Baseball

Shohei Ohtani's wife couldn't contain her excitement when the MLB superstar earned the first hit of his Dodger career ... cheering on her man from the stands throughout his big debut!!

Mamiko Tanaka -- who was recently revealed as the Japanese athlete's partner -- was present for L.A.'s season opener against the San Diego Padres in Seoul, South Korea on Wednesday ... and there was plenty to be happy about.

Ohtani logged the first hit of the contest in the third inning ... hitting a line drive to right field for a single.

The broadcast quickly cut to Tanaka -- à la Taylor Swift at a Kansas City Chiefs game -- and she was shouting and clapping with fellow family members and friends as Ohtani reached first base.

The vibes continued in the 8th inning ... when Ohtani's second hit of the night brought home a run.

She was spotted high-fiving with fans decked out in Ohtani merch ... and had a huge smile on her face.

The $700 million man ended up going 2-5 from the plate on the day ... securing an RBI and a stolen base en route to the Dodgers' 5-2 win over the division rival.

As we previously reported, Tanaka is quite the sports star in her own right -- she played several years of professional basketball in Japan.

Shohei Ohtani had a much more stressful leadup to his Dodgers' debut Wednesday than anyone could have imagined -- he was reportedly the target of a pregame bomb threat ... although, thankfully, it all turned out to be fake.

According to the Yonhap News Agency, just prior to L.A.'s season-opening matchup against the San Diego Padres in Seoul, someone had sent a menacing email to local authorities.

The outlet reported that in the note, the person claimed they were going to detonate a bomb at the Gocheok Sky Dome ... specifically looking to harm Ohtani and others.

Fortunately, however, it was deemed to be a non-credible threat.

The MLB said in a statement they were investigating the matter -- calling "the safety and security of our fans and everyone in the ballparks where we play" their top priority -- but continued with the game nonetheless.

So far, there's been no issues whatsoever with the contest -- in the top of the ninth inning, the Dodgers lead, 5-2.

Ohtani, meanwhile, is clearly feeling no effects from the scare ... he's 2-for-5 on the night with an RBI and a stolen base.

The Dodgers arrived in Korea last week and played a couple exhibition games before taking on the Pads in the season opener.

Stray Kids member Seungmin is way more than a K-pop superstar -- the vocalist proved he's got some serious skills on the mound as well ... throwing a perfect strike during the ceremonial first pitch at the MLB Seoul Series game!!

1/8 of the popular boy group was present for the Los Angeles Dodgers' exhibition game against Team Korea at Gocheok SkyDome on Monday ... but he wasn't just there to watch -- he also got to show off his arm prior to the start of the contest.

As it turns out, Seungmin's first love was baseball ... and he played the sport for years before switching over to music.

It's clear it wasn't his first rodeo ... 'cause the windup and follow through look super polished -- and his toss landed right down the middle of the plate.

Fittingly, SKZ's hit song, "LALALALA," was blaring over the PA system as he made his attempt.

Seungmin also shared a moment with Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly after the impressive outing ... posing for a pic and swapping his Team Korea hat for an LA cap.

But he eventually switched back to his original lid as he took his seat in the stands ... repping the home team as he enjoyed a beer and locked in on the action unfolding on the diamond.

The idol's pitch wasn't the only one to turn heads at the Seoul Series ... actress Jeon Jong-seo also appeared to be a fan favorite the day prior, even grabbing the attention of some Dodger players.

"Are you telling me that you recognize the fact that maybe you did do steroids?"

That's the question a FOX 32 reporter in Chicago asked Sammy Sosa on Friday -- and suffice it to say the slugger wasn't very happy -- laughing uncomfortably for several seconds before responding, "This is not a question that I expected from you."

55-year-old Sosa is back in Chi-town, where he played 13 seasons, for the first time in years, and there's hope this could finally be the moment the former NL MVP and the organization repair their fractured relationship.

The rift goes back years ... and although it can't be attributed to solely one thing, the beef reportedly centers around Sosa's failure to admit and apologize for alleged steroid use during his playing career.

Enter the local FOX reporter -- who began his line of questioning by asking Sammy if a reconciliation could be on the horizon.

"Well like I said, I'm a mature man. I think that's a possibility that we can do that. I'm open. I don't have a problem with that. I had a lot of misunderstandings in the past but now I'm a real man. I feel great. I recognize my mistake. So, why not?" Sosa responded.

Cue the 'roids question, and Sammy's uncomfortable response.

Awkward moment aside, it's encouraging for Cubs fans to hear their former superstar say he's open to making peace ... especially considering he's one of the org's greatest players ever.

Sosa and Mark McGwire almost single-handedly brought back baseball in 1998 ... following the 1994 labor strike (that ended in April '95). Fans were fed up with both players and owners, but Sammy and Mark's incredible displays of power brought fans back to the park and television set.

That season, Sosa hit an astounding 66 long balls, while McGwire launched a whopping 70!

Sadly, many fans' memories of the race, and the entire career of Sosa, a 7x All-Star who hit 609 homers, have been tainted by steroid accusations.

Somebody get Olivia Dunne an NIL deal with an electronics company ASAP ... 'cause she watched her boyfriend's baseball game on quite possibly the world's smallest laptop -- and even the MLB's official account trolled her over it!!

The superstar LSU gymnast and influencer was locked in on Pittsburgh Pirates top prospect Paul Skenes' Spring Breakout matchup against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday ... catching his impressive performance from the comfort of her couch.

But Livvy -- the highest-paid female college athlete thanks to numerous endorsements -- didn't have a baller set up for the occasion ... hunching over a cute little computer screen as she observed every pitch.

In fact, when Livvy shared the scene with her 7.9 million followers on TikTok ... a ton of people flooded the comments to roast her viewing apparatus -- including MLB's own account.

"Your computer is too big how’d you get that thing through the door," the league said.

Livvy took the joke in stride ... replying, "a forklift."

It was a great day for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft -- Skenes put his 100-plus MPH heater on display, striking out against Jackson Holliday, the top selection in 2022 (and ex-MLB star Matt Holliday's son).

Skenes finished the one-inning outing with two total strikeouts ... and the Bucs won the game, 3-1.

Shohei Ohtani just finally revealed his lovely wife -- it's Japanese basketball player Mamiko Tanaka!!

The Dodgers superstar -- who got the largest contract in sports history this past offseason -- recently announced he married "someone from my Native country of Japan who is very special to me" ... but did not disclose her identity.

Ohtani and his team put an end to all the speculation on Thursday ... sharing a photo of the newlyweds on their way to Seoul, South Korea for the Dodgers' season opener on March 20th.

The woman was quickly ID'd as Tanaka, a 27-year-old basketball player who played for Waseeda University and the Women's Japan Basketball League's Fujitsu Red Wave.

The 5-foot-11 forward/center averaged 7.8 points and 6 rebounds per game ... so they're really quite the athletic couple!!

Ohtani said he and Tanaka have known each other for three to four years ... but their actual wedding date is unknown.

He also said she had no impact on his decision during free agency ... but pointed out Tanaka has a great understanding of his profession.

MLB star Aroldis Chapman is apparently quite the mama's boy ... 'cause the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher shared a bizarre video of himself grabbing an older lady's boobs this week -- and many believe it is his very own mother.

The two-time World Series champion posted the disturbing clip to his Instagram story ... showing him cozying up on a couch with a woman who resembles his mom, Maria Caridad De La Cruz.

Chapman -- who's grinning from ear to ear -- is super handsy throughout the vid ... squeezing both boobs as the woman pats his back.

At one point, the woman seemingly tries to get the Cuban Missile to move his hand ... but the groping continues.

Naturally, Chapman -- who signed a one-year, $10.5 million deal with the Pirates in January -- started trending on X shortly after the video surfaced ... with a lot of folks sharing their horror.

Darryl Strawberry says he sustained a heart attack on Monday evening -- but, thankfully, medics were able to save his life ... and he's now recovering at a hospital.

The three-time World Series champion explained in a social media post the health scare happened in the St. Louis area.

He didn't go into too much detail about the emergency ... although he did say docs had to bring him "through a stent-procedure" to fix his ticker.

Fortunately, he added the process "brought my heart to total restoration!!!"

"Your prayers are so absolutely appreciated as I continue to recover," he wrote on his Instagram page, "in Jesus Name! #savedbyHisgrace❤️❤️."

Several celebs commented on the post, including Alex Rodriguez, Matt Barnes and Cecil Fielder, showing the ex-baseball star love and gratitude that he's now doing OK.

Straw's got a big few weeks coming up ... Tuesday is actually his 62nd birthday -- and on June 1, he's slated to have his No. 18 retired by the New York Mets.

Vanessa Hudgens is pregnant, and she let the world know in the biggest way possible -- showing up to the Oscars ... with a big ol' baby bump in tow!

The actress is one of the hosts on the red carpet Sunday at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood -- where the ceremony will be going down later today -- and before all the stars arrived to take their own pictures ... Vanessa made sure to steal the spotlight with shots of her own.

She had a very good reason, too ... clearly, Vanessa is expecting a child -- and this is the first time anyone's hearing about it publicly. On its face, it seems she's fairly far along.

Of course, this is major news ... seeing how this would be VH's first child, and ditto for her husband, Cole Tucker. Remember, they just got married a few months ago down in Mexico ... and now, they're having a kid together in record time. No time like the present, right?!

Cole and Vanessa have been together as a couple since 2020 ... after she broke things off with her longtime boyfriend, Austin Butler -- with whom she'd been with for many years.

Vanessa and Cole were two peas in a pod ... she said she knew he was the one right away.

While she's clearly happy with her hubby ... the topic of her relationship with Austin has come up quite a bit lately -- especially with him being launched into superstardom through all these movies he's been in the past couple years, including 'Elvis.'

Vanessa just said last week she's happy her split with Austin led her to Cole -- and Austin, meanwhile, has said he valued his time with Vanessa ... and still respected/cared about her.

Austin himself is not scheduled to be at today's Oscars ceremony -- although, he has been out and about for Oscars-related parties this weekend.

So, he might be around somewhere later tonight as well. Ya gotta wonder how he might feel about this big development.

Alex Rodríguez se anotó algunos puntos como padre tras llevar a su hija de 15 años a un concierto de Olivia Rodrigo, a pesar de que habría querido ir a dormir en su lugar.

El legendario bateador documentó su salida la noche del miércoles en un, sin querer, hilarante video de Instagram. En el clip, Rodríguez admite que está agotado de andar filmando, pero que está dando prioridad a pasar un buen momento con Ella en el concierto de Miami, a pesar de que claramente no sabe quién es la cantante.

De hecho, le dice a sus seguidores que está en un concierto de "Rodrigo", ¡antes de que Ella le enseñe el nombre completo de la cantante!

A-Rod estaba en el centro del Kaseya Center, donde pudo obtener una buena panorámica del concierto con la leyenda a través de la pantalla: "Olivia Rodrigo concierto rodeado de 22.000 chicas adolescentes y todo lo que quiero es ir a dormir".

Luego se acerca a Ella, quien está totalmente sumergida en el show, cantando el éxito "Vampire", de Rodrigo, como una verdadera fan. Incluso con sus ojos de padre dormido y viejo, Alex le dio un espaldarazo a la cantante con el mensaje: "Rodrigo es bastante buena para ser honestos".

A-Rod, que también es papá de Natasha, de 19 años, incluso se disculpó con Olivia en el pie de foto por confundir su nombre y prometió que no volvería a suceder.

Alex Rodriguez scored some serious dad points by tagging along with his 15-year-old daughter to an Olivia Rodrigo concert -- even though he wanted to catch some zzz's instead.

The legendary slugger documented their outing Wednesday night in an, inadvertently, hilarious IG video ... as he admitted he was exhausted from filming all day, but was prioritizing some quality time with Ella at the Miami gig -- despite clearly not knowing who the singer is.

In fact, he tells his followers he's at a "Rodrigo" concert ... before Ella schools him on the singer's full name!

A-Rod was in the thick of it inside Kaseya Center, panning the camera around with the caption across the screen, "Olivia Rodrigo concert surrounded by 22,000 teenage girls, and all I wanna do is go to sleep."

He then zooms in on Ella, who's totally in her element, belting out Olivia's hit track "Vampire" like a true fan. Even with his sleepy/old dad eyes, Alex had to give the singer props with his caption, "Rodrigo is pretty good TBH."

A-Rod, who is also dad to 19-year-old Natasha, even apologized to Olivia in the caption for messing up her name, and promised it won't happen again.

Vanessa Hudgens has an optimistic outlook regarding her breakup with Austin Butler ... 'cause she says it led her to her husband, so she's happy things ended with him.

The actress got candid about how prior failed relationships made her reevaluate things on Wednesday's episode of the "She Pivots" podcast. As Vanessa explained ... her splitting from AB in 2020 led her to Cole Tucker, whom she calls the "right person."

Vanessa -- who married Cole in December in a lavish wedding in Mexico -- made it clear she couldn't be more grateful for her MLB player spouse in the wake of the Butler split.

She says, "He's just the most supportive, real understanding human being that I've ever met."

Despite VH and AB's frosty reunion at the 2023 Oscars -- where Vanessa infamously walked by Austin at the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party without saying a word -- it seems there's no bad blood between the exes ... but then again, her words here do kinda sound like a dig.

Austin recently emphasized the love and care he says he still has for Vanessa in an interview from February ... this after catching flak for labeling her as nothing more than a friend, even though they dated for nearly 10 years.

As we reported ... Austin referred to his ex of almost a decade as just a friend when detailing how his iconic role in Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis" came to be. Yet ... during a chat with Esquire last month -- he defended that he didn't mean to downplay their love story -- he just wanted to protect her from having to comment on their past relationship.

It's clear that everyone has happily moved on these days -- with Austin now dating Kaia Gerber. Of course, Vanessa is now a married woman herself ... and looks smitten with Cole.

Closure all around ... or so it seems!

For the first time in the history of the franchise, "MLB The Show 24" will have a story mode dedicated to female athletes ... with the hit video game announcing the groundbreaking addition on Tuesday.

The new feature -- titled "Road to the Show: Women Pave the Way" -- allows users to create and play as a woman in the Major League Baseball simulation game ... with a unique narrative and scenes separate from the usual RTTS experience.

The mode's narrative designer, Mollie Braley, said the story was inspired by real-life stories from women in baseball ... including star athletes like Toni Stone and Kelsie Whitmore.

Braley explained to the PlayStation Blog the importance of inclusion for women in baseball as the fan base continues to rise ... and she's hoping it will shine a light on the adversity many have faced within the sport.

Whitmore -- who provided insight for the project -- added she hopes the story mode helps inspire gamers to pursue their dreams ... and educate them on what women and girls are able to do on the baseball diamond.

A baseball that's roughly a decade old is about to sell for thousands of dollars ... and it's all 'cause Patrick Mahomes put his "John Hancock" on it way back when he was a high school senior!!

The ball was just discovered at a thrift store in Rockwall, Texas last month ... and it's super cool. It features signatures from some of the players who took the diamond in Texas for the Whitehouse H.S. Wildcats during the 2013-14 season.

In total, there are six names scribbled on it ... but, of course, none is bigger than Mahomes -- who put a "#5" next to his autograph when he inscribed the sweet spot.

Leland's just put the piece on its auction block -- and while bidding has started at $2,500 ... TMZ Sports is told it could fetch $10,000 and up!!

While it might sound a little crazy -- considering Mahomes, after all, does play football ... it's actually not the first Mahomes-autographed H.S. baseball that's sold for a wad of cash.

Back in 2020, one that the Chiefs star and the rest of his Whitehouse teammates signed in 2013 netted its seller a whopping $6,510.

Seems like a ton of cash ... but, hey, an autographed baseball signed by Michael Jordan during his high school days did go for $36,000 -- so it doesn't seem to be a bad investment by any means.

1:47 PM PT -- Shohei Ohtani just revealed more about his wife during a meeting with media members out at spring training on Thursday ... saying the two knew each other around three or four years before tying the knot.

The baseball star also said she had "nothing to do" with his decision to leave the Angels and join the Dodgers this offseason.

Shohei Ohtani is officially off the dating market ... the MLB superstar revealed late Wednesday night he's now married!!!

The Dodgers' designated hitter said in a post on his Instagram page his new spouse is "someone from my Native country of Japan who is very special to me" ... although he did not reveal the person's name.

"I am excited for what is come," he wrote ... before adding, "thank you for your support."

Ohtani included a picture of his adorable dog, Decoy, on the announcement as well.

Of course, it's now the second time in the last three months the 29-year-old has told the world of a life-changing event on IG ... back in December, he shared he was moving on from the Angels to the Dodgers for the foreseeable future.

That announcement got over two million "likes" on the social media app ... and so far, it's appeared to be a great decision for the two-way player.

Ohtani homered in his first spring training game with the team earlier this week, and he looks poised for a huge 2024 -- even if he won't pitch this year while recovering from elbow surgery.

Only about three more weeks until the at-bats actually count for L.A. ... get that popcorn ready!

Stacy Wakefield -- the widow of former Red Sox great Tim Wakefield -- has tragically passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer, the team announced Wednesday.

She was surrounded by her family, friends, caretakers and nurses at her home in Massachusetts.

The news comes less than five months after the longtime MLB pitcher died from brain cancer at 57 years old ... a loss that rocked the sports world.

The family released a statement on Stacy's passing ... saying, "Our hearts are beyond broken."

"We will remember Stacy as a strong, loving, thoughtful and kind person, who was as down-to-earth as they come. We feel so lucky to have had her in our lives, and we take comfort in the fact that she will be reunited with Tim, the love of her life."

The Wakefields also shined a light on those who took care of Stacy -- doctors, nurses and caretakers -- who were by her side since her diagnosis.

"We are eternally grateful for your unmatched care and support. And to all of you who have sent well wishes over these last several months, we truly appreciate your kindness."

Tim -- a two-time World Series champion and Red Sox Hall of Famer -- and Stacy got married in November 2002.