Los Angeles Dodgers

A Los Angeles Dodgers bat boy might be in need of a raise ... as the guy snagged a baseball just before it hit the team's biggest superstar -- Shohei Ohtani!!!

Check out the crazy video ... just as Shohei was waiting to hit the on-deck circle during Los Angeles' game against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday evening, a baseball came flying into the dugout.

While Ohtani and others had the normal reaction to duck ... the bat boy stood in front of the designated hitter, and caught the bullet of a baseball with his bare hands before it did some serious damage.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are the new front-runner for the best bobblehead of the year ... as the team just announced the next Shohei Ohtani giveaway will feature his adorable pup, Decoy!!!

The team showed off the August 28 promotional item in an email sent out to fans on Tuesday ... which features Ohtani cradling Decoy in his left arm with a massive smile on his face.

It will mark the second bobblehead giveaway for the Dodgers superstar this season ... and his first one was a huge success. Over 50,000 fans filled Dodger Stadium for the matchup with the Cincinnati Reds last month -- marking the biggest attendance at a Dodgers game since September 2019!!

Ippei Mizuhara -- Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter -- just showed up to court and pleaded guilty to two federal charges ... stemming from allegations he stole from the MLB superstar in order to pay off gambling debts.

The 39-year-old hit a Santa Ana, CA courthouse early Tuesday morning ... and was mobbed by a throng of reporters as he made his way to the proceedings.

He did not, however, address the media as he traversed through all the cameras.

1:35 PM PT -- Mets manager Carlos Mendoza addressed the decision to designate Lopez for assignment ... saying the team has standards and his actions would not be tolerated.

9:48 AM PT -- Lopez is clearing the air on his comments ... saying he was really calling himself out, not his teammates.

"Who ever hear me I said teammate and what I said on the situation I been the worst teammate thanks media for make it worse," he wrote on Instagram.

A bad outing for Mets reliever Jorge Lopez got worse and worse as the night went on ... 'cause not only did he throw his glove into the stands after getting ejected, he also unloaded on his team in a post-game interview -- and now, he's losing his spot on the roster.

The whole meltdown started shortly after Lopez gave up a two-run home run to Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani amid the Mets' late-game collapse ... when he started arguing over a checked swing call during the next at-bat.

Lopez got in a heated argument with the third-base ump over the ruling ... which resulted in him getting booted from the contest.

Shohei Ohtani is putting his historic contract to good use -- the Dodgers superstar just snagged a ritzy mansion in Los Angeles for $7.85 million ... a place formerly owned by comedian Adam Carolla.

Details on the deal were released this week ... with the L.A. Times reporting the Japanese two-way athlete is the buyer of the La Cañada Flintridge digs.

The pad -- built in 2013 -- is perfect for a guy like Ohtani. It's a three-story, five-bedroom, six and 1/2-bathroom home that comes with a decked-out kitchen, private movie theater, basketball court and gym ... as well as a pool and spa.

Cameron Brink's meet-and-greet with Hollywood's biggest names continues ... 'cause fresh off her run-in with Kim Kardashian, the L.A. Sparks star hung out with Shohei Ohtani at the Dodgers game!!

The 2024 No. 2 overall pick and her fellow rookie teammate, No. 4 pick Rickea Jackson, were VIP guests at Los Angeles' home matchup against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday ... throwing out the first pitch and shouting the traditional "It's time for Dodger baseball" rally cry before the game.

Brink got some one-on-one time with the biggest name in baseball as well ... and when they met up, Ohtani couldn't help but acknowledge how they were on eye level.

Forget the first inning, Jimmy Rollins says Shohei Ohtani should focus on the ninth innings when he fully recovers from Tommy John surgery ... telling TMZ Sports he believes the Dodgers star's future on the mound is as a closer.

The 29-year-old, of course, has been a starter and a designated hitter throughout the majority of his historic, two-way career ... but after having his second major elbow procedure this past offseason, Rollins told us he thinks Ohtani should have a very limited pitching future going forward.

Specifically, the former Philadelphia Phillies shortstop says he would like to see Ohtani bat at the dish and then be used out of the bullpen once healthy ... in an effort to preserve his golden arm.

Shohei Ohtani fans are shelling out a ton of dough to get their hands on a super-rare version of the MLB superstar's first Dodgers bobblehead ... with folks dropping more than a thousand bucks for the giveaway.

40,000 fans were gifted the highly-coveted promotion ahead of Los Angeles' home matchup against the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium on Thursday ... with 1,700 bobbles coming in a special road uniform colorway.

A handful of spectators who got their hands on the limited edition handout quickly headed to reseller sites to cash in on their luck ... and based on a quick search, it's working out in their favor.

According to eBay, there have been several sales already ... some reaching as high as $1,500.

Even the regular home uniform colorway is attracting a lot of interest ... with those selling for hundreds.

It's a silver lining for Dodgers fans willing to part ways with the mini Ohtanis ... 'cause the home team stunk up the place in the 7-2 loss.

The man of the night went 0-2 with a walk and a strikeout in the contest.

Shohei Ohtani's ex-translator and best friend, Ippei Mizuhara, will plead guilty to multiple federal charges -- after admitting to taking nearly $17 million from the Dodgers superstar -- and now faces up to 3+ decades in prison!

On Wednesday, The United States Justice Department announced that 39-year-old Mizuhara would soon face the music after agreeing to plead guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of filing a false tax return for the extensive, multi-year fraud.

"The extent of this defendant’s deception and theft is massive,” United States Attorney Martin Estrada said of Ippei's actions.

Shohei Ohtani and his new wife, Mamiko, made a rare public appearance together on Thursday ... throwing on some fancy outfits and attending a fundraising event.

The 29-year-old Japanese superstar and his former basketball pro partner rolled through the 8th annual Blue Diamond Gala at Dodger Stadium in L.A. ... joined by Ohtani's teammates and a handful of celebs.

Fellow Dodgers Freddie Freeman, Jason Heyward, Kiké Hernandez and Mookie Betts brought their wives to the shindig as well ... while singer Ed Sheeran rolled through solo.

12:37 PM PT -- Hilton joined Harvey and Charles on "TMZ Live" on Wednesday to break down his big night ... and while he says Hollywood hasn't come calling, he explained why he's perfectly fine with sticking to his day-to-day.

As for the first pitch ... well, that's sort of a touchy subject.

Can you bee-lieve this?!?

The start of the Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks game was delayed by nearly two hours on Tuesday ... and it's all 'cause a massive swarm of bees infiltrated the diamond.

The insects first began hovering around Chase Field's home plate just minutes before the first pitch was slated to go down in Arizona ... and after a while, so many of them congregated, officials had to press pause on the action in order to get an expert out to the field.

Comedian Elayne Boosler says she was handcuffed and nearly thrown in the slammer after showing up to the Dodger game on Sunday ... claiming the whole debacle that led to her arrest was centered around a handbag.

The 71-year-old writer broke down her side of things following the alleged incident ... saying she wanted to check out the Dodgers' matinee matchup against the New York Mets, but was stopped by (in her opinion) a power-hungry stadium security guard over her baseball-themed purse.

Boosler said she was refused entry because the item didn't meet the venue's clear bag policy ... and she was told she could either take it back to her car, or throw it away.

A woman who accused Trevor Bauer of sexual assault has just been hit with a criminal charge ... after she allegedly defrauded the former Cy Young winner into paying her for an abortion he believes never happened.

The charge -- fraudulent schemes and artifices -- was formally filed against Darcy Esemonu in Arizona on Monday ... weeks after a Maricopa County grand jury indicted her on the felony count.

According to a video statement Bauer posted on his YouTube page Tuesday, it stems from allegations Esemonu made against the former Dodgers star in a 2023 lawsuit.

The woman alleged in her papers that Bauer raped her during a 2020 encounter and got her pregnant. In a countersuit, Bauer denied any wrongdoing ... but he did say he had consensual sex with her one time in Dec. 2020, when the condom he had been using broke.

He claimed in his countersuit that after their hookup, Esemonu told him she was pregnant and wanted more than $1 million to terminate it. Bauer claimed he would support her decision ... before he gave her $8,761 for the cost she eventually said it took to end the alleged pregnancy.

However, in his video statement Tuesday, Bauer said, "She never had an abortion, because she was never even pregnant." He added that that was all "corroborated by her own medical records."

Bauer said authorities were made aware of all of this after they initiated an investigation into her sexual assault allegations against him.

Court records show Esemonu was also charged with fraud due to her interactions with a man named Marco Bresciani. In addition, the records show she was charged with felony theft by extortion for wrongdoing against Bresciani as well.

"Her m.o. is clear," Bauer said of the newly filed charges. "Lie to men to get their money. Extort them if she must. When they refuse to pay, stop paying, or stop giving her what she wants, go to the police, accuse them of sexual assault, and file a civil suit against them to retaliate."

Bauer stated he's hopeful he can now get another crack at pitching in the MLB again soon.

2:22 PM PT -- Ippei Mizuhara showed up to his court appearance with shackles around his ankles ... although the chains were ultimately removed as the hearing got underway.

During the proceedings, Mizuhara -- wearing a dark-colored suit -- learned he will be released on $25,000 bond ... but he will have to abide by a myriad of conditions in order to stay out of custody -- including no gambling whatsoever.

Mizuhara will also have to enroll in a gamblers addiction treatment program ... as well as, among other stipulations, have no communication with Shohei Ohtani.

Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara has just been charged with a felony ... after federal prosecutors say they discovered he stole nearly $20 million from the MLB superstar to, in part, pay off his massive gambling debts.

The United States Department of Justice just announced the filing ... saying at a news conference in Los Angeles on Thursday they were formally hitting Mizuhara with one count of bank fraud.

Prosecutors say he faces a maximum of up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

According to the DOJ, an investigation into allegations that Mizuhara had stolen from Ohtani revealed Ippei snatched some of the Dodgers star's funds via an account he had helped the two-way player set up back in 2018.

Authorities say Mizuhara illegally accessed the account after amassing a gambling debt. They said he then wired transfers from it totaling around $16 million to bookmakers. They added that from January 2024 to March 2024, he also used the account to buy roughly $325,000 worth of baseball cards.

The DOJ said during its investigation, they found Ohtani had no knowledge of what was going on.

"In an interview last week with law enforcement," the feds said in a statement, "Ohtani denied authorizing Mizuhara’s wire transfers. Ohtani provided his cellphone to law enforcement, who determined that there was no evidence to suggest that Ohtani was aware of, or involved in, Mizuhara’s illegal gambling activity or payment of those debts."

Prosecutors said they believe Mizuhara never made any bets on baseball.

For Ohtani's part, he's been adamant throughout this entire process that he committed no wrongdoing ... saying in a press conference last month, "I'm very saddened and shocked that someone who I trusted has done this."