New York Yankees

Rudy Giuliani says his feelings aren't at all hurt he got BOOED ON HIS BIRTHDAY in Yankee stadium ... telling TMZ Sports the boo birds are a sign of affection in the Big Apple.

"I know Yankee fans ... they boo you when they love you," the former NYC mayor tells TMZ Sports.

We got RG out in D.C. and he told us he wasn't bothered by the booing one bit. He even laughed about it!

Yankees legend David Wells ain't exactly thrilled with the whole Robinson Cano scandal ... telling TMZ Sports he's disappointed over Cano's 80-game suspension.

Cano was popped for taking a banned substance -- though he INSISTS it was a prescribed medication and NOT a performance enhancing drug.

But, not everyone is buying Cano's excuse ... considering the substance he took can be used as a masking agent for PEDs.

So, when we saw Wells in NYC, we asked if he was disappointed.

"Of course," he said ... noting, "I'm glad I'm not playing anymore."

We asked to explain his comment ... "Because 5 innings is a quality start."

He's definitely throwing shade at the new generation of MLB players -- essentially calling them soft.

We also asked about the Yanks vs. Red Sox rivalry ... Wells says it's good, but not like it used to be.

"Now they hug when they have a fight!"

You think Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez can go 9 innings without a selfie? Hell no!

The power couple (along with J Lo's mom) hit up Yankees Stadium on Thursday night to watch NY take on the Boston Red Sox .... and you know they had to post the proof on social media.

Of course, A-Rod used to play for the Yankees ... but last night, he was bad luck -- the Yankees lost to the Sox 5-4, snapping the 8-game winning streak.

The good news ... Jenny's mom, Guadalupe, seemed to be having a blast at the game ... until the end.

How awesome is this?!

We just got Yankees manager Aaron Boone rushing to Yankees Stadium for Tuesday night's big game against the Boston Red Sox -- and he was cool enough to talk to our guy!!!

The big talk -- the rivalry ... which has gotten more intense this season for two reasons -- the Yanks and Sox have the best records in baseball PLUS the teams got into a brawl the last time they faced off in April.

So, with pride and 1st place on the line ... how does Boone feel about the situation?

"It's always big when these two teams get together," Boone said.

"They're a great team. We think we have a good team ... so it's fun to be a part of."

As for concerns that tonight could get violent?

"Nah, all good ... hopefully we'll just see a lot of good baseball."

Yankees fans can boo Giancarlo Stanton all they want ... ain't NOTHIN' gonna stop him from having another huge season -- so says Baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield.

We got the Yankee legend at LAX ... and asked if we should be sweatin' the horrific start from the Pinstripers' $300 MILLION man.

Winfield's response -- hell no!

"It's early in the season ... he's gonna have an extraordinary year," Dave told TMZ Sports.

New York Yankees star Giancarlo Stanton has no problem hitting them out of the ballpark, and same goes for his choice of homes.

The former Miami Marlins right fielder was renting this $8 million crib in the Hollywood Hills during the offseason. He's from L.A. and was training in town.

The 3-bedroom, 4-bath contemporary home boasts panoramic views of L.A. There's a wine cellar, massage room, sauna, and pool with a sitting area and fireplace built in the middle of it, but the coolest thing about the pad is the interior lighting and suede-lined closet. It was also once Sammy Davis Jr.'s home.

Giancarlo Stanton had a MONSTER Yankees debut -- SMASHING 2 home runs -- and TMZ Sports talked to NYY's legendary radio announcer, John Sterling ... about his polarizing Stanton HR call.

Sterling -- who's announced every Yankees game since 1989 (almost 5,000 in a row) -- is known for his over the top home run calls. One's like ...

"An A-Bomb! From A-Rod!" (Alex Rodriguez)

"He's Judge and jury, and this is judgment day!" (Aaron Judge)

So, when the ball left Stanton's bat ... and John belted out "Giancarlo, non si può stoparlo! It is a Stantonian home run" ... there was mixed reaction.

Why Italian? What's it even mean?

Here's NY Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton making you feel inferior ... showing off his insane, jacked physique in a topless photo shoot.

You're welcome.

Stanton flexed out for Men's Health magazine (on stands now) -- which included the shirtless pics as part of an article about Giancarlo's recovery from that insane 2014 at-bat where he took a fastball to the face.

Giancarlo opened up about the hospitalization, how he couldn't eat regularly for a month and how pitchers tried to exploit his post-traumatic stress from the incident after he returned.

"For two years, pitchers would throw up and in to scare me," Stanton said ... "Just to get me thinking about that. I was aware of it. But in terms of messing with me as a hitter, it never did."

Crazy, right?

But, not as crazy as the dude's Adonis-like bod.

Prosecutors have dropped the assault charges against ex-NY Yankees infielder Pat Kelly and his GF stemming from an October arrest, TMZ Sports has learned.

We broke the story ... Kelly and Marina Cernova were arrested at the London Hotel in NYC on Oct. 1 after Marina called cops to report Pat had attacked her.

When cops arrived, they believed Marina also socked Pat in the face -- so they were both arrested and booked for misdemeanor assault.

Pat -- who played for the Yanks from '91 to '97 -- had denied all wrongdoing and claimed the incident was a giant misunderstanding.

Now, we're told the charges have been officially dropped -- mainly because both sides stopped cooperating with prosecutors.

Ex-Yankees OF Dustin Fowler is out for revenge against Chicago White Sox over a horrific injury suffered in his MLB debut ... when he slammed his knee into an electrical box while chasing a fly ball.

22-year-old Fowler was a huge prospect for the Yanks -- which expected BIG things from him when he made his MLB debut on June 29, 2017, when NY played the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.

After a 3-hour rain delay, Fowler started at right field -- and made headlines when he crashed into a metal electrical box while chasing Jose Abreu's foul ball in the 1st inning.

Fowler collapsed when he tried to put weight on his leg -- and was carted off the field. He never got his 1st at bat and missed the rest of the season. He's since been traded to the Oakland A's.

Fowler was reportedly diagnosed with an open rupture of the patellar tendon in his right knee which required emergency surgery.

Now, Fowler is suing both the Sox and the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, which owns the park.

In his suit, Fowler claims the "exposed box was positioned at a hazardous location" -- between the padded right field wall and the padded rail, at knee level.

He claims both defendants had a duty to make the field safe for players -- and they failed. Now, he wants a ton of money to make things right.

Derek Jeter's haters can take a seat ... 'cause he ain't gonna let the Marlins suck forever -- so says legendary MLB boss Peter O'Malley.

O'Malley was the man back when he ran the Dodgers ... so we got him to give DJ a quick job eval -- after the Marlins CEO got DESTROYED in the media for trading away sluggers Giancarlo Stanton and Marcell Ozuna.

Peter told TMZ Sports Derek knows what the hell he's doing ... and we'll all see that eventually.

"Jeter’s gonna do a great job. He’s a very fine person, knowledgeable," O'Malley said.

Jimmy Fallon's so stoked on Giancarlo Stanton joining the Yankees, dude went straight PRIMAL when we asked him about the blockbuster trade.

"OOOOOOOOOH ... what a season we're gonna have, oh my goodness!" Jimmy grunted/said to TMZ Sports in the Big Apple.

Fallon's New York born and bred ... so he couldn't even try to play it cool talking about Stanton -- and new manager, Aaron Boone -- putting on the pinstripes.

The real question -- how are Jimmy and Giancarlo gonna top Aaron Judge's appearance on "The Tonight Show?"

Giancarlo Stanton wasn't in a hurry to leave Miami after he was traded to the Yankees -- he stuck around an extra day to rage in Miami with 2 Chainz.

The big trade news was announced late Friday night -- but less than 24 hours later, Stanton was at Rockwell x 1OAK Art Basel pop up event in Miami on Saturday ... where he got onstage and partied with the rapper.

Also, CHECK OUT THAT PINKY RING -- LEGENDARY!!!!!

2 Chainz also hooked Stanton up with a magnum sized bottle of Ace of Spades bubbly.

The ex-Marlins superstar is set to be introduced as the new face of the Yankees Monday ... so, this could have been his unofficial "goodbye" to the city he ran for half a decade.

It's almost kinda sad -- until you remember his $325 MILLION contract.

Listen up, Hank Steinbrenner ... Jennifer Lopez says she's got the PERFECT candidate for the next New York Yankees manager ... her BF, Alex Rodriguez!!

The Yanks have been interviewing managerial candidates since they let Joe Girardi go last month. A-Rod -- who's been linked to the gig -- has publicly said he ain't really interested in the job.

But looks like things done changed ... 'cause J Lo just fired the ex-Bombers' hat into the ring ... saying, "It couldn’t be clearer...#arodforyankeesmanager" ... along with a link to an article titled, "The Best and Only Choice for Yankess Manager is obvious..." on Instagram.

As if hitting 56 homers wasn't enough for Aaron Judge's rookie season ... the Yankees star might've hit another outta the park with his smokin' hot rumored GF Jen Flaum.

Judge and Flaum were spotted leaving Nobu in NYC on Monday night ... the first time they've been seen in public since they attended the U.S. Open together earlier last month.

FYI -- Flaum is a recent U. of Michigan grad and a die-hard Yanks fan.

While neither side has confirmed the relationship ... it definitely seems like they're enjoying each other's company.

The Yankees are screwed. So are the Astros ... because whatever team wins the ALCS is a lamb to slaughter for the L.A. Dodgers -- so says Steve Garvey.

There is one catch ... Garvey says the Blue Crew needs to clinch tonight and lock up the pennant over the Cubs -- and if/when that happens, the momentum will carry L.A. right to a championship.

Garvey knows what it takes to get the job done -- he won the World Series with the Dodgers back in 1981 and was a 2-time NLCS MVP.