TMZ Sports - Page 8

Shohei Ohtani punched his ticket to the playoffs for the first time in his career ... and the Japanese superstar partied like it on Thursday -- commemorating the moment with his Dodger teammates, wife and adorable pup after winning the NL West championship.

Los Angeles secured its 11th division title in 12 seasons after a 7-2 win over the San Diego Padres ... and after taking some family selfies with Mamiko and Decoy, it was time to take an alcohol shower with the squad.

It was the first locker room celebration of Ohtani's career -- he never sniffed the postseason during his six seasons with the Angels -- so naturally, he committed a party foul by not sporting protective goggles for the boozy bash.

NY Giants star rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers is letting fans know he's okay after suffering a scary head injury in the fourth quarter of the team's Thursday night matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.

The moment occurred with 3:30 remaining in the contest and Big Blue down by five. Facing a fourth down ... Giants QB Daniel Jones tried to hit Nabers on the sideline to keep the drive alive.

However ... Nabers couldn't hold onto the pass -- with his face smacking the turf and seemingly knocking the 21-year-old out cold.

The Cowboys won the fight on the field and one of the bigger ones off of it as well on Thursday night ... as a Dallas supporter absolutely pummeled a Giants fan in a tiff at MetLife Stadium during the big game in New Jersey.

The chaos erupted early in the evening ... when a man in a Troy Aikman jersey got so upset with a Lawrence Taylor supporter -- he began beating the hell out of the guy.

Check out footage filmed by a bystander ... the Cowboys fan pulled the dude's Giants jersey over his head, and then unleashed a flurry of right hands.

Ryan Clark no longer plays for Mike Tomlin, but if he did ... he's making it clear he'd tell the Steelers head coach he needs to officially name Justin Fields the starting quarterback ASAP.

The former Pittsburgh defensive back said in an interview with TMZ Sports this week he believes a formal announcement would help his ex-team immensely going forward.

Of course, Tomlin has yet to do it ... as he still appears to be debating on whether or not the team should stick with Fields, or flip to Russell Wilson whenever the former Super Bowl champion is 100 percent healthy.

Diddy is planning to take the witness stand, Hoda Kotb is saying goodbye and Shohei Ohtani's record home run ball is going to auction ... all this on today's TMZ TV Hot Takes.

First up on "TMZ Live," Harvey and Charles explain why Diddy is chomping at the bit to testify in his criminal case.

If there's a scene in the new "Happy Gilmore" script that requires a gator to snap at a golfer's arm ... the handler for the reptile that played the part in the OG flick tells TMZ Sports it's down to reprise the role.

The alligator -- nicknamed "Morris" -- has been enjoying the sweet life at the Colorado Gators Reptile Park in Mosca ever since it gained fame for stealing Adam Sandler's golf ball in the 1996 "Happy Gilmore" movie ... but its owner, Jay Young, says it's willing to come out of retirement for the highly anticipated sequel.

Young, though, says Sandler and Co. would have to jump through some hoops to make it all work out ... as the 70ish-year-old, 500-pound beast simply can't be transported these days.

Tons of Oakland Athletics legends have made the trip to Northern California for the team's swan song in the East Bay ... including former ace Barry Zito -- who was actually called upon to sing the national anthem at Thursday's finale!

The pitcher-turned-musician helped conclude the pre-game festivities at the Athletics' last-ever contest inside the Oakland Coliseum ... by belting out a sweet rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner.

The three-time All-Star -- who made the transition to music following his retirement from the sport in 2015 -- picked up the mic just before first pitch against the Rangers ... and he killed it, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

Denver Nuggets star Aaron Gordon is opening up on his brother's tragic death ... crediting his teammates for their support "every step of the way" -- even attending the funeral services.

Gordon spoke with the media on Thursday -- the first time since Drew's passing in May -- and he praised the players for being there for him as he grieved the unthinkable loss.

Gordon admitted he didn't have the strongest relationships outside of his family prior to the fatal car accident ... but now, he cherishes all his connections -- and he considers the players his "brothers."

Eagles superfan Dunphy just revealed he sustained some rough injuries during his chest bump encounter with Jason Kelce earlier this month ... but, thankfully, he says he will not require surgery.

The diehard Philadelphia supporter -- who's gained fame over the years for his incredible array of Philly-themed stomach tattoos -- told No Shorts Media on Wednesday that test results showed he banged up his leg badly after he celebrated with Kelce at a pre-"Monday Night Football" celebration on Sept. 16.

He stated he was diagnosed with a "severe bone contusion" as well as several sprained ligaments ... but in a subsequent post on his Instagram page, he said all that would be required to heal is simply rest.

Bryce Young might be out of the job, but he's still got love for the guy who replaced him ... sharing a special moment with Andy Dalton after the Carolina Panthers' first win of the season.

The NFL Films cameras captured the pair of quarterbacks embracing in the locker room after Dalton's stellar Week 3 performance ... despite things not going his way, Young's keeping positive through it all.

The two exchanged a few words ... although Young's message was drowned out by all their teammates celebrating the big victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.

A huge blimp sent up by a major soccer team for a promo blitz turned into a real PR nightmare when it came crashing down in a residential area in São Paulo, Brazil ... injuring the pilot.

The airship was cruising from Carapicuíba when it crashed in the suburb of Osasco about 4 miles away around noon Wednesday ... video from bystanders showing the blimp getting shredded after snagging on rooftops.

Locals were sprinting for safety from the plummeting blimp ... making for quite a chaotic scene.

Brett Favre is speaking out after his shocking announcement this week ... with the NFL legend saying he greatly appreciates the "unbelievable show of support."

The Green Bay Packers great posted video to his Instagram about 48 hours after testifying at a welfare reform hearing on Capitol Hill ... where he announced he has Parkinson's.

Wow, what an overwhelming amount of support from you all," Favre captioned the post, adding, "Thank you and this is just the beginning of another mountain to climb."

MLB artifact hunters will still have the chance to bid on Shohei Ohtani's historic 50th home run ball on Friday ... despite a new lawsuit that's reportedly trying to halt the proceedings.

According to cllct's Darren Rovell, the suit was filed on Wednesday evening in Florida -- just hours after Ken Goldin revealed his auction house will put the ball up for sale at the end of this week with a starting bid of $500,000.

Rovell reported the plaintiff is an 18-year-old named Max Matus ... who's convinced he's the rightful owner of the baseball. Matus alleges in his suit, according to Rovell, that he had full control of the ball before Chris Belanski wrongfully stole it from him during a scrum.

Thursday afternoon will mark the final time the Athletics play a game at the Oakland Coliseum, so during their last night game on Wednesday -- a groundskeeper made sure some fans left with a memento they can cherish forever.

The A's are currently playing the Texas Rangers in what is slated to be their final homestand not just at the Coliseum -- but in the city of Oakland -- as the team is set to play the next three seasons in Sacramento before setting up shop in Las Vegas.

While the stadium has been empty in recent years due to poor play and fan backlash against the owner, John Fisher ... supporters have been coming out this week to make one last memory with the team.

Former NBA MVP Derrick Rose is calling it a career -- announcing his retirement in a heartfelt social media post on Thursday.

"Thank you, My First Love..." Rose said on Instagram. "You believed in me through the highs and lows, my constant when everything else seemed uncertain. You showed me what love truly meant."

"You turned the court into my sanctuary, a home where I could express myself freely. You made every early morning and late night we spent together worth every drop of sweat."

Caitlin Clark and a courtside fan got into such a bizarre tiff on Wednesday night ... security guards actually had to get involved in an apparent effort to cool things off.

The curious scene all unfolded in the first quarter of the Indiana Fever's playoff matchup with the Connecticut Sun ... following a foul call on the floor.

After appearing to exchange words with a man in the second row, Clark got the attention of the refs -- and pointed at the guy. She seemed pissed ... and moments later, arena officials tapped the man on his shoulder and escorted him away from the area.