Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, impersonated the MLB superstar on a phone call with a bank in order to swindle the Dodgers' designated hitter out of $200,000 ... newly released audio reveals.
The three-and-a-half-minute conversation was put out by federal prosecutors on Thursday, and in it ... you can clearly hear Mizuhara pretending to be Shohei.
In fact, after the bank's phone operator asks Mizuhara straight up "Who am I speaking with?," Ippei says without hesitation, "Shohei Ohtani."
Ichiro Suzuki is a very forgiving person ... 'cause the baseball superstar, who fell one vote short of being the second-ever unanimous Hall of Famer, has extended an invite to the foolish writer -- let's grab a drink!
Suzuki -- along with CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner -- met with the media on Thursday in Cooperstown to discuss all things baseball. Ichiro expressed gratitude for the writers who voted for him ... and acknowledged the one person who didn't think he was worthy of the selection.
Ichiro Suzuki offers to have the only writer that did not vote him into the Baseball Hall of Fame over to his house to "have a drink together and have a good chat" 🤣 pic.twitter.com/FlMzAbEp4R
It was the 9th inning, bases loaded, full count for Billy Wagner's Hall of Fame hopes on Monday -- his last chance for enshrinement in Cooperstown -- and when the 7x All-Star got the call he finally made it, he was overcome with emotion!
The 16-year veteran -- who narrowly missed out on making the hall last year -- was in his final year of eligibility on the ballot. Unlike the nine other times ... the tenth time was the charm for Wagner, earning 82.5% of the 75% needed to earn his spot among baseball royalty.
The weight of the long wait was evident for Billy Wagner when he finally got the call from the Baseball Hall of Fame. “Dreams do come true,” he said.#HallofFamepic.twitter.com/ovLCvTANdo
The emotion was palpable for the 53-year-old ... as he could only muster a "Thank you" to the person on the other end of the line. His wife, Sarah Quesenberry, was there to support her man -- but luckily, this go-around was great news.
Roki Sasaki is getting a warm welcome in Los Angeles ... with the Dodgers' new star pitcher landing a personal meet-and-greet with LeBron James at the Lakers game!!
The 23-year-old Japanese athlete was front and center at the Purple and Gold's home win over the Washington Wizards ... getting a courtside view of King James' triple-double performance in the 111-88 victory.
The 40-year-old made sure to take a second to chop it up with the flamethrower ... shaking his hand as they exchanged pleasantries during shootaround.
The Paul Skenes rookie card that baseball fans everywhere have been itching to get their hands on has just been found!!
Topps reported Tuesday morning an 11-year-old from Los Angeles pulled the ultra-rare 1-of-1 from a pack -- and now, the young collector will have some big decisions to make.
Auction houses -- including Goldin -- have been desperately trying to be the arbiter of its sale ... believing it could net a life-changing fortune.
Believe it or not, the rich could get even more rich this offseason ... Kenley Jansen just told TMZ Sports he'd be down for a reunion with the Dodgers!!
The free agent reliever -- who closed for L.A. for about a decade of his MLB career -- said to us out at LAX on Monday afternoon that despite the Dodgers' bullpen being awfully crowded these days, he'd certainly listen if they called.
"I'm ready to play, man," said Jansen, who revealed to us he still has a home in Los Angeles. "I'm ready to play wherever it is."
As often as they drive their fans to drink, you'd think the Colorado Rockies would know how to pour a frickin' beer ... but, alas, they don't!
The organization intended to have some fun on social media on Friday, pouring an ice-cold Coors Light into a (previously used?) beer mug ... but their technique left a lot to be desired (it was all foam!!!).
Fans weren't shy about speaking up, quickly flaming the Rockies, who play at Coors Field, in the X comment section over their inability to pour the perfect brewski.
The Florida mansion that Red Sox legend Tim Wakefield used to call home has just sold, TMZ Sports has learned.
Our real estate sources say the Indian Harbour Beach estate -- which was first put up for sale some 13 months after Wakefield tragically died from cancer -- netted $3.8 million on Wednesday ... well over the initial asking price of $3.3 mil.
The waterfront palace is stunning ... it features four bedrooms, five bathrooms and 6,242 square feet of living area -- and it comes with all kinds of bells and whistles.
Shohei Ohtani may be adding a two-sport athlete to the family ... 'cause he just posted to Instagram announcing that he and his former professional basketballer wife are having their first child.
The two-way baseball standout announced the news with a post to Instagram Saturday ... sharing a snap of his dog, Decoy, lying next to a baby onesie, two tiny sneakers and what appears to be an ultrasound photo obscured by a baby face emoji.
He captioned the photo, "Can’t wait for the little rookie to join our family soon!"
Turns out, the ugly scene involving Mookie Betts and some overeager Yankees fans in Game 4 of the World Series could've been even worse ... 'cause the Dodgers superstar just revealed he considered retaliating against the NY backers with violence.
The L.A. outfielder opened on the matter with Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson as part of the comedians' "Back That Year Up 2024" special ... and Betts told the guys he straight up considered hurling a baseball at the two men who tried to rip his glove away on a foul ball pop fly at Yankee Stadium back on Oct. 29.
"Well, A for effort."
Fan interference was called on this play where a Yankee fan tried to take the ball out of Mookie Betts' glove after an out. pic.twitter.com/iZ6taImncd
Forget the Polar Express, Livvy Dunne's opting for the Polar Plunge this Christmas Eve ... taking a freezing ocean dip in nothing but a tiny bikini!!
The LSU gymnast performed the impressive feat in 32-degree weather just before Santa Claus came to her town ... and fortunately for all of her followers, she filmed the whole thing.
Dunne -- wearing a red two-piece -- took to the water like a champ ... and dove head first into the icy aqua, before she raced out to grab a warm towel.
Baseball's "Man of Steal," Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson is dead after a bout with pneumonia ... TMZ has learned.
Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... Henderson passed away Friday in the Oakland area, and had been getting treatment at a hospital for a brief period.
The MLB legend holds the record for stolen bases, and played left field for 9 teams from 1979 to 2003. Most of those years were spent with the Oakland A’s, where he debuted in the majors, but he also starred with the Yankees, Blue Jays, Mets, Padres and others ... before retiring with the Dodgers.
Hundreds of thousands of fans packed the streets for the Dodgers' championship parade to celebrate their World Series win over the Yankees ... an event so big, it cost Los Angeles over $2 million to have emergency personnel on hand to make sure folks were safe.
But, don't fret ... the team's going to make the city whole.
TMZ Sports has learned the World Series parade cost the Los Angeles Police Department $1,738,621.19 ... almost entirely for a gang of extra officers to man the event.
Freddie Freeman's walk-off Grand Slam home run in game one was the swing that set the tone for the eventual World Series champions ... and now the ball just sold at auction for $1.56 million!
The whopping price tag makes the Freeman ball the third most valuable in the history of baseball -- coming in behind Shohei Ohtani's 50th HR ball and Mark McGwire's 70th HR ball from 1998.
The Ruderman family -- who caught the mega-valuable ball, blasted by the eventual W.S. MVP in the 10th inning of the then-tied ballgame -- consigned the item to SCP Auctions.
The L.A. Dodgers fan who had a horrific firework accident during the World Series has undergone several procedures to mend his hand ... but despite the unfortunate event, he tells TMZ Sports he's staying positive through it all.
We spoke with Kevin King fresh off his fourth surgery after the DTLA incident that cost him his pointer and middle finger on his left hand ... and he is thankful it wasn't worse.
"If you're only losing a couple of fingers, don't worry about it," he said. "Thankful it wasn't my face, eye or ears."
Juan Soto got an amazing dinner to go along with a $756 million contract on Thursday ... TMZ Sports has learned the Mets bought their new star and his family a steak feast to celebrate his formal signing with the team.
We're told just a few hours after Soto put pen to orange-and-blue paper at Citi Field, Steve Cohen hosted the 26-year-old and his loved ones at the world-renowned Benjamin Prime in NYC.
Soto grubbed on mozzarella and tomato salad ... and for a main course, he had a ribeye (if you were wondering, he's a medium-plus temperature kind of guy).
