Baseball

How did the Minnesota Twins celebrate their first AL Central title in nearly a decade on Wednesday night??

HIP GYRATING AND SHIRTLESS RUNNING, BABY!!!

The Twins beat the Tigers, 5-1, in Detroit ... and after the Indians fell to the White Sox -- Minnesota officially earned its first divisional championship since 2010.

Of course, the guys celebrated in the usual fashion ... Budweiser showers and booze -- but then things got a little freaky in the clubhouse.

First, 5'9", 225-pound utility man Willians Astudillo thrusted his hips in a fashion we NEVER knew he could.

Then, newly acquired reliever Sergio Romo decided to ditch his shirt and take a few laps around Comerica Park's field!!

Amazing.

The Twins have crushed it all year long and are a legitimate threat to take down the Yankees and the Astros in the American League's postseason next month.

Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez will face a Pennsylvania judge Wednesday in his child sex case -- where he's expected to enter a plea to charges he sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl.

TMZ Sports has obtained Vazquez's new mug shot ahead of his court hearing ... and, as you can see, the Pirates' All-Star closer has definitely seen better days.

Vazquez is facing 3 felony charges in Pennsylvania -- statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with minor and corruptions of minors.

He's also facing 1 misdemeanor charge -- assault of a person less than 16.

As we previously reported, Vazquez is accused of having sex with a 13-year-old girl in his Mustang in Pennsylvania back in 2017.

Officials say the 28-year-old also sent the girl graphic videos and photos -- and told her in text messages he was planning to have sex with her again.

The texts were discovered by the alleged victim's mother -- who alerted police. Investigators say the images depicted numerous "unique and distinguishable" tattoos on his body ... which they were able to match to Vazquez through public images on the Internet.

Cops claim Vazquez admitted to the crime during a Sept. 17 interrogation ... telling investigators he had "sex but not really" with the victim.

Meanwhile, in Florida -- where the alleged victim claims she received the lewd text messages -- he's facing 2 felony charges ... 1) giving obscene material to a minor and 2) soliciting a child for unlawful sexual conduct.

A hearing in Florida has not been scheduled -- we're told officials will closely monitor the case in Pennsylvania before making any major decisions.

Vazquez is a 2-time All-Star who was having a great season for the Pirates in 2019. He currently has a 1.65 ERA, 28 saves and 90 strikeouts. He signed a 4-year, $22.5 million contract in 2018.

Yankees legend David Cone is calling Domingo German's domestic violence investigation a "sad" situation ... and tells TMZ Sports losing the pitcher is going to really affect NY.

"It's sad," Cone says. "The whole thing is sad. I don't know what the details are, but it really hurts the Yankees."

German was placed on Administrative Leave by the MLB last Thursday after an allegation of domestic violence was reported to the league.

No police report was filed in the incident ... and details of the accusation are still unclear -- but what is known is German seems VERY unlikely to pitch again in pinstripes this season.

Cone obviously thinks that's a pretty big loss for the Yanks ... 'cause the 27-year-old was 18-4 with 153 strikeouts in 143 innings -- and NY's pitching staff ain't exactly the best.

But, good news for Yankees fans ... Cone seems pretty confident CC Sabathia can pick up the slack, 'cause he tells us the guy is 1st-ballot Hall of Famer with an unreal resume.

"I think he's one of the best pitchers of his generation," Cone says.

Lenny Dykstra will NOT fight Bagel Guy Chris Morgan ... the ex-MLB star has pulled out of the celebrity boxing match just DAYS before it was set to go down.

Dykstra had been promoting the Sept. 28 event for weeks -- he's been training, trash-talking ... he even shoved Morgan during a face-off earlier this month.

But now, it's all over ... Lenny went on Howard Stern Monday morning to make the announcement himself -- "Unfortunately, the fight will not happen."

Lenny's attorney, John Pierce, issued a statement explaining Dykstra pulled out to focus on preparing for his upcoming trial, stemming from a malpractice suit.

As we previously reported, Lenny filed a $15 million lawsuit against L.A. County and several deputies claiming he was badly beaten while serving a jail sentence in 2012.

Now, he's suing the Boucher Law Firm -- which represented him in his lawsuit -- and his new attorney believes the boxing match would be too big of a distraction with that legal issue on the horizon.

Dykstra's attorney says ... "The fight will not be rescheduled."

We're told "Bagel Guy" wants a new opponent -- after all, he's been training with UFC stars like Chris Weidman and Al Iaquinta ... and he wants to unleash the fury on someone!

Stay tuned ...

Pennsylvania State Police say MLB pitcher Felipe Vazquez suspected the victim in his child solicitation case was underage when he first met her ... but he had sex with her anyway.

TMZ Sports has obtained the police criminal complaint filed by the Penn. State Police in which troopers detail an interview with Vazquez on the morning of Sept. 17, the day he was arrested.

When speaking with cops, the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher says he initially refused to communicate with the girl "due to her age" ... noting, "she appeared to be 16 years of age or younger."

In the documents, cops say the girl told investigators they began communicating over social media in 2017 when she was only 13 years old.

She claims Vazquez escalated the situation by driving to her Pennsylvania home in August 2017 with the intention of having sex with her.

The girl claims Vazquez invited her into his red Mustang and then began to make sexual moves on her ... at one point trying to have vaginal sex.

Both the girl and Vazquez acknowledge he penetrated her with his penis but they stopped almost immediately -- and he left claiming he had to get ready for a game that night.

When Vazquez spoke with cops, he told investigators that the girl initiated the sexual contact that day.

Cops say in July 2019, Vazquez sent her a text message, sexual in nature, expressing a desire to finish what they started.

Vazquez was arrested on Tuesday and he's facing multiple felonies in 2 states including felony statutory sexual assault, felony unlawful contact with a minor and felony solicitation of a child.

He's currently in custody.

Pirates ace Chris Archer appeared floored by the child sexual assault allegations against his teammate, Felipe Vazquez ... saying the crimes he's accused of are "heinous" and he hopes they're not true.

"I do have a 14-year-old sister," Archer told media in the Pirates' clubhouse before taking on the Mariners in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. "So, it's something that hits home."

Vazquez was arrested Tuesday morning after authorities in both Pennsylvania and Florida say they have evidence he tried to have a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old girl.

Felipe is facing MULTIPLE serious charges ... including felony statutory sexual assault, felony unlawful contact with a minor and felony solicitation of a child.

When Archer spoke about the accusations, he told media members, "In the U.S., you're innocent until proven guilty. So, until due process is completely played out, we're hoping that this stuff's not true."

But, Archer added, "These allegations are very, very serious."

Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle also spoke with reporters hours after Vazquez was arrested ... but would only say, "It's in our best interest to not have any comment."

As for Felipe, his attorney told WTAE in Pennsylvania they're reviewing the charges and have no comment on the allegations at this time.

Vazquez is currently being held in Allegheny County Jail after a judge denied his bail Tuesday afternoon.

CC Sabathia says a World Series win to end his career this year would be epic ... telling TMZ Sports, "That's storybook right there."

The Yankees starting pitcher is calling it quits once NY's season ends this fall -- and he's hoping he can ride off into the sunset with one more championship ring on his finger.

"2009 is my ultimate Yankee moment," Sabathia said at his LegaCCy Gala in NY on Monday.

"But, getting another chance to win on the way out, I mean, man. I don't know, that's storybook right there."

The Yanks certainly have a good shot to do it ... everyone in the baseball world thinks they're one of three teams -- alongside the Astros and Dodgers -- that should win it all this year.

Didi Gregorious says a season-ending foot surgery ain't going to hurt Mike Trout's MVP chances ... the Yankees shortstop tells TMZ Sports the Angels star is definitely deserving of the award!!

"I mean, he got good numbers, right?" Didi says ... "Why not?!"

Trout had been having a historic season until a foot injury this month cost him his final at-bats of the year ... but a lot of people are saying he still deserves the MVP award.

Count Didi in as one of those guys ... 'cause he says Trout's 45 homers, 104 RBIs and .294 batting average are more than good enough to lock up the honor.

Of course, it's high praise from Didi ... seeing as most people consider his NY teammate, DJ LeMahieu the other favorite for the AL's MVP.

Sorry, Jacob deGrom ... you are NOT the NL's Cy Young winner this year -- so says Orel Hershiser -- who tells TMZ Sports Hyun-Jin Ryu is actually most deserving!!!

Of course, Orel's biased ... the dude is a Dodgers legend and is currently broadcasting L.A.'s games -- but he swears Ryu is the best pitcher in the National League this season.

"My mind and my heart say that," Orel tells us.

Ryu REALLY struggled in four of his last five starts -- hitting a slump that caused his ERA to balloon up from sub-2.00 to 2.35 -- which made a lot of pundits to hop off his Cy Young bandwagon.

But, Hershiser thinks that's a mistake, telling us, "If he would have spread out his slump over a time period, you would have said, 'Oh, he's had the better year.'"

As for who else is in the running for the award, Orel says it's down to Ryu, deGrom, Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg in the NL.

Cody Bellinger ain't sure about the MVP debate ... but he is positive about the "MCP" one -- the Dodgers star tells TMZ Sports Christian Yelich is the MLB's "Most Consistent Player" in 2019.

Bellinger and Yelich have gone pretty much swing for swing this season -- at least until Yelich broke his kneecap last week -- leading to an intense debate for who should win the NL's MVP award.

When we got Bellinger out in NYC ... he told us he ain't concerned about winning the honor -- but he says the Brewers superstar certainly deserves the title of "most consistent" at the very least.

"He's probably the most consistent player in the game, for sure," Bellinger says.

Of course, Yelich is done for the season after fouling a ball off his right knee last week ... but his numbers are still incredible -- especially side-by-side with Bellinger's ...

Yelich: 100 runs, 44 home runs, 97 RBIs, 30 stolen bases and a .329 batting average

Bellinger: 112 runs, 44 home runs, 108 RBIs, 12 stolen bases and a .304 batting average

As for Yelich's injury, Bellinger says it "definitely was" a big loss for the game.

"You know what's going to happen in the 9th inning, but it takes five hours to get there!"

Yankees legend Ron Guidry clearly dislikes watching the MLB these days ... telling TMZ Sports games just take too damn long to finish!!

We got the ex-pitcher out in NYC when he told us straight-up, "The game has changed, and it's long, and it makes it harder to watch because it's so long."

The MLB has been accused of juicing baseballs this season in order to see more offense ... but all the home runs and scoring has led to much longer days at the park.

Guidry says it's really killing the game ... and he thinks more needs to be done to help speed things up.

His solution to the problem? "Let the pitchers pitch."

Johnny Damon is going to bat for fired Red Sox exec Dave Dombrowski ... telling TMZ Sports, "Dombrowski is a very good GM, very honest."

Boston made the shocking move just a few days ago to can their team's president of baseball operations -- just 10 months after he won the World Series.

Reporters out in Beantown are perplexed by the move ... and nobody seems to have a definitive answer as to why the dude was fired after having so much success since he was hired in 2015.

When we got Damon out in NYC on Wednesday ... he said of the surprising move, "[The Red Sox] must know something else that's going on."

But, Damon ain't concerned that this will be a death blow for Dombrowski ... he played for the guy in Detroit in 2010 -- and says Dave's a really good GM.

"If he wants another job, he'll find another job," Damon says ... "I hope for him the best."

As for what he thinks ultimately went wrong in Boston -- Damon seems to think bullpen issues cost Dave his job, saying, "He wasn't given a closer this year and their setup guy was a headache."

The MLB barred the Mets from wearing NYPD hats during their game Wednesday ... so Pete Alonso took matters into his own hands, and bought his whole team custom 9/11 cleats instead.

The rookie MLB superstar wanted his squad to do something special to remember the tragedy Wednesday ... and thought wearing unique NYPD and FDNY hats would be awesome.

But, after the MLB told him no (they've denied teams from wearing the caps during actual game play every year) ... Alonso skirted the rules by getting his squad amazing spikes.

"It's really important and it's just a little gift from me to my teammates," Alonso said. "I'm really happy that everyone wore the shoes. We could've gotten fined for it, but everyone was willing to back up the cause."

The cleats were awesome ... some of them featured American flags, some had World Trade Center pictures on them, and some said, "We Will NEVER Forget."

"No one really knows how deep those emotional scars can be," Alonso said of the spikes.

"Living here, just kind of interacting with everybody, I've tried to immerse myself in the New York living. I see traces of it every single day. Little bits and pieces of it ... I just want to show recognition to all the people who are heroes."

"#911 ... Neither here nor there, but just think: If you were born on that terrible day, tonight is your last night of being jailbait anywhere in this country"

Yep, those words were tweeted out from Lenny Dykstra's verified Twitter account the day before the 18th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

Yeah, that's bad ... yet somehow, it was made even worse because the tweet included a map of the U.S. showing the age of consent in each of the 50 states.

Bad.

But, the ex-MLB slugger INSISTS his fingers were not responsible for typing those words -- instead, blaming the whole thing on his "college-student intern."

Of course, there was blowback from some rightfully offended people ... so Dykstra went back to Twitter to try and explain his way out of this.

"The college-student intern responsible for the tweet about age of consent and 18 years since 9/11 is going to be taking a break to focus on schoolwork," Dykstra said.

"I had indeed mentioned to her how quickly time had flown by. She meant no harm and will learn from the experience."

Right ...

Nick Swisher is heartbroken Christian Yelich won't return to the diamond this season after hurting his knee ... and he tells TMZ Sports he thinks the Brewers might be done after the devastating injury.

"I don't know, man," Swisher says. "That's a big hurdle to get over at this point in time."

Yelich -- arguably the front-runner for the National League's MVP award -- fouled a ball off his right knee Tuesday night ... and after the game, the Brewers said he'd be done for the season with a broken kneecap.

When we got Swisher out in NYC on Wednesday ... he told us things are looking grim for the Brew Crew's playoff chances now with their superstar out of the lineup.

But, Nick ain't completely slamming the door on Milwaukee's chances to make the postseason ... telling us, "At the end of the day, man, it's September baseball."

"Anytime you're playing good baseball in September, you feel pretty good about that."

The Brewers are just ONE GAME out of the second Wild Card spot in the NL ... and they are getting stars Mike Moustakas and Keston Hiura back this week -- so maybe there is a chance!!!

Vin Scully is one of the most legendary broadcasters in sports history ... and you can own the piece of paper that literally got him hired by the Dodgers 70 years ago -- if your bank account's fat enough.

This is awesome ... back in December 1949, 22-year-old Vincent Scully typed a 2-page letter and sent it to Brooklyn Dodgers President Branch Rickey -- the man who years earlier signed Jackie Robinson.

In the letter -- now on the auction block at SCP Auctions -- Scully wrote, "I am applying to you for a job in connection with your broadcasting and television programs" ... offering his services for a 3-year period.

Scully's salary demand ... "wages at the rate of $100.00 per week" for the 1950 season.

Vin asked Rickey to sign the letter if the terms were acceptable ... and that would "constitute a contract" between the announcer and organization.

Branch signed the papers ... and Scully joined the booth in '50 with Red Barber and Connie Desmond.

The rest is history ... Scully eventually became the lead man in the Dodgers booth and called the team's games for 67 years.

And, it all started with a letter authored by a 22-year-old kid ... that's now up for auction and expected to sell for over $20k.

Happy bidding.