Baseball

The New York Mets are pulling out all the stops to keep their postseason dreams alive ... as they brought The Temptations to Citi Field to perform the national anthem and sing their hit, "My Girl."

The song -- which became Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor's walk-up track back in May -- became popular with fans before his at-bats ... with many singing along to the tune even after it would be cut off by the stadium speakers.

It wasn't just the fans enjoying the performance ahead of Game 5 ... as even Lindor was seen on the field vibing along to the legendary group as he was going through his pregame warmups!!!

It's clearly not peanuts and Cracker Jacks at the ole ball game for Magic Johnson these days ... check out the dish the NBA legend was munching on during L.A.'s playoff game Thursday night -- it's far from traditional ballpark grub, to say the least.

The former Lakers superstar -- who's now a part-owner of the Dodgers -- was in attendance at Citi Field for L.A.'s NLCS showdown with NY ... and as the broadcast took a tour of the celebs in the crowd, he was shown briefly on TV.

It's, of course, all part of being Magic -- this happens at nearly every event he goes to -- and it's almost always met with a shrug from viewers. But this time, his dinner choice at the game had social media users talking.

Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase isn't sweating the fact his poor outing almost cost his team a crucial win over the Yankees ... taking to Instagram to flex all the accomplishments he's racked up over the years -- after reportedly making a mad dash from the ballpark seven minutes after the contest concluded.

The 26-year-old -- who gave up back-to-back home runs to Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton to give New York the lead in the top of the 8th -- pulled out all the hardware to show that while it was far from the performance he wanted, one bad day doesn't define him.

Clase -- one of the best arms in the league -- showed off his American League Reliever of the Month awards, the rings he earned for being voted an MLB All-Star, and his All-MLB plaque from 2023.

Radio host Tony Massarotti is apologizing for muttering a racial slur while live on air this week ... telling his fans he had no idea the term was a derogatory one.

Massarotti unleashed the 80-second mea culpa during Thursday's episode of "Felger & Mazz" ... insisting he had no malice in his heart when he said "z*****head" during his show on Wednesday.

Massarotti was adamant he was simply trying to poke fun at his Gen Z-aged colleague ... and nothing further.

Travis Kelce is insisting he's a Cleveland guy through and through, despite showing up to a Guardians vs. Yankees game with Taylor Swift in neutral clothes this week ... clapping back at fans who questioned his fandom with a fiery response.

Game 3 of the ALCS ended in dramatic fashion on Thursday ... a matchup that went back-and-forth in the final two innings before the Guards secured the win in the 10th with a David Fry two-run homer.

Kelce -- who is from Cleveland Heights -- shared his excitement over the shocking result ... saying, "Playoff baseball baby!!! @CleGuardians have the city absolutely ROCKIN TONIGHT!! What a game!"

"THESE PENS SUCK"

While there's no shortage of Mickey Mantle autographs in the marketplace, there's truly a unique item on the auction block at Lelands ... a 14" x 20" cardstock signed 99 times by the MLB legend, which includes a special message about the crappy writing implement he used for his John Hancocks!!

Number 7, one of the greatest baseball players to ever step foot on a diamond, signed his famous Mickey Mantle autograph decades ago for a buddy who operated a company that sold statues.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are out again in New York City ... and this time they're watching the Yankees play some postseason baseball.

The power couple is in a suite at Yankee Stadium watching the Yanks play the Cleveland Guardians in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Monday night ... a best-of-7 series that will send the winner to the World Series.

Taylor and Travis are joined by comedian Jerrod Carmichael in the suite ... and everyone is happy and smiling ... with some cold beverages on the counter.

Employees from the luxury building where Pete Rose lived attempted to do a welfare check on the MLB legend just hours before he was found dead by his son, but received no response from the hit king ... a 911 call obtained by TMZ Sports reveals.

The emergency call to the Las Vegas Metro Police Department was initiated by workers at the Panorama Towers in Sin City at 2:54 PM. They told dispatch they attempted to check on Rose about two hours earlier, but despite banging on his door, received no answer.

The staff told the operator they could hear a television playing loudly inside Rose's unit.

The Tampa Bay Rays' stadium was hit hard by Hurricane Milton ... but fear not, fish lovers -- the stingrays that call Tropicana Field "home" were unharmed in the storm!!

The Florida Aquarium provided the update on Monday .... saying while the facility's roof sustained heavy damage -- the seven cownose stingrays that hang out near right-center field remained safe in their 35-foot habitat while Milton passed through.

"With the Tampa Bay Rays support, our staff was able to provide onsite care over the past several days and today, we brought them safely back to the Aquarium," Associate Curator Craig Johnson said.

Some of the Los Angeles Dodgers really ... laid the lumber during their victory over the San Diego Padres last night ... one celebration in particular going viral.

Here's the call ... the Dodgers defeated the Padres 2-0 to clinch the heated division series in the best of five ... and now they'll face the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series.

One of the biggest moments of the night came when fan-favorite Kiké Hernandez smacked a home run to make it 1-0 ... and celebrated after he rounded the bases by appearing to bump johnsons with teammate Gavin Lux.

Trevor Bauer is taking legal action against Lindsey Hill yet again -- the ex-MLB pitcher is suing his accuser for breaking the terms of their settlement ... by running her mouth about the deal.

The former Los Angeles Dodgers ace filed the docs this week ... highlighting numerous times Hill publicly stated she received a fat check to make her lawsuit against him disappear.

In the September 2023 resolution, both Bauer and Hill agreed no money would be exchanged ... and neither side would claim otherwise.

The NY Mets improbable October run has been nothing short of amazin' ... but it wouldn't be happening without Francisco Lindor -- and Mets legend Dwight Gooden tells TMZ Sports the 4x All-Star deserves to have the Captain patch added to his uniform!

We caught up with Gooden -- who was at Citi Field to witness Lindor's go-ahead grand slam in the sixth inning, punching the team's ticket to the NLCS -- and asked what was running through his mind when the team's star stepped up to the plate.

"You're just thinking, just make contact," Doc said. "Just don't hit it on the ground. The thing about it, a couple pitches before the home run, he was so late on the fastball you're just hoping just make good contact."

Patrick Mahomes' buddy and former Chiefs teammate Gehrig Dieter turned enemy last night -- at least for 9 innings while the Royals and Yankees battled in a pivotal MLB playoff game -- and despite the 3x NFL MVP talkin' trash, the guy named after the "Iron Horse" got the last laugh!

In case you missed it, 31-year-old Dieter -- who played alongside Mahomes in Kansas City for two seasons before retiring in 2022 -- was at Kauffman Stadium for game 3 of the ALDS ... where he was supporting his Bronx Bombers.

Of course, Pat is a minority owner of the Royals ... and Gehrig (named after Lou -- which he explains during the interview) was sitting in Mahomes' luxury suite.

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.