Baseball

MLB artifact hunters will still have the chance to bid on Shohei Ohtani's historic 50th home run ball on Friday ... despite a new lawsuit that's reportedly trying to halt the proceedings.

According to cllct's Darren Rovell, the suit was filed on Wednesday evening in Florida -- just hours after Ken Goldin revealed his auction house will put the ball up for sale at the end of this week with a starting bid of $500,000.

Rovell reported the plaintiff is an 18-year-old named Max Matus ... who's convinced he's the rightful owner of the baseball. Matus alleges in his suit, according to Rovell, that he had full control of the ball before Chris Belanski wrongfully stole it from him during a scrum.

Thursday afternoon will mark the final time the Athletics play a game at the Oakland Coliseum, so during their last night game on Wednesday -- a groundskeeper made sure some fans left with a memento they can cherish forever.

The A's are currently playing the Texas Rangers in what is slated to be their final homestand not just at the Coliseum -- but in the city of Oakland -- as the team is set to play the next three seasons in Sacramento before setting up shop in Las Vegas.

While the stadium has been empty in recent years due to poor play and fan backlash against the owner, John Fisher ... supporters have been coming out this week to make one last memory with the team.

The Philadelphia Phillies clinched their first NL East title in over a decade on Monday night ... and they celebrated in epic fashion -- by stripping off their tops and dancing the night away!!!

It all happened following the Phils' 6-2 win over the Cubs  ... when the team hit the locker room to bask in the glow of their big accomplishment.

Owner John Middleton got everything started when he told the team he wanted his "f***ing trophy back" -- which sent the players into a frenzy.

8:09 AM PT -- After further review, David Kohler tells TMZ Sports he and his SCP Auctions team now believe the ball would sell for around $500,000 if it hits the block.

The man who pulled Shohei Ohtani's 50th home run ball from a scrum in the stands of LoanDepot Park on Thursday afternoon is about to be a whole lot richer ... 'cause, according to auction experts, the keepsake is worth a small fortune.

David Kohler, president of SCP Auctions tell TMZ Sports ... based on their initial evaluations -- the baseball that Ohtani socked over the left field wall during the Dodgers' blowout win over the Marlins will likely sell for over $300,000 on an auction block.

5:25 PM PT -- Shohei Ohtani added another home run to his tally ... launching a three-run shot 440 feet. He ended the day a perfect 6-6, with three home runs, 10 RBIs, and two stolen bases.

3:57 PM PT -- Shohei Ohtani has done it ... he just launched his 50th home run of the season with a seventh-inning blast against the Marlins -- making him the first-ever player to have a season with 50 HRs and 50 stolen bases.

3:31 PM PT -- Shohei Ohtani has just inched even closer to history ... he just blasted his 49th home run of the season in the sixth inning of the Dodgers' Thursday afternoon tilt with the Marlins.

Shohei Ohtani is on the brink of history ... as the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar just stole base number 50 (and 51) on the season -- and the slugger now needs just two more home runs to become the first-ever 50/50 player in Major League Baseball history!

Step aside, Joe Jackson ... Jose Altuve now might have the rightful claim to the "Shoeless" moniker -- after he ditched not only his cleat, but his sock during a wild tiff with an umpire on Tuesday night.

The bizarre scene all unfolded in the top of the ninth inning of the Astros' close game against the Padres in San Diego -- when the Houston superstar hit a grounder to third base.

Jose was adamant the ball clanked off his foot and should have been ruled foul. But, the ump didn't see that way, and called him out.

There's no crying in baseball, but Guardians manager Stephen Vogt made an exception Monday night ... breaking down in tears after Cleveland capped off a wild comeback win!!

The Guards were playing catchup for most of their crucial divisional matchup against the Minnesota Twins ... but things swayed in their favor when Kyle Manzardo hit a clutch homer to put his squad up 4-3 in the bottom of the 8th inning.

The first-year skipper met with the media after Cleveland's 87th dub of the season ... and he couldn't help but choke back tears when talking about his players.

The New York Mets are in a tight race for the final wild card spot in the MLB postseason -- currently tied with the Atlanta Braves -- and they're clearly hoping that honoring a blast from their near past provides them some good luck down the home stretch!!

According to MLB reporter Mike Mazzeo, the team is ready to bring back Grimace on Monday night -- and in preparation for his return, it's installed a purple seat in section 302, row 6, seat 12 of Citi Field.

The row and seat selection, of course, is very deliberate ... as the Purple celebrity made his first appearance at Citi Field on June 12 -- and following that showing, the Mets then went on a seven-game winning streak.

Washington Spirit midfielder Croix Bethune will not play again this season ... and it's all because she hurled out a ceremonial first pitch at a Nationals game last week.

The 23-year-old was tapped by the MLB org. to kick off its tilt with the Yankees on Aug. 28 following her gold medal success at the Paris Games ... and, initially, everything appeared to go off without a hitch.

The soccer star -- who was at the D.C. game with several other Olympians -- toed the rubber, threw the ball to a catcher ... and was all smiles throughout the process.

Scary scene at the Rays game on Monday ... a fan was drilled so hard in the head by a home run ball -- it knocked him unconscious.

It all happened in the second inning of the Twins' tilt against the Rays at Tropicana Field ... when Trevor Larnach roped a Zack Littell slider into deep right field.

As the ball -- which was traveling at 112.5 MPH -- cleared the wall ... a man tried to snag it with his bare hands, but missed, and was clocked right in the noggin.

Shohei Ohtani and his wife aren't the only athletes in the family ... 'cause the Dodgers superstar's adorable dog, Decoy, stole the show with a perfect "first pitch" at Wednesday's game!!

The Japanese slugger's four-legged friend was the star of the night when L.A. hosted the Baltimore Orioles -- not only did he participate in the pre-game festivities ... but the team handed out 40,000 bobbleheads featuring Ohtani holding Decoy.

Prior to the first inning, Ohtani and Decoy -- wearing a No. 17 jersey -- went out to the field to do the ceremonial toss ... with Shohei setting him up on the mound and placing a baseball next to him before taking his position behind home plate.

Livvy Dunne's clearly not happy with her boyfriend's teammates for blowing his start on Wednesday ... she just posted a GIF to her X page following the Pirates' loss that sure reeked of shade.

Paul Skenes -- Pittsburgh's ace who's been dating the LSU star gymnast for the past year -- looked like he was in line for yet another win at PNC Park, after he left the matinee tilt against the Cubs with a cozy 10-3 lead.

But, the Buckos' bullpen came in and let Paul down in a big way ... allowing ELEVEN earned runs in the final four frames. The scoring barrage all mercifully ended in the ninth, when the Pirates ended up taking the 14-10 L.

Dozens -- if not hundreds -- of Dodgers fans are ensuring they'll get a Shohei Ohtani bobblehead later Wednesday ... by lining up in front of the stadium -- OVER EIGHT HOURS EARLY!!

First pitch in Los Angeles isn't slated to go down 'til 7:10 PM PT ... but according to multiple reporters already at Chavez Ravine, a massive line to get in has already formed, and it started well before 11 AM.

Of course, while the Dodger faithful wouldn't mind being in their seats in time to catch the start of the tilt vs. the Orioles -- they're all clearly there to make sure they get their hands on some coveted Ohtani bobbleheads, which will be handed out to the first 40,000 who come to the door.

Former Major League Baseball pitcher Greg Swindell says his daughter, Brenna Swindell -- who had been missing since last Thursday -- has now been found safe.

The ex-Arizona Diamondbacks reliever shared the positive update in a post on his Facebook page Tuesday morning ... writing, "Thanks to EVERYONE who got involved."

His wife, Sarah, added her thanks in a message of her own on the social media site as well.

Greg Swindell -- a former MLB pitcher who helped the Diamondbacks win the 2001 World Series -- is pleading for the public's help ... after he says his daughter has gone missing.

The 59-year-old wrote in a Facebook post over the weekend that Brenna Swindell, a single mom of three, went missing from the Austin, Texas area last Thursday -- and he and his family are worried sick about her.

Greg says her phone's been turned off and she has not been in contact with any one of her Swindell relatives -- including her own children.

Aaron Rodgers is gearing up for the new season with some tunes ... checking out his good friend Mike.'s concert in NYC -- and he had the best seat in the house!!

The New York Jets quarterback and his fellow Big Apple star, Yankees pitcher Marcus Stroman, were VIP guests at the musician's sold-out "Upside Down Tour" gig at the Rooftop at Pier 17 on Thursday ... and they appeared to be having a blast.

Rodgers and Mike. -- FKA Mike Stud -- have been pals for a while ... but the singer/rapper and Stroman go back even further ... as they were both teammates on the Duke baseball team.