Baseball

One of the most famous baseball fields in Hollywood history was burned to a crisp on Thursday ... as the diamond used in "A League of Their Own" was engulfed in flames.

According to local reports, the fire at Jay Littleton Ball Park in Ontario, CA started roughly 30 minutes before midnight ... and it grew so strong, nothing could be done to preserve the landmark.

Local authorities say the flames came from the dugout and stadium ... although it's unclear what started it all.

Comedian Eitan Levine has set a new Guinness World Record, and no, it has nothing to do with telling jokes ... the funnyman's thrown more first pitches in a year than anyone in history!

The historic moment took place Wednesday when the Mets beat the Baltimore Orioles, 4-3, at Citi Field stadium in Queens, New York.

Levine -- a childhood cancer survivor -- walked to the mound with a No. 50 blue and orange Mets jersey ... and threw the ceremonial pitch to outfielder Tyrone Taylor before the first inning.

9:22 AM PT -- A spokesperson for the San Diego Police Department tells TMZ Sports authorities at the game did take an incident report and both parties were ejected ... although neither man said they wanted to press charges and no arrests were made.

"Medical attention was declined by both subjects," cops added.

A pair of MLB fans hit the ballpark Tuesday night to catch a baseball game, but at some point, they found themselves in the middle of a boxing match -- and the violent scene was all captured on video.

Cleveland Guardians ace Shane Bieber is no longer the only high-profile person in his household ... his wife, Kara, has just become a pro model!!

The 26-year-old inked a contract with Ford/Robert Black Agency earlier this month ... and both she and her MLB superstar husband are stoked about the new endeavor.

Kara wrote on her Instagram page she's "beyond excited for what’s to come" after signing the deal ... while Shane added on his own social media account he's "so beyond proud" of his significant other.

Dodgers star Freddie Freeman and his wife say their three-year-old son, Maximus, is taking steps in the right direction ... revealing they have "seen a lot of progress in the last week and a half" after he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

The Freemans took to Instagram to share the strides their son has made after he was forced to spend eight days in the pediatric ICU ... and thankfully, it's all good news.

They wrote that they are happy with how things are going ... saying he can sleep through the night again and sit without needing any assistance. They noted he recently started to army crawl ... as the disease can affect one's ability to walk.

7:29 AM PT -- Haliey Welch just took to her X page to reveal she was actually at the Mets game in order to raise awareness -- and money -- for America's VetDogs, an org. that aims to pair pooches with war veterans.

Bad news for Newsday readers hoping to learn more about "Hawk Tuah" girl's first pitch at the Mets game Thursday ... one of their writers claims the org.'s bosses have barred mentions of her.

Tim Healey -- who's been writing about The Amazins for years -- said that after Haliey Welch toed the rubber and kicked off the festivities at Citi Field ... he was told he couldn't spit out anything further regarding her appearance.

Healey didn't specify why -- but it's easy to infer his honchos believe an explanation of Welch's claim to fame is just a little too X-rated for their readers.

Drew Gilbert's afternoon at the ballpark ended very early Wednesday ... and it's all 'cause he got nailed in the junk by a wayward breaking ball.

The painful pitch happened just after the New York Mets top prospect stepped up to the dish in the first inning of Syracuse's minor league tilt with Rochester.

Check out footage from the game's broadcast ... on the fourth pitch of the at-bat, Thaddeus Ward's sweeper got away from him, and beelined toward Gilbert's family jewels.

Toronto Blue Jays star George Springer went berserk during his team's win over the Los Angeles Angels ... and it all stemmed from what he felt was a blown call.

The scene played out when the Jays were up 5-0 in the top of the seventh inning ... after Springer appeared to take a pitch off the right foot, but the ump didn't notice. Springer signaled to his dugout to challenge the call ... but even after another look, it wasn't ruled in his favor.

Springer was furious with the decision ... which led to him exchanging words with the man behind the plate -- Manny Gonzalez. A few seconds later, Springer found himself tossed from the game -- which set him off even further.

Some players kick dirt on the mound, others play with the rosin bag ... meanwhile, Reds pitcher Hunter Greene's starting his very own pre-pitch ritual -- puking on the mound!!!

Yes, it happened ... again.

25-year-old Greene was on the bump in the 5th inning in a game against the Cardinals ... when the young star turned his back to the mound, and put his glove up to his face before vomit started spraying out between the webbing.

Red Sox All-Star Jarren Duran has been suspended two games ... after he was caught on a hot mic hurling a homophobic slur at a fan during a game on Sunday.

Boston just announced the unpaid ban ... saying it consulted with the MLB before doling out the punishment.

The team added the salary that was owed to Duran for the two contests will now be donated to the Federation of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.

The battle of Chicago wasn't only fought between the White Sox and Cubs baseball teams ... fans got into a massive brawl during the game, and all the action was caught on video!

The melee went down over the weekend during the Sox and Cubbies two-game series at Guaranteed Rate Field ... which the Cubs swept.

Frustrations must've boiled over amongst the White Sox faithful ... 'cause video shows two women in the team's black and white jerseys going at it, hair pulling and all, in front of Beggars Pizza Pub.

MLB star Jarren Duran was caught on a hot mic calling a heckler an anti-gay slur on Sunday ... and after receiving backlash for hours, the outfielder issued a mea culpa, apologizing for his "truly horrific" language.

The 27-year-old Red Sox player let the f-word fly when he stepped into the batter's box during the sixth inning of Boston's blowout loss to Houston.

You can hear in audio from the game's broadcast ... as a man in the Fenway Park stands chirped him about needing "a tennis racket" while at the dish -- he fired back by calling the guy a "f***ing f****t."

The fan who caught Shohei Ohtani's historic 176th home run is about to be a whole lot richer ... TMZ Sports has learned the man's putting the ball up for auction -- and it's expected to net him a small fortune!!

The guys over at Heritage Auctions tell us ... Jason Patino -- who snagged the record-setting baseball after Ohtani blasted it toward him in an April 21 victory over the Mets -- is selling the memento on their block, and they're figuring it'll eventually go for around $200,000.

The ball, of course, holds a ton of value ... as it marked the official breaking of Hideki Matsui's MLB record for dingers by a Japanese-born slugger.

The Chicago White Sox are on track to have one of the worst seasons in the history of Major League Baseball ... but the club made a move in an attempt to right the ship in the future, announcing they've canned their manager, Pedro Grifol.

The team made the announcement after squandering a 2-0 lead to the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday ... as the team just ended their 21-game losing streak earlier in the week. It tied the longest streak in American League history.

"As we all recognize, our team's performance this season has been disappointing on so many levels." White Sox GM Chris Getz said.

Former MLB player Billy Bean has died at the age of 60 ... Major League Baseball announced Tuesday.

Bean -- who served as the league's senior VP for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Special Assistant to the Commissioner -- passed away after a year-long battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Bean -- one of the first openly gay players in MLB -- was first diagnosed with the disease in September 2023 ... but only went public with the news during the MLB Winter Meetings in December. At the meetings, Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo got emotional when talking about his long-time friend ... saying it was time to help "take care of you."

2:38 PM PT -- More good news for Dodger fans -- it's being reported Freddie Freeman will return to the team's lineup when the they welcome the Philadelphia Phillies for a three-game series on Monday.

The squad will show their support for 3-year-old Maximus with shirts that read "#MaxStrong" across the chest during pregame activities.

While Max starts his road to recovery, Freddie will also look to help his team continue their push to the MLB postseason -- and with the kind gesture, it's clear the Dodgers will be there for their star first baseman.

Dodgers star Freddie Freeman and his wife just shared good news about the health of their three-year-old son ... he's been released from the pediatric ICU, but the couple says the young boy still faces many challenges.

The Freemans took to Instagram via a joint post to let fans know that after eight days in an intensive care unit, Maximus is finally home ... as he walks the road to recovery after being diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome.

"Max still has a long road ahead of him to regain his strength and relearn how to walk. But we are so thankful to have our family back together," the post said.