MLB

The fan who caught Shohei Ohtani's historic 176th home run is about to be a whole lot richer ... TMZ Sports has learned the man's putting the ball up for auction -- and it's expected to net him a small fortune!!

The guys over at Heritage Auctions tell us ... Jason Patino -- who snagged the record-setting baseball after Ohtani blasted it toward him in an April 21 victory over the Mets -- is selling the memento on their block, and they're figuring it'll eventually go for around $200,000.

The ball, of course, holds a ton of value ... as it marked the official breaking of Hideki Matsui's MLB record for dingers by a Japanese-born slugger.

The Chicago White Sox are on track to have one of the worst seasons in the history of Major League Baseball ... but the club made a move in an attempt to right the ship in the future, announcing they've canned their manager, Pedro Grifol.

The team made the announcement after squandering a 2-0 lead to the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday ... as the team just ended their 21-game losing streak earlier in the week. It tied the longest streak in American League history.

"As we all recognize, our team's performance this season has been disappointing on so many levels." White Sox GM Chris Getz said.

Former MLB player Billy Bean has died at the age of 60 ... Major League Baseball announced Tuesday.

Bean -- who served as the league's senior VP for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Special Assistant to the Commissioner -- passed away after a year-long battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Bean -- one of the first openly gay players in MLB -- was first diagnosed with the disease in September 2023 ... but only went public with the news during the MLB Winter Meetings in December. At the meetings, Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo got emotional when talking about his long-time friend ... saying it was time to help "take care of you."

2:38 PM PT -- More good news for Dodger fans -- it's being reported Freddie Freeman will return to the team's lineup when the they welcome the Philadelphia Phillies for a three-game series on Monday.

The squad will show their support for 3-year-old Maximus with shirts that read "#MaxStrong" across the chest during pregame activities.

While Max starts his road to recovery, Freddie will also look to help his team continue their push to the MLB postseason -- and with the kind gesture, it's clear the Dodgers will be there for their star first baseman.

Dodgers star Freddie Freeman and his wife just shared good news about the health of their three-year-old son ... he's been released from the pediatric ICU, but the couple says the young boy still faces many challenges.

The Freemans took to Instagram via a joint post to let fans know that after eight days in an intensive care unit, Maximus is finally home ... as he walks the road to recovery after being diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome.

"Max still has a long road ahead of him to regain his strength and relearn how to walk. But we are so thankful to have our family back together," the post said.

Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Cy Young, and Honus Wagner were enshrined in Cooperstown in 1939 at the first-ever Hall of Fame induction ceremony for America's Pastime ... and while the legendary players were together, all 11 signed a baseball!

85 years later, that ball is on the auction block at SCP Auctions ... where it's expected to sell for over $300k!

Here's the history behind the signed ball.

Dodgers star Freddie Freeman and his wife just revealed the test results for their 3-year-old son who was rushed to the emergency room last week -- he's battling Guillain-Barré syndrome.

The couple provided an update on Thursday ... after Maximus was rushed to the ER late last week after he stopped eating and drinking, and his health declined. His body went into full paralysis.

After several tests, Freeman and Chelsea were informed of his diagnosis.

The Yankees fan who knocked out a man outside of a Phillies game earlier this week was called a homophobic slur just prior to the vicious smack ... new video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows.

In the footage, which was taken just outside of Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia at some point during the Pinstripes' win over the Phils on Tuesday ... you can see a man in an Aaron Judge jersey in a heated argument with a guy in a black shirt moments before things turned violent.

The two appeared to be talking about a potential fight ... as the Judge supporter screamed he'd "dust" his competitor.

The Philadelphia Police Dept. tells TMZ Sports ... it is aware of the incident and has launched an investigation.

"We are asking the victim and anyone who may have knowledge of the incident to come forward," the PPD added.

A New York Yankees fan got so upset with a guy outside of the Pinstripes' game in Philadelphia on Tuesday night ... he unleashed a violent smack that appeared to do some serious damage.

The heated interaction all went down at some point either during or after the Yanks' 7-6 extra-innings win over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

It's unclear exactly how the altercation started, but you can see in video from just outside the stadium, an Aaron Judge supporter got right in the face of a man who was wearing a black shirt and red shorts.

Baltimore Orioles catcher James McCann was drilled in the nose by a 95 MPH fastball on Monday ... but incredibly, the guy shook it off and stayed in the game!!

The scary scene went down just minutes ago in the Orioles' tilt with the Blue Jays at Camden Yards ... as McCann was facing off with Toronto pitcher Yariel Rodriguez.

Check out footage from the game's broadcast ... on a 2-2 count, Rodriguez let a heater fly, but it got away from him -- and beelined right toward McCann's noggin.

Ex-Major League Baseball pitcher Reyes Moronta has died at just 31 years old ... with local reports stating he was killed in an ATV accident in the Dominican Republic.

The Mexican Baseball League and the Bravos de Leon -- Moronta's club up until his release on July 25 -- confirmed the tragic news.

Multiple reports claim Moronta suffered fatal injuries in a traffic accident while driving a 4-wheeler at his father's house in Villa Gonzalez.

12:09 PM PT -- The Dodgers just revealed Freddie Freeman will somehow play in Thursday afternoon's game. He's slated to play first base -- while batting third in the lineup.

Freddie Freeman's evening at the ballpark Wednesday turned into a night at a local hospital ... as his wife says the MLB star raced from Dodger Stadium to a nearby emergency room to be with their sick son.

Chelsea Freeman said in a post on her Instagram page -- just before Freddie and the Dodgers took on the Giants in L.A. -- that Maximus, the couple's youngest boy, needed a prayer after he had come down with what doctors believed was transient synovitis.

The ailment -- which causes extreme pain and discomfort in the hip -- was thought to have stemmed from a viral infection the 3-year-old contracted during the Freemans' trip to the All-Star Game in Texas earlier this month.

The battle of New York spilled into the stands at a Yankees vs. Mets game earlier this week ... as several of the teams' fans got into a wild brawl at Yankee Stadium -- and the chaos was all caught on video!

The skirmish happened on Tuesday night ... after the Mets beat the Pinstripes in Game One of their two-game Subway Series.

You can see in video filmed by a bystander ... roughly six people were involved in the melee -- including two women.

Rockies pitcher Cal Quantrill got so pissed at Reese McGuire during their game Wednesday, he shaded the Red Sox catcher for his past public masturbation arrest -- and his heated words nearly incited an all-out brawl.

The incident went down after McGuire hit a pop-up in the fourth inning of the two teams' tilt at Coors Field in Denver.

As Cal was walking back toward the Rockies' dugout ... he for some reason decided to go after McGuire -- reminding him colorfully of when he was arrested in 2020 for allegedly pleasuring himself in a car in front of a store in Florida.

Several fans at Sunday night's Dodgers vs. Red Sox game got into a wild brawl ... and the violence all appeared to start because a man poured his beer on a woman.

It happened at some point during L.A.'s win over Boston at Dodger Stadium ... when a couple people began jawing at each other from their seats on the third-base line.

You can see in footage from the stands ... a woman in a pink hat and a man in a grey shirt were in a heated argument -- when, suddenly, the woman seemed to pour something on the guy.

Former President Donald Trump's "Fight, Fight, Fight!" chant became a rallying cry for supporters following his assassination attempt ... and now, it has made its way to America's pastime -- with an MLB player recreating the moment in the middle of a game.

During Sunday's contest against the New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls smacked a double into right field and cruised to second base. As he turned to his dugout to celebrate, Walls paid homage to No. 45 by raising his fist and mouthing the same words.

The highlight quickly made rounds on social media ... with the MAGA crowd eating it up. Naturally, some people didn't care for it ... pointing out Walls should be more concerned about getting his batting average up -- which currently sits at .160 through 81 at-bats.

Barry Bonds has made history once again ... this time in an auction house -- where a pair of his game-used items sold for nearly a quarter of a million bucks!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... a jersey he wore during Games 3, 4 and 5 of the 2002 World Series fetched a whopping $158,600 last week -- the most expensive Bonds uniform ever sold at auction.

In addition, the bat Bonds used to smack his 60th home run during his record-breaking 2001 season closed at $86,620. If you can't do the math ... that's a staggering $245,220 for the pair!!!