Baseball

The Boston Celtics aren't the only team with a "for sale" sign on it -- the owners of the Minnesota Twins just announced their plans to hand over the keys to their Major League Baseball franchise.

The organization released a statement Thursday morning ... saying after months of conversation within the Pohlad family -- the controlling owners -- they decided over the summer to begin the process of exploring a sale.

"We truly respect and cherish what the Twins mean to Minneapolis, St. Paul, the great state of Minnesota, and this entire region," the statement said. "Our goal is to be as informative as possible with the team, staff, and you, the fans.

The New York Mets Amazin' season rolled on last night ... as the team punched their ticket to the NLCS in front of their home crowd Wednesday night -- and the squad celebrated the massive moment well after the final out!

After Francisco Lindor hit a go-ahead grand slam in the sixth inning ... closer Edwin Díaz came in and got the save, sending the Mets players and fans into a frenzy! Outfielder Brandon Nimmo even got emotional after knocking the Phillies out of the playoffs.

After the on-field celebrations, the team moved into the clubhouse, where the celebratory beer and champagne were sitting on ice (unfortunately, no sign Grimace took part in the festivities).

Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida on Wednesday ... and Tropicana Field -- home of the Tampa Bay Rays -- felt its wrath as the storm tore the stadium roof to shreds.

Folks in St. Petersburg -- who reportedly experienced gusts up to 101 MPH -- captured the destruction late Wednesday night when the Category 3 storm arrived ... and footage and pictures showed pieces of the stadium roof swaying in the wind.

The facility was actually set up to be used as a shelter for those affected by Milton ... as 10,000 beds were placed on the field. It was also prepped to assist first responders and debris removal crews.

Tom DeLonge ain't the only celeb looking to bring some good luck to an MLB team this month ... Sabrina Carpenter pledged her allegiance to the Phillies on Tuesday night -- with a sexy outfit!!

As Philadelphia was gearing up for its pivotal Game 4 NLDS matchup with the Mets, Carpenter threw on a Phils jersey while performing at Wells Fargo Arena to give the squad her support.

Check out video from the pop star's concert ... Carpenter -- who's from Pennsylvania -- tossed on the steamy 'fit, which featured a No. 69 jersey, for a rendition of "Espresso" ... and everyone in attendance ate it up.

The Tropicana, a famed Las Vegas Strip hotel and casino, ended its nearly 70-year run with a showstopping display ... courtesy of fireworks, drones and 2,000 pounds of explosives.

Check it out ... before the huge amount of explosives were detonated, the famed resort thanked Sin City for its many years, setting off colorful fireworks and putting on a drone presentation -- made up of 555 drones creating a casino chip design that featured the Tropicana logo.

As the light show came to a close, the Tropicana stood tall for a few moments -- before crumbling to the ground in less than 30 seconds ... bringing with it the hotel's iconic history of Louis Armstrong and Frank Sinatra performances, Folies Bergère shows, and more.

Fernando Tatis Jr. got Petco Park rockin' with an early home run Tuesday night -- but Tom DeLonge made sure the Padres party kept on going later in the evening ... when he led the crowd in a legendary rendition of a Blink-182 classic.

It all went down during Game 3 of San Diego's National League Division Series with the Dodgers ... when the Padres were trying to take a commanding 2-1 series lead over their hated rival.

Tatis Jr. did his part in the second inning, blasting a two-run homer to give the Pads a 6-1 lead.

9:35 AM PT -- According to Walker Buehler's reps, the incident actually took place back on Sept. 27 -- while he and a few of his teammates stayed home from the Dodgers' series with Colorado to prep for the postseason.

Buehler's reps say the pitcher and his wife, McKenzie, were attending the races at Santa Anita Park, when he was "unknowingly the victim of a snatch and grab robbery of his watch."

"The incident was reported to police and is currently under investigation," Buehler's reps said in a statement. "We are grateful Walker and McKenzie were not harmed and Walker is focused on the playoffs."

Matt Bush -- the first overall pick in the 2004 MLB Draft -- was arrested in Texas on Friday night ... after cops say he caused an accident while intoxicated ... and then tried to flee the scene.

According to the Arlington Police Dept., authorities initially attempted to pull over Bush and his 2023 Lincoln Aviator at around 8:25 PM after they say he was "driving erratically."

However, police lost sight of him after they claim he sped away from them.

If it were up to David Ortiz, there would be no debate over Pete Rose's Hall of Fame candidacy ... as he tells TMZ Sports the Reds legend should have been inducted years ago.

Big Papi made his opinion loud and clear while out at LAX on Friday -- just four days after Rose died from heart disease -- saying straight up, "I thought he should have been a Hall of Famer a long time ago."

"Mistakes are mistakes," the former Red Sox star said. "But sometimes there's exceptions to the rules, you know what I'm saying? And, he's one-of-a-kind."

The mother of Fernando Tatis Jr.'s two-year-old daughter is dragging the MLB superstar to court in an effort to try to get him to dole out more child support ... but the San Diego Padres outfielder's attorney claims she's spewing lies in the process.

Jennifer Rodriguez claimed this week in court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, that back in September 2021 -- following a yearslong, non-exclusive relationship -- she became pregnant with Tatis Jr.'s child.

She said in the docs that, initially, she had hoped the two would work together to co-parent their kid ... but following a paternity test that confirmed Tatis Jr. was the father -- the baseball player and those close to him began treating the "impending birth like a business deal."

The NY Mets were two outs away from an early trip to Cancun, but thanks to the biggest home run of Pete Alonso's career, the Amazin's were the ones celebrating an NL Wildcard win ... and the champagne was flowing!

Let's backup. Going into the ninth inning down 2-0 (and with no offense to speak of for 8 prior innings), Alonso -- who will be a free agent when the season's over -- stepped to the plate with runners on first and third with one out.

Amid a putrid  5-for-38 slump, he launched one of the most clutch home runs in recent memory, sending the Mets team into a frenzy as the Brewers and their home fans sat in silence, stunned.

Forget cakes and candles ... Paul Skenes made Livvy Dunne's birthday special this week -- with a custom trading card!!

The MLB superstar hit up Topps for the sweet gift for his girlfriend -- who turned 22 on Tuesday -- and check it out ... the one-of-a-kind present turned out awesome.

The card, which the LSU star gymnast showed off on her Snapchat page, featured Livvy holding her dog, Roux, on the front ... while the back showcased some funny stats of the pup.

The San Diego Padres booked their ticket to the NLDS following a 5-4 win against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday ... and their star utility player Fernando Tatís Jr. was certainly in the moment -- letting his hips loose and enjoying the postgame clubhouse festivities!!!

Per tradition, the Padres players and coaches popped champagne and cracked open some cold ones to commemorate the victory -- and Tatís Jr. was in great spirits after sending the Braves packing.

The 25-year-old -- who went an impressive 4-for-6 at the plate with two RBIs and a homer in the two-game sweep -- decided to shake his backside for his teammates while enjoying a Budweiser.

Pete Rose arguably signed more autographs than any ballplayer in MLB history, but that doesn't mean "Charlie Hustle" memorabilia isn't experiencing a sizeable boost in value in death, according to a top expert.

TMZ Sports talked to David Kohler, founder and president of SCP Auctions, just days after Rose's death ... and we asked whether items signed by the legendary Reds player have increased in worth following Pete's death on Monday.

"Every time a really important person in a game of a big American sport such as baseball passes, there's a lot of interest. I'm sure on eBay, there's a lot more sales now for his memorabilia," Kohler told us, while noting, "for a long, long time, [Pete] was at all the card shows, making appearances, signing a lot of balls and bats. He did it for a long time."

One of Pete Rose's closest friends and former teammates could tell the Hit King wasn't his usual playful and talkative self the day before he passed ... with Tony Perez explaining members of the Big Red Machine Cincinnati Reds didn't fully enjoy their last experience together.

The Hall of Famer joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs on FS1) to discuss his final meet-up with Rose ... a signing session at the Music City Autograph Show with Fiterman Sports Group featuring Rose, Perez, Dave Concepcion, George Foster and Ken Griffey Sr.

The former first baseman admitted it "wasn't a good time" because Rose was "not himself" ... and the guys didn't take part in their usual banter during the show, a far cry from how things were when they were last together about six months ago.

Donald Trump sent a message loud and clear to the Baseball Hall of Fame on the day after Pete Rose died ... urging the org. to put the ex-Reds star in "now," "before his funeral!"

The former prez issued the demand during J.D. Vance's debate with Tim Walz on Tuesday night ... taking a brief break from watching his running mate to heap some serious praise on the baseball legend.

"The GREAT Pete Rose just died," he said. "He was one of the most magnificent baseball players ever to play the game. He paid the price! Major League Baseball should have allowed him into the Hall of Fame many years ago."