled at the Yanks superstar ... while making a whistling motion.

The smack talk was so aggressive, it caused the entire Yankees dugout to clear ... and a brawl almost ensued.

Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed ... and we learned a short time later, Lindor was furious with Stanton and the Yanks after he and the rest of the Mets believed the Yankees were whistling in order to tip their batters off to potential pitches.

"I can't accuse them of them whistling for the signs because I'm not 100 percent correct," Lindor said. "But, I know what I heard, and I felt like there was something out of the ordinary going on."

"And, yeah. I heard what I heard. I'm not accusing them. I'm not saying they're doing it 100 percent. Because I don't know 100 percent. But, it definitely felt that way. And, I took that personal."

Lindor and the Mets had believed the Yankees were using whistling not just during Sunday's tilt, but in their previous meeting on Saturday as well.

Yankees slugger Joey Gallo tried to offer an explanation for it all after the game, saying reliever Wandy Peralta was doing the dugout whistling, but ensured the sounds were "100 percent not" for pitch tipping.

"It's just him trying to be -- like I said, bring energy to the dugout," Gallo said, "especially early in the game."

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks ... and the man who caught President Bush's ceremonial pitch before World Series game 3 in NYC says #43 sent him a letter this week, commemorating the powerful moment.

TMZ Sports talked to former New York Yankees catcher Todd Greene -- who was Jorge Posada's backup at the time -- about that unforgettable October night in the Bronx, only 49 days after 9/11, when GWB fired a strike from the mound, symbolizing America's resolve.

"I get the same feeling too when you think back to that moment and how electric the stadium was that night and just what it meant for our President Bush to walk out on the field and as a symbol of strength, as a symbol of healing, as a symbol of unity for our country which is really, really important," Greene, who played 11 seasons in the big leagues, tells us.

"To hear the USA chants and then have President Bush give the thumbs up on top of the mount -- it was, again like you said, it will get the hairs standing on your arms now."

Of course, baseball season was in full swing when the terrorist attacks happened ... and the sport played a critical role in bringing back a sense of normalcy to America.

The 2 most unforgettable moments were Mike Piazza's go-ahead home run against the Braves 10 days after 9/11 ... and of course, Bush's pitch.

It'll never be forgotten.

The Yankees ended up winning the game (down 2 games to none, they had to), behind a strong performance from Roger Clemens, 2-1.

Greene -- who wasn't even supposed to be the catcher who caught the pitch -- says he hasn't spoken to Bush over the years, but did receive a letter in the mail on Wednesday from the former president.

"He sent me a personalized letter that I just received yesterday. President Bush saying how much that moment meant for him and that he was honored, well not honored, I was honored to be on the field with him at the time and just in remembrance of that moment."

Trevor Bauer will not pitch again for the Dodgers this season -- not even if they make it to the World Series -- 'cause the MLB has just extended the star's paid leave through the end of the year.

The baseball org. and the MLBPA announced the move Friday ... agreeing to put Bauer on the shelf for the rest of 2021 as an investigation into sexual assault allegations against the pitcher continues.

As we previously reported, the 30-year-old Cy Young winner has been on administrative leave since late June ... following accusations that he got violent with a woman during two sexual encounters in the spring.

The alleged victim told cops Bauer punched her and choked her unconscious during their meetups ... leaving her with scrapes, scratches, bruises and other injuries.

The woman had obtained a temporary restraining order against Bauer following it all ... though a judge ruled last month a permanent one could not be put in place because Bauer did not pose a continual threat to the accuser.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, are still mulling whether or not Bauer should be hit with criminal charges ... after police turned over their investigation findings to the L.A. County D.A. in late August.

Another woman, meanwhile, has also come forward claiming she, too, was physically assaulted by the baseball player during sex.

Bauer, for his part, has denied any and all wrongdoing in both cases.

The MLB is still in the middle of its investigation into all of the claims.

"I just remember being on the line for the national anthem and I said, ‘Lord, please, just help me get through this night.’"

That's Hall of Famer Mike Piazza, reflecting on the post-9/11 game where he launched the most memorable home run of his career, admitting despite the rush of hitting a game-winning shot, the moment is still "bittersweet."

It's all part of an interview with the Mets legend, conducted by OSDB (a large online sports database created by Aaron Rodgers and his biz partners), where MP opens up about the unforgettable game.

Of course, it was the night of September 21, 2001 ... 10 days after America was attacked, and thousands of innocent people were murdered.

Baseball, after taking a week and a half off, was back ... but there was a sense of uneasiness in Shea Stadium in Queens -- only 14 miles from the site of Ground Zero.

That was until the now 53-year-old slugging catcher hit a massive 2-run, go-ahead dinger in the 8th inning off reliever Steve Karsay ... giving the Mets a 3-2 lead over the Atlanta Braves.

The lead held up in the 9th ... and the Mets won the game. But, it was much more important than a dub ... or 1 home run out of Piazza's 427 career long balls.

The HR helped bring those inside the stadium -- and the entire country -- back.

“Afterward, obviously we were excited to win the game and we were excited to give the people something to cheer about and it was enriching for us to get a feeling that people wanted to be together and people wanted to hug and be at the ballpark and try to take the first small steps to getting back to living,’’ Piazza explained.

The HOF'er says this time of year brings back difficult memories, but regardless of how tough it is, "it’s very prudent and very appropriate that we continue to remember and memorialize the tragedy of the events of 9/11."

In fact, Mike says he still finds it hard to talk about his epic home run ... but he obliges fans because he understands it's important to them.

“It’s a little overwhelming for me. I always try to treat it with reverence. At times, I’m uncomfortable when I talk about it. I just do the best I can but I feel that people do want to talk about it so I kind of owe them that.’’

Saturday will mark the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

The woman who accused Delmon Young of domestic violence made several calls to police prior to the ex-MLB star's arrest Monday ... and in one of them, she said she believed Young was "trying to kill" her.

It's all in police audio, obtained by TMZ Sports, in which you can hear the woman tell multiple 911 dispatchers that she needed help because Young was in her Florida home terrorizing her.

It should be noted Young also put in a call to law enforcement ... one in which he told an operator that his accuser was "drunk" and breaking his stuff.

"She tried hitting me and started doing a bunch of s***," Young said on the call ... before adding, "I'm just trying to avoid her."

As we previously reported, Young was arrested Monday night after cops say a woman, who ID'ed herself as the former baseball player's ex-girlfriend, told them he punched her in the chest and shoved her.

In the police report, cops say they saw surveillance video showing Young hitting her and "screeching in pain."

In her 911 calls prior to the alleged punch and shove, you can hear the woman claim Young was attacking her.

At one point in one of the calls, the woman said, "He broke my TV and he punched me in the face." She later added, "I have blood all over me."

In the calls, you can hear Young in the background denying ever hitting the woman.

Young was ultimately arrested and booked on four charges, including domestic violence.

The New York Mets will honor 9/11 first responders on the anniversary of the attacks once again this year ... by wearing FDNY and NYPD caps during their home game against the Yankees on Saturday.

The team made the announcement Wednesday ... saying players will have the option of wearing FDNY, NYPD, Port Authority Police Department, Department of Sanitation and Department of Correction hats for when they hit Citi Field on Sept. 11.

Of course, the Mets and the Yankees both donned the caps on the 9/11 anniversary last year ... and it was clear back then that the players would prefer to keep the tradition going on a yearly basis.

NY also announced the Mets' and Yankees' managers from the 2001 season, Bobby Valentine and Joe Torre, will take part in the first-pitch ceremonies before the game.

The Mets also said 14 coaches and players from the 2001 season -- including Mike Piazza, who hit that famous home run in the days after the attacks -- will be at Saturday's game as well.

First responders will also be in attendance and will join the FDNY honor guard, NYPD honor guard and others on the field.

The Mets added that the game's national anthem will be done by the NYPD Cops and Kids Chorus, while FDNY Firefighter Regina Wilson will sing God Bless America.

"You come at the king, you best not miss."

Baltimore Orioles announcer Kevin Brown had an awesome tribute to the late Michael K. Williams on Tuesday ... by reciting one of the actor's most iconic lines while making a home run call.

Of course, MKW's Omar Little from "The Wire" is widely considered one of the best characters in TV history ... with plenty of classic dialogue that has lived on long after the show ended in 2008.

Since the hit drama was set and shot in Baltimore, Brown let out one of his favorite Omar phrases after O's outfielder, Austin Hays, hit a dinger in the bottom of the third inning ... and the moment will give you chills.

Brown also tweeted about Williams' tragic death on Monday ... saying, "'The Wire' is one of the things that's made me fall in love with Baltimore."

"It was my saving grace during the first few months of COVID last year. And, nobody on-screen could match Omar's presence."

"The best performance on the best narrative TV show of my lifetime. I'm gutted."'

FYI -- Hays is in the middle of a hot streak ... he's had a hit in 14 straight games.

Williams was a huge sports fan himself ... and was often spotted at New York Knicks games over the years.