3:24 PM PT -- MLB commissioner Robert Manfred released a statement on the passing of Dotel, Nelson Cruz's sister, Nelsy, and former pro Tony Blanco ... saying, "We send our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of all those who have been affected and to our colleague Nelson and his entire family."
"The connection between baseball and the Dominican Republic runs deep, and we are thinking of all the Dominican players and fans across the game today."
The New York Mets paid tribute to former player Octavio Dotel on Tuesday ... hours after a nightclub roof collapsed and killed the World Series champion in the Dominican Republic.
Prior to the team's game against the Miami Marlins, the Metropolitans held a moment of silence for Dotel, who made his Major League debut with the squad in June 1999.
Beyond the moment of silence, team manager Carlos Mendoza addressed the tragic event in his pre-game press conference.
10:39 AM PT -- MLB insider Héctor Gómez is now reporting Octavio Dotel has died.
The former pitcher, according to the reporter, passed away while he was being transported from the nightclub rubble to the hospital.
Dotel was just 51 years old.
7:23 AM PT -- Octavio Dotel has been rescued from the rubble ... MLB insider Héctor Gómez reported Tuesday morning.
Former MLB star relief pitcher Octavio Dotelwas inside a Dominican Republic nightclub Monday night when its roof suddenly collapsed ... though, thankfully, he's reportedly still alive.
According to MLB insider Héctor Gómez, Dotel -- who logged 36 saves for the Astros and A's in 2004 -- was partying at Jet Set in Santo Domingo, when its roof caved in.
Travis Scottmade an appearance in Florida over the weekend to throw out the first pitch for the Houston Astros at opening day of Spring Training ... and he brought some sick gifts with him.
The rapper was on hand at CACTI Park in West Palm Beach on Saturday where the Astros faced off against the Washington Nationals during spring training opening day. In case you didn't know, last year, TS gained the naming rights to Cacti Park.
Travis came with gifts in hand because he gave the first 2,000 fans at the stadium a Travis Scott limited edition bobblehead designed with Trav's signature style.
Major League Baseball has fired umpire Pat Hoberg ... after it was determined he shared a sportsbook account with a friend who bet on baseball games.
The leagueannounced Monday afternoon Hoberg -- who called a perfect game in the 2022 World Series -- failed to "uphold the integrity of the game" and deleted messages that were key to an investigation into the matter.
It all started back in February 2024 ... when a sports betting operator notified MLB the 38-year-old opened an account under his own name with his pro poker player buddy. That friend bet on baseball games ... but there is no evidence Hoberg manipulated any MLB action.
It was the 9th inning, bases loaded, full count for Billy Wagner's Hall of Fame hopes on Monday -- his last chance for enshrinement in Cooperstown -- and when the 7x All-Star got the call he finally made it, he was overcome with emotion!
The 16-year veteran -- who narrowly missed out on making the hall last year -- was in his final year of eligibility on the ballot. Unlike the nine other times ... the tenth time was the charm for Wagner, earning 82.5% of the 75% needed to earn his spot among baseball royalty.
The emotion was palpable for the 53-year-old ... as he could only muster a "Thank you" to the person on the other end of the line. His wife, Sarah Quesenberry, was there to support her man -- but luckily, this go-around was great news.
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.
The Texas Rangers are World Series bound ... and the whole squad celebrated like it on Monday -- raging their faces off after their huge American League Championship Series win!!
The Rangers officially eliminated the Houston Astros in Game 7 ... easily handling the defending road champs in an 11-4 victory.
But before Texas switched its focus to the winners of the Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks series over in the National League, the boys cracked open the bottles of bubbly and brew and doused each other in a locker room party for the ages.
The squad has a lot to be happy about -- it's only the third time they've made it to the Fall Classic in franchise history, and their first since 2011.
Corey Seager -- who won it all with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020 -- was at the center of the festivities ... with all his teammates drenching him in alcohol.
Cleanup hitter Adolis García was the star of the night ... winning ALCS MVP thanks to his two-homer game and 15 overall RBI throughout the series.
The Rangers will now patiently wait to see who they'll face off against in the World Series ... and luckily for them, it starts at home!!
The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers nearly got into a bench-clearing brawl after a beanball incident during the 8th inning of their Friday night championship game.
The teams were going head-to-head in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series when Houston relief pitcher Bryan Abreu wound up and hurled a 98.9 mile-per-hour fastball, striking Rangers batter Adolis Garcia in his left arm.
Check out this video posted on X ... Garcia looks furious as he pushes Houston catcher Martín Maldonado, while the umpire gets between them.
Both teams then pour onto the field and run toward each other, gathering in one big heap near home plate.
The players start yelling and shoving one another, but the tense situation never escalates into a full-scale fight.
Still, Garcia continues to blow off steam as his teammates hold him back -- and eventually escort him off Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX.
The umpires ejected three people: Abreu, Garcia and Astros manager Dusty Baker.
When the game resumed, the Astros went on to beat the Rangers 5-4. The Astros now hold a 3-2 lead in the series as they travel back to Houston for Game 6.
Ian Kinsler wasn't repping the Rangers or Astros last night, the former MLB star had a bigger cause on his mind than the ALCS ... the 4x All-Star, who is Jewish, threw out the first pitch wearing a Team Israel jersey.
Kinsler is a special assistant to the Rangers general manager ... and the organization invited him to kick off Game 3 of the American League Championship Series at Globe Life Fieldin Arlington, TX with the ceremonial first pitch.
IK was born in America but obtained Israeli citizenship (dual citizenship w/ U.S.) a few years back when he wanted to play for Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Ian then went on to serve as the manager for the Israeli team at the World Baseball Classic in 2023.
Since the horrific attack two-and-a-half weeks ago, Kinsler says he's been following the situation on the ground closely.
Kinsler is just one of many star athletes and celebs who have spoken out since October 7 ... 1,400 Israelis have been killed since the incursion began.
Ian Kinsler no representaba ni a los Rangers ni a los Astros, la ex estrella de la MLB tenía en mente una causa mayor que la ALCS. El cuatro veces All-Star, que es judío, realizó el primer lanzamiento con una camiseta del Equipo Israel.
Kinsler es un asistente especial del gerente general de los Rangers, y la organización lo invitó a iniciar el tercer Juego de la Serie de Campeonato de la Liga Americana en Globe Life Field en Arlington, con el primer lanzamiento ceremonial.
Ian nació en Estados Unidos, pero obtuvo la ciudadanía israelí (doble nacionalidad con EE.UU.) hace unos años cuando quiso jugar para Israel en los Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 2020 en Tokio. A continuación, Ian pasó a ser el mánager del equipo israelí en el Clásico Mundial de Béisbol de 2023.
Kinsler es solo uno de los muchos atletas y celebridades que se han expresado desde el 7 de octubre, 1.400 israelíes han sido asesinados desde que comenzó la incursión.
Ahora, Mayweather está recaudando dinero, poniendo a la venta sombreros especiales con temas de Israel. Una parte de los ingresos van destinados a Leket, un banco de alimentos con sede en Israel.
It's been over a month since Max Scherzerhas thrown for the Rangers, but ALCS announcer Joe Davis says the Astros still better be wary of the ace ... telling TMZ Sports the guy could turn into "a psycho" in Game 3 on Wednesday night.
"I mean this in the best way I could," Davis said of the term with a smile, hours before Texas and Houston kick-off.
"I wouldn't be shocked if he found a way to go five innings and they couldn't touch him."
Of course, Davis says he could see things going the other way for the 39-year-old too ... as Scherzer's been away from the mound for such a lengthy period of time while trying to get his shoulder healthy.
"I think it's the most fascinating storyline of this series," Davis said. "What are they going to get from Scherzer?"
If last week's ALDS celebration showed anything, it's that Scherzer will be fired up to take the bump Wednesday night regardless ... particularly with the Rangers already up 2-0 in the series.
As for Max's opponent, the Astros will have a pretty good pitcher on the mound too in Cristian Javier ... a guy that Davis says has been so impressive in big games, he once earned an amazing nickname!
Justin Verlander delivered a speech for the ages following the Astros' American League Division Series win Wednesday night ... dropping F-bombs everywhere -- before dousing his teammates with booze!!!
The epic moment -- which somehow went uncensored on television -- happened in Houston's locker room following its 3-2 Game 4 victory over the Twins in Minnesota.
Manager Dusty Baker didn't want to address his team in-depth following the victory -- he said he was waiting for the World Series to do that -- so Verlander stepped in ... and it's safe to say he got the guys riled up.
Verlander said the F-word six times ... while mixing in an S-word as well.
To cap it all off, he told his teammates to "pop these motherf***ers" -- referring to bottles of champagne -- on the count of seven ... and when he hit a beat after six, the party was on.
Bubbly flew everywhere -- and the locker room festivities then raged on for the next few minutes.
Of course, it'll be back to work soon for the 'Stros ... the American League Championship Series against the Rangers begins on Sunday -- but that certainly leaves a couple more days to celebrate their seventh straight trip to ALCS!!
Max Scherzer partied HARD after his Rangers won the American League Division Series on Tuesday night ... soaking his teammate in bottles of beer -- and video from the scene is awesome!!
The star pitcher -- who didn't get to throw in the ALDS against the Baltimore Orioles due to a shoulder injury -- made sure he knew he appreciated his teammates' efforts in securing the series sweep by going absolutely HAM in the postgame locker room.
Scherzer was seen getting booze poured all over him ... before he returned the favor on Austin Hedges -- dousing him with a couple Budweisers.
After the alcohol-marinated festivities died down just a bit, Scherzer told reporters he's now hopeful he'll be able to pitch against either the Astros or the Twins next week with a spot in the World Series on the line.
X/@Rangers
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the clubhouse, other Texas players made sure their win over the O's was a memorable one as well ... cracking open bottle after bottle of champagne and pouring it everywhere.
The amazing news for all of the partying Rangers? They'll have at least a couple days off before the American League Championship Series begins ... which means plenty of time to sleep off the hangover!
An all-out brawl nearly erupted during the Astros vs. Mariners tilt on Wednesday night ... and according to one Seattle player, it all started 'cause Houston pitcher Hector Neris called Julio Rodriguez a homophobic slur.
The near-dust-up on the diamond went down in the sixth inning of the Astros' pivotal game with the Mariners at T-Mobile Park ... after Neris struck out Rodriguez with a breaking ball.
The reliever was so pumped to get the Seattle superstar out, he charged at him ... and, according to Seattle Times reporter Adam Jude, Mariners third baseman Eugenio Suarez said Neris screamed an anti-gay term at Rodriguez -- causing the benches to clear.
"He started talking bad words in Spanish," Suarez said, according to Jude. "He started doing something that is not good for people who speak Spanish and understand. I was in the on-deck circle and I heard that. That pissed me off."
Players from both sides ran onto the field to protect their guys ... though, thankfully, no punches were thrown and cooler heads ultimately prevailed.
Neris downplayed it all after the game ... telling reporters, "He's my friend." Rodriguez was not available for comment. The MLB, meanwhile, has yet to address Suarez's allegations.
As for the game, the Astros went on to win it, 8-3 -- keeping them ahead of the Mariners for the third and final American League Wild Card spot.
Justin Verlander was so pissed at Alex Cora during their game Tuesday night, he straight up told the Red Sox manager to "f*** off" ... and the heated dispute was all captured on a hot mic!!
The Astros ace had been dealing with some PitchCom issues during the second inning of Houston's tilt with Boston at Minute Maid Park ... and he needed a break from the action to get it all squared away.
But, when Cora thought he was taking advantage of the situation to avoid a pitch-clock violation ... he came out to argue -- and the two then got into it.
"You shook him off five times!" Cora could be heard telling the right-hander.
"I didn't shake that at-bat!" Verlander fired back. "I didn't shake that at-bat! F*** off, Alex!"
The situation was so unique, one of the game's announcers could be heard on the broadcast letting out a loud chuckle.
Ultimately, Verlander would go on to get the last laugh in the situation ... 'cause once he returned to the pitching rubber, he shoved -- going six strong innings while allowing no earned runs and striking out nine.
The Astros won the game 7-3 ... but, there are still two more games left in the series this week -- opening the door for plenty more fireworks between the guys down in Texas.
The Houston Astros got the VIP treatment at the White House on Monday to celebrate their World Series title ... and POTUS came with the jokes!!
80-year-old President Joe Biden welcomed the 2022 champions to 1600 Penn with a special ceremony minutes ago ... and he showed off his comedic side with a number of funny personal jabs throughout his speech.
The highlight of the day came when Biden praised 'Stros manager Dusty Baker ... revealing he was a fan of the legend during his playing career, even though he was six years his senior.
"Worst part was, I remember rooting for him as a kid, and I was older than he was," Biden said.
The crowd was into it ... laughing as #46 made the sign of the cross to cap off the joke.
But, Biden wasn't done poking fun at himself -- he also made a silly comparison to Baker working well into his 70s.
"People counted you out, saying you were past your prime. Hell, I know something about that!!"
Biden's age is something President Donald Trump mentioned numerous times during their heated 2020 presidential run ... despite there only being a three-year difference.
