MLB

Police are on the hunt for a man who tackled the Colorado Rockies' mascot during a game on Monday ... believing he committed an assault with his surprising actions.

The incident happened at some point during the Rockies' game against the Cardinals at Coors Field ... when Dinger, Colorado's purple dinosaur cheerleader, hopped up on a dugout to fire up the crowd.

Suddenly, though, as Dinger was dancing around ... video shot by a fan in the stands shows a man jumped up and took the costumed character to the ground.

The moment initially seemed staged ... but, quickly, it was revealed it was anything but that.

The fan who shot the video suspected the man was inebriated ... writing in a caption on the video, "Boooo, drunk guy. [Love] you, Dinger!"

The Denver Police Dept. became aware of the incident shortly after it happened ... and confirmed to TMZ Sports it's now investigating it all as part of an assault case.

"We are working with our partners at the Colorado Rockies to identify the suspect," a DPD spokesperson told us on Thursday morning.

No arrests have been made yet ... but cops are urging anyone with information to reach out to Metro Denver Crime Stoppers.

Fans might be happy, but Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Matt Strahm is pissed off at MLB teams for extending beer sales into the 8th inning ... saying it's a decision that's not in their best interest.

Some baseball clubs have elected to forgo their usual 7th-inning cutoff in light of the quicker games this season ... with many serving up booze until the final 6 outs to help increase revenue.

Strahm thinks those teams went in the wrong direction ... saying they should actually stop serving earlier in the game so fans have enough time to get the alcohol out of their system before going behind the wheel.

"The reason we stopped in the seventh before was to give our fans time to sober up and drive home safe, correct?" the pitcher asked on the "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast.

"So now, with a faster-pace game -- and me just being a man of common sense -- if the game is going to finish quicker, would we not move the beer sales back to the sixth inning to give our fans time to sober up and drive home?"

"Instead, we're going to the eighth, and now you're putting our fans and our family at risk driving home with people who have just drank beers 22 minutes ago."

Strahm says he's not surprised by the move, though ... because at the end of the day -- it's all about money.

"My thing is, when you're looking at the safety of your fans, that's probably not the smartest decision to extend it into the eighth."

"But, just using common sense -- we stopped it in the seventh for the safety of fans and people getting home. Like, it just, it makes no sense to me that you're going to allow it to the eighth inning."

Minnesota Twins shortstop Kyle Farmer will be spending several unexpected hours in a dentist chair on Wednesday evening ... after he took a 92 MPH fastball to the face earlier in the day.

The scene was terrifying ... in the bottom of the fourth inning of the Twins' game against the White Sox at Target Field in Minneapolis, a heater got away from Chicago ace Lucas Giolito -- and it ended up nailing Farmer right in the mouth.

Video from the game's broadcast shows the 32-year-old immediately crumpled to the ground in pain ... as trainers raced out to tend to him.

Somehow, though, he avoided a broken jaw -- news that Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli called a bit of "a miracle."

"Thank God we got news that was better than what we were expecting," Baldelli told reporters after the game.

But, Farmer didn't come out unscathed ... Baldelli said his player will need surgery "to realign his teeth and fix a major laceration of the lower jaw."

Farmer had played nearly every day for the Twins this year, batting .226 with a home run and five RBI. It's unclear how much time he'll miss while recovering from the mouth injury.

He did get at least some morale boost Wednesday afternoon following the HBP -- as the Twins ended up beating Chicago, 3-1, while he was getting checked out by docs.

Major League Baseball games have been a half-hour shorter under the sport's new rules, and it's awesome ... but there's one unintended consequence teams are dealing with -- lost money from missed beer sales!

And, because businesses don't like losing money, several teams around the league have extended the traditional 7th-inning beer sale cutoff time, allowing suds to be sold into the 8th inning.

Of course, MLB instituted a pitch clock this season, representing the largest rule change in decades (it's been a smash hit), producing games 31 minutes shorter than last season. Naturally, shorter games mean less time to sell concessions like beer, and sales are down.

The Milwaukee Brewers were the first organization to make a move (it makes sense) ... now allowing fans to purchase cold ones through the end of the 8th inning.

Brewers president of operations Rick Schlesinger recently vowed to go back to the old policy if the new rules caused any safety issues, saying ... “If it turns out that this is causing an issue or we feel that it might cause an issue, then we’ll revert to what we have done previously.”

Since the Brewers tweaked their policy, other teams have followed, including the Texas Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Minnesota Twins. All three squads are allowing beer sales through the 8th.

Now, other teams are also considering making a similar move.

Beer sales, and when they occur, aren't something MLB regulates. Years ago, most teams adopted the 7th inning cutoff as a way to reduce the likelihood of drunk people driving home after the game.

However, with the extension, and the games already being shorter, it's possible fans could be served a beer, and be behind the wheel of a car just a short time later.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) also weighed in, saying their concern is no one drive impaired.

“If it cuts off sales in the seventh inning, the eighth inning or the ninth inning, that really doesn’t affect our stance because regardless, we just don’t want people to drink alcohol and then drive home from the game,” a MADD executive said.

It was cloudy with a chance of hotdogs at the Philadelphia Phillies game on Tuesday -- 'cause some fans in attendance decided to turn Dollar Dog Night into a huge food fight!!

The wild scene went down as the home team fell to the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park ... a game where more than 58,000 tube steaks were purchased by a sold-out crowd as part of the promotion of the night.

The bargain was a massive hit with fans ... as the lines for the concession stands wrapped around the concourse as people waited an impressive amount of time to get their hands on some wieners.

But when the Phillies failed to give the spectators a win, a ton of people decided to chuck their extra franks into the air ... which resulted in a truly chaotic moment.

No word on whether anyone was kicked out or in trouble for the stunt ... but throwing anything at games is a big no-no.

Game recognizes game -- and that's why Kevin Durant spent his Monday night showing serious love for fellow Phoenix sports star Corbin Carroll ... by rocking the phenom's jersey at the Arizona Diamondbacks game!!

The Suns superstar was present for the D-Backs' 3-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at Chase Field ... just a few days before his own team's big series against the L.A. Clippers.

Durant had one of the best seats in the house ... and he's seemingly embracing his new home after being traded from the Brooklyn Nets earlier this season -- donning Carroll's No. 7 jersey for the matchup.

Carroll -- a 22-year-old stud selected in the first round of the 2019 MLB Draft -- seemed to appreciate Durant wearing his jersey to the game ... and acknowledged to reporters after the game that he saw KD and thought it was cool to see.

Carroll -- who grew up in Seattle -- said it was a full-circle moment for him ... as he grew up watching KD play for the SuperSonics before the franchise moved to Oklahoma City.

Durant has been fitting right in with his new surroundings -- the two-time NBA champ also met up with Phoenix Mercury superstar Brittney Griner in March.

The Suns are favored to win their first-round series against Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers ... but Russell Westbrook will look to exact revenge on his former OKC teammate.

Roger Clemens' 34-year-old son, Kory, has been arrested again for DWI, TMZ Sports has learned ... and the allegations against the MLB legend's kid are scary.

According to court documents, Kory was busted by the Houston Police Dept. in Texas at 2:22 AM on April 7 following a car accident.

In the docs, prosecutors allege Clemens struck another vehicle, which caused "heavy" front-end damage. They also say Kory was throwing up at the scene and was "unsteady on his feet." They added in the documents that he reeked of booze, had bloodshot eyes and slurred his speech ... and stumbled when he walked.

Court documents show he was booked into a Harris County jail ... before he was released after posting bond.

It's the second time in the last four years that Kory has been accused of DWI -- back in May 2019, he was also arrested in Houston after cops said he showed signs of intoxication during a traffic stop at 2:05 AM. The case was ultimately dismissed in 2020 after he entered into a pretrial diversion program.

Kory is one of four of Clemens' sons, who all have names starting with the letter "K" ... as a nod to the former Houston Astros pitcher's propensity to rack up strikeouts while on the mound.

Travis Kelce might be a future Hall of Famer on the gridiron, but he's apparently not much of one on the baseball diamond ... 'cause he just threw out the first pitch at the Guardians game -- and it was terrible.

The Kansas City Chiefs star was tapped by his home state squad to perform the ceremonial throw at Cleveland's home-opener against the Mariners ... and there were some big expectations for the toss.

After all, Kelce's one of the best NFL players on the planet ... and he was a H.S. baseball star who some thought could have had an MLB future if he stuck with the sport.

But, Kelce was anything but great on the bump Friday ... hurling the baseball straight into the ground.

The throw was so bad, Shane Bieber -- who was playing catcher -- couldn't even snag it ... and it rolled all the way to the backstop!!

Kelce was pretty embarrassed -- he raced after the pitch immediately after throwing it ... but ultimately stopped to have a laugh with Bieber over it all.

It didn't take long for Kelce's quarterback to get wind of the comically bad throw -- with Patrick Mahomes clowning him over it on Twitter.

Fernando Tatis Jr.'s first homer of 2023 didn't go as well as he would have liked ... he was booed as he rounded the bases -- and then the pitcher who served it up straight up called him a "cheater."

The San Diego Padres star hit the dinger on Wednesday night while down in the minor leagues as he continues to serve his 80-game ban for his positive PED test last season.

The 24-year-old, playing for the El Paso Chihuahuas against the Sacramento River Cats, smacked the baseball deep over the left field wall ... and seemed rather impressed by the tater.

He watched it fly -- then skipped around the bases ... but there weren't many outside of him at the Northern California ballpark who were thrilled to see it.

Check out video of the blast -- he was booed loudly as he came home ... and then following the game, the S.F. Giants prospect who threw the pitch took to social media to rip the guy.

"**cheater hits a homerun on a rehab assignment during a steroid suspension**," the pitcher, Kade McClure, wrote.

McClure -- a 27-year-old righty who was picked in the sixth round of the 2017 MLB draft -- didn't back down from the comment ... later appearing to prod Padres fans who were in his mentions.

Amazing news ... White Sox star pitcher Liam Hendriks has just finished his cancer treatments -- and to celebrate, he rang the victory bell!!

The Chicago closer shared video of the momentous occasion on his social media page on Wednesday afternoon ... and it's awesome.

You can see the three-time All-Star rang the bell with glee ... after he finished up a grueling five months of treatment following his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis.

"You never think you will be the one who hears 'you have cancer' but there I was... in shock and fear not knowing what comes next," the 34-year-old said in a caption on the video.

"These past 5 months have been both the quickest and slowest of my life. Being able to ring this victory bell has been one of the most emotional things I've ever done."

Hendriks said he needed treatment every 28 days since January to try to eradicate the disease ... and he thanked his wife, Kristi, for being at his side at "every single appointment."

"You held my hand every step of the way," he wrote in a message to her. "You were my voice of confidence and always made sure I felt loved and safe throughout it all. I love you."

Hendriks also thanked his fans for their support on his journey as well.

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart.💚," he said.

Horrifying moment in the Orioles vs. Rangers game Monday night ... Texas outfielder Josh Smith was drilled in the face by an 89-MPH pitch -- and the damage was so bad, he had to be taken to the hospital to get checked out.

The scary scene unfolded in the third inning of the MLB contest at Globe Life Field in Texas ... when a sinker got away from O's pitcher Danny Coulombe -- and made a beeline right for Smith's face.

Video shows the 25-year-old utility man couldn't get out of the way fast enough ... and was tagged right near the mouth by the baseball.

He immediately crumpled to the ground in pain ... as trainers raced out to tend to him.

Thankfully, he was able to walk off the field under his own power ... and he was ultimately transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.

According to Rangers manager Bruce Bochy, tests fortunately came back "clean."

"So, we got good news there," Bochy told reporters after the game. "He's feeling better as I'm speaking right now. And, tomorrow we'll just reevaluate him and see where we're at."

This is the second time in the last few weeks a batter has been hit in the face by a pitch -- last month, Red Sox star Justin Turner required 16 stitches to close wounds he suffered in a terrifying at-bat. He's since returned to Boston's lineup.

Los Angeles Angels star Anthony Rendon was just punished for his heated altercation with a fan last week ... getting slapped with a 5-game ban and a fine.

Major League Baseball senior VP for on-field operations Michael Hill shared the decision minutes ago ... saying unless Rendon appeals, the suspension will begin immediately, which means he would be eligible to return to the Angels on Sunday against the Blue Jays.

As we previously reported, Rendon grabbed an Athletics fan and attempted to hit him after the Halos' 2-1 loss in Oakland ... seemingly over being called a "bitch."

The interaction caught Oakland PD's attention ... and an investigation was launched.

"Although we are still unaware who the victim is, surveillance video of the incident has surfaced," cops said in a statement. "As a result, OPD created an incident, made a report, and is actively investigating."

Bad news for the dude who stormed the field at Dodger Stadium to propose to his girlfriend last week ... TMZ Sports has learned he's been hit with a 1-year ban for the stunt.

Ricardo Juarez revealed the punishment to us on Monday -- saying he can't go back to Chavez Ravine for 12 more months due to his impromptu proposal -- but, as you can imagine, he wasn't all that upset over it.

After all, he avoided time in jail ... and his girlfriend, Ramona Saavedra, did say yes to his question.

"Yeah, one year," Saavedra said of her future hubby's suspension. "But, I mean, he'll live, right?!"

Things did look a bit dire for Juarez hours after the dust had settled on the situation, though -- because the morning after he took that massive shot from the security guard, he was in a great deal of pain.

Saavedra said she actually had to take him to the hospital -- but, thankfully, he was diagnosed with nothing more than just some bad bruising and is OK now.

Juarez also revealed to us the whole thing was not planned at all -- saying he had initially envisioned poppin' the question in the stands ... but changed his mind when he saw how close they were to the field.

"He always tries to do everything with a lot of love," Saavedra said. "He shows a lot of effort."

The couple -- who've been together for 3 years -- is now planning to say "I do" in August ... and, due to all the exposure the proposal got last week, Saavedra said they've been receiving a ton of offers to help make their dream wedding come true.

She also gave us an up-close view of her diamond ring -- and it's beautiful!

Congrats, love birds ... now see ya at Dodger Stadium in April 2024?!

John Smoltz is all in on the MLB's new rule changes ... telling TMZ Sports he thinks they're going to have a huge, positive impact on the game.

"With the rule changes to get the game action-packed again," the Braves legend said, "I think it's going to be phenomenal."

The league introduced a slew of new regulations for 2023 ... putting a timer on pitchers and hitters, making bases bigger and banning teams from implementing defensive shifts in their infields.

They've only been in place for two days (outside of spring training) ... but Smoltz is already loving what he's seeing.

In fact, the 55-year-old ex-Atlanta closer says he wishes there was a pitch clock back in his day!!

"Everything about what's gone on, and what is going on, is going to be, at the end of the day, people are going to look back and go, 'What an exciting year,'" the Hall of Famer said.

Smoltz also sent a message to the baseball purists who have been upset with the changes -- explaining they're really no different than the implementation of shot clocks in the NBA and play clocks in the NFL.

Angels star Anthony Rendon -- a former World Series champion -- was involved in a heated confrontation with an A's supporter following L.A.'s loss on Thursday ... one where he grabbed the fan and then attempted to take a swipe at the guy's face.

The altercation happened just seconds after the Halos lost at RingCentral Coliseum in Oakland, 2-1 -- when Rendon believed a fan had called him "a bitch" near their dugout.

The L.A. third baseman was so upset over it, he locked his hand around the guy's tee, and pulled him down to the railing.

Video shows Rendon said to the man, while still grabbing his shirt, "You called me a bitch, huh?"

When the guy responded that he did not, the baseball player added, "Yeah, you did. Yeah, you did. Yeah, motherf*****."

Rendon then let go of the man, but made a clear attempt to hit the guy in the face after he released the shirt.

Fortunately, the man pulled away before Rendon could make contact.

The 32-year-old MLB star then said, "Get your bitch-ass out of here" -- before he headed into the locker room without further incident.

It's not known if the Angels are aware of the tiff -- the team told us on Friday morning it had no comment.

The Oakland Police Dept., meanwhile, said Friday it is not investigating the matter ... explaining in a statement, "No victim(s) reached out to the Oakland Police Department regarding this incident."

It's been a frustrating few seasons for Rendon since he left the Washington Nationals in 2019 and inked a seven-year, $245 million contract with L.A. ... as he's battled multiple injuries, which have limited him to just 158 games over the past four years.

Move over, Pete Davidson ... there's a new hunk on Martha Stewart's radar -- New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge!!

The 81-year-old businesswoman had an up close look at her new crush at the Bronx Bombers' Opening Day game at Yankee Stadium on Thursday ... and she wasn't shy about liking what she saw after Judge hit a dinger in his first trip to the plate.

"No 99 just paid off a fraction of his massive contract," Stewart said on Instagram alongside a pic she shot of the Yankees captain. "Home run on first time at bat opening day!!! Handsome dude!!"

Martha has been pretty open about her feelings toward celebs lately -- remember, she said on "The Drew Barrymore Show" she'd be down to go on a date with Davidson after things with Kim Kardashian fell apart.

Unfortunately for Martha, Aaron's already spoken for -- he's been married to Samantha Bracksieck since 2021 -- but, hey, she can always enjoy the view from her front-row seat!!