MLB

The World Series champions are back in Los Angeles -- the Dodgers flew across the country to get home to their fans Thursday morning ... with help from the New England Patriots!!

The big winners wasted no time getting the hell outta the Big Apple after finishing off the New York Yankees in Game 5 ... and once the guys got the champagne showers and locker room debauchery out of the way, they boarded one of Pats owners Robert Kraft's two aircrafts to be among the Dodger faithful.

The champs took advantage of the long flight ... with MVP Freddie Freeman catching some much-needed Zs with the team's new trophy in hand. Shohei Ohtani, on the other hand, seemingly couldn't get any shut-eye as he smiled with it.

Wendell Pierce didn't have an amazing time at the World Series on Wednesday ... 'cause the award-winning actor claims fans were throwing stuff at him -- forcing him to leave the game early.

"The Wire" and "Suits" actor -- who was, oddly enough, rooting for both teams in the Fall Classic -- was present for Game 5 in New York ... but didn't get to witness the Dodgers' comeback win/Yankees' heartbreaking loss.

"Unfortunately I just left the Yankees game because I was talking to a Dodgers fan and people were throwing things at me," Pierce said on X.

One of the most iconic landmarks in Los Angeles is joining in on the Dodgers' World Series party -- with the Hollywood sign lighting up its "D" after the home team beat the New York Yankees!!

Shortly after Walker Buehler struck out Alex Verdugo to clinch the team's eighth title in franchise history ... the sign that attracts around 50 million visitors a year lit up the night sky with the last letter glowing in Dodger blue!!!

The team was also celebrated with a movie-inspired Nike ad ... which rolled the credits on L.A.'s impressive season, which included earning the best record in baseball.

Clayton Kershaw put his dadbod on full display Wednesday night -- ditching his top after the Dodgers' World Series win ... and the future Hall of Famer's shirtless championship celebration was nothing short of epic!!

Take a look at some of the images from the aftermath of Los Angeles' Game 5 victory over the Yankees in New York ... shirtless Kershaw was everywhere, sucking down booze while letting his belly hang.

The 36-year-old father of four, of course, did not pitch in the playoffs -- he's been on the injured list with a toe issue -- but that didn't stop him from raging.

Fans celebrated the L.A. Dodgers winning the World Series Wednesday night by turning the streets into chaos and committing crimes as police scrambled to bring it under control.

Witnesses shot video footage of crowds fanning out across L.A. after the Dodgers 7-6 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the World Series, propelling the team to their 8th championship.

The situation quickly dissolved into turmoil when people — some holding Dodger flags -- started lighting fireworks, smashing windows and reportedly looting at least one store in the downtown L.A. area.

2:20 PM PT -- Awesome gesture from the Yankees -- the team just announced the two fans' tickets will be redistributed to a pediatric cancer patient and his family.

10:35 AM PT -- The Yankees just confirmed it -- the two fans involved in the Betts incident will not be allowed inside the stadium for Game 5 of the World Series ... the last home contest of the year.

The team said in a statement to TMZ Sports the fans' actions were "egregious and unacceptable" ... and emphasized the safety of players, spectators and staffers at every game is something that can't be compromised.

"Tonight marks the final home game of year, and we want every ounce of our fans’ passion on display," the team said. "Yankee Stadium is known for its energy and intensity, however the exuberance of supporting one’s team can never cross the line into intentionally putting players at physical risk."

If the MLB had things its way, the two New York Yankees fans who interfered with Mookie Betts on Tuesday night would NOT be allowed back for Game 5.

Sources over at the league's offices tell TMZ Sports ... MLB officials are actively working with the Yankees to ensure the team bars the men from the World Series in New York on Wednesday night in wake of their Game 4 behavior toward Betts.

In fact, we're told the league's even willing to refund the two guys' ticket costs to make sure the ban happens.

An unidentified fan chose a poor time to heckle Dodgers star Freddie Freeman ... shouting "You Suck!" at the first baseman during a moment of silence at the World Series, honoring people afflicted with cancer.

The Dodgers slugger was honoring his mother ... whom he lost to cancer at the age of 10.

Major League Baseball carved time out of the broadcast to allow players, fans, umpires, and others to pay tribute to those either battling cancer, cancer survivors, or sadly the people lost to the horrible disease, teaming up with "Stand Up To Cancer" for the powerful moment.

Two New York Yankees fans with great seats to Tuesday night's World Series Game 4 were forced to watch almost the entirety of the action on a TV ... after they were ejected for trying to rip a ball from Mookie Betts' glove.

The bizarre scene unfolded in the first inning of the Pinstripes' matchup with the Dodgers at Yankee Stadium ... when Gleyber Torres hit a pop fly down the first-base line.

As the ball came crashing down, it landed in foul territory, though Betts was still able to snag it with his glove before it hit fans' hands. Yet right after he secured it in his webbing, two Yanks supporters attempted to wrestle it away from him.

Yankees fans hate David Ortiz's guts -- and they haven't been shy about letting him know it,  relentlessly booing the Hall of Famer -- who tells us he loves the Bronx cheers!

TMZ Sports caught up with the Sox legend in NYC Tuesday morning, just hours after the Yankees lost their third straight game to the L.A. Dodgers in the World Series.

We asked Ortiz -- a studio analyst for FOX Sports' MLB coverage (along with Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez) -- whether he "enjoyed" the playful hate.

The Yankees are still searching for their first win of the 2024 World Series ... and Derek Jeter is breaking down NY vs. LA, telling TMZ Sports it's quite simple why the Dodgers are up big -- they've scored more runs!

We caught up with the former Captain in NYC a few hours before NYY's do-or-die game vs. the LAD ... and the Hall of Famer isn't complicating things.

"Do you want me to break it down for you what happened last night," Jeter asked us. "The  Dodgers scored more runs than the Yankees."

The Los Angeles Dodgers' dominance in the World Series has taken a toll on ticket prices ... with seats becoming more and more affordable by the minute as the Yankees face elimination.

The folks at Gametime -- a last-minute ticket app -- tell TMZ Sports entry to Game 4 of the Fall Classic has become pretty reasonable compared to the wild listing prices prior to the start of the series.

According to the company, the lowest listing for Tuesday's game is $749 -- a major decrease from the $1,583 price tag a week ago.

The World Series made its way from L.A. to NYC on Monday ... and a handful of big names were present to watch the Dodgers take care of business yet again against the Yankees.

Derek Jeter got things started off at Yankee Stadium ... throwing out the ceremonial first pitch to try and light a spark in Aaron Judge and the rest of the NY offense.

Queens native Leslie Odom Jr. was picked to belt out the National Anthem ... and Fat Joe brought the pregame festivities to a close by performing renditions of "New York" and "All The Way Up."

The World Series is breaking records in Japan ... with an average of 15.9 MILLION viewers tuning in to catch the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in Game 2 -- making it the most watched outing in MLB postseason history in the country.

The league released the astounding numbers on Monday ... revealing the first two games of the Fall Classic averaged almost 30 million viewers in the U.S. and Japan.

MLB said it wasn't just popular in Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto's native country -- the matchup also saw a 93% increase within the younger audience (ages 18 to 34).

The Dodgers say Shohei Ohtani WILL play game 3 of the World Series -- despite partially dislocating his shoulder -- the question is, how effective can he actually be?! TMZ Sports talked to an orthopedic sports surgeon about the injury.

"Ohtani's apparent shoulder injury during the last game of the World Series was diagnosed as a shoulder subluxation," Dr. David Abbasi told us, adding, "That is not as severe as a shoulder dislocation."

FYI, a subluxation is where the ball (humeral head) of the shoulder joint partially slips out of the socket ... compared to a full dislocation where the ball fully slips out of the glenoid cavity.

Congrats are in order for Washington Nationals player Joey Gallo and professional dancer Hayden Hopkins -- the two just welcomed their baby girl!!

The new mama shared a snap of the bundle of joy in a white outfit with purple bows late Sunday night ... announcing Capulet Lilac Gallo made her big debut to the world last week.

The Cirque Du Soleil star referred to baby Capulet as "heaven on earth" ... and her followers couldn't get over how adorable she looked.

Shohei Ohtani's injury stunned fans into silence at Dodger Stadium Saturday night ... but, it seems to excite some Yankees fans -- who broke into raucous applause while watching the injury on TV.

Video apparently taken inside a Bronx bar from right after the Dodgers slugger partially dislocated his shoulder during the team's 4-2 win over their rival to take a two-game lead in the seven-game set shows the gleeful atmosphere.

Watch the video for yourself ... we're not saying everyone's clapping here -- but, at least a few are clearly excited at the possibility Shohei will miss time, fist-pumping and clapping away while Ohtani's writhing on the ground.