Baseball

More terrible allegations against MLB pitcher Felipe Vazquez -- the Pirates star has just been hit with multiple child pornography charges in his already disturbing child sex case.

The 28-year-old All-Star showed up to a Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania courtroom on Tuesday with shackles on his ankles and wrists ... and was reportedly looking to be released on bond after he was arrested back in September for allegedly sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl.

But, not only did a judge not let him out of jail Tuesday -- prosecutors announced they were bringing 21 new charges against Vasquez.

Among the new crimes ... Vasquez has been hit with 10 counts of child pornography, 10 counts of unlawful contact with a minor and 1 count of corruption of minors.

In court docs, authorities say they found photos and videos of the alleged underage victim in "various stages of nudity" in Vazquez's phone.

All 21 charges are listed as 3rd-degree felonies ... which carry a maximum of 7 years in prison each if Vazquez is convicted.

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

Officials say the MLB closer 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.

Vazquez was initially charged with 3 felonies in Pennsylvania -- including statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor and corruption of minors.

Vazquez is also facing 2 felony charges in the case in Florida -- where the alleged victim's mom initially reported the relationship to authorities.

Vazquez is a 2-time All-Star who had a great season for the Pirates in 2019. He signed a 4-year, $22.5 million contract in 2018.

Got tissues nearby? Better go grab 'em ... 'cause Cody Bellinger started crying after winning the NL MVP award Thursday -- and he says it's all 'cause of a celebration hug with his dad!!!

"That's what made me emotional right there for sure," Bellinger said.

The LA Dodgers superstar had an unbelievable year in 2019 ... hitting 47 home runs with 115 RBIs while batting .305 -- and he earned the MVP award over Christian Yelich because of it.

When MLB Network had Cody on shortly after to talk about the honor ... the outfielder couldn't hide his emotions -- saying an embrace with his pops made him break down.

"It's what you dream of, man," Bellinger said.

Of course, Cody and his dad, Clay, are SUPER tight ... Poppa Bellinger is a former MLB player who Cody has often credited for his ultra-successful baseball career.

Cody also had a bunch of other family and friends join him for the celebration ... and he called the whole moment, "pretty cool."

"It's absolutely incredible," Bellinger said ... "A little emotional. So, it's pretty cool."

The Houston Astros have launched an investigation into claims the team cheated during the 2017 MLB season ... the same year they won the World Series.

Former 'Stros pitcher Mike Fiers said in an article posted by The Athletic on Tuesday that he personally witnessed Astros players going above and beyond to steal signs from opposing teams back in '17.

"That’s not playing the game the right way," said Fiers, a current Oakland A's pitcher who left Houston after the 2017 season. “They were advanced and willing to go above and beyond to win.”

The Athletic, citing multiple MLB sources, reports Houston used an outfield camera to record other team's catchers ... and watched video of the footage in the clubhouse hallway.

The report states Astros staffers and players would then try to decode the signals ... and when they felt they had them down, they would relay the expected upcoming pitches to batters using a loud banging noise.

The report claims the alleged cheating took place during the regular season ... but says it's unclear if it continued during the Astros' epic playoff run that year.

Houston released a statement saying they're looking into the matter, writing, "The Houston Astros organization has begun an investigation in cooperation with Major League Baseball."

"It would not be appropriate to comment further on this matter at this time."

Of course, the 'Stros have become no stranger to controversial MLB investigations ... just a few weeks ago they fired high-ranking exec Brandon Taubman after a probe revealed he directed taunts about Roberto Osuna to female journalists.

Wanna see how far one of the MLB's best power hitters can launch a golf ball??

Good ... 'cause Minnesota Twins slugger Nelson Cruz pulled out the driver at a Top Golf earlier this month -- AND HE SENT A BALL TO THE FREAKIN' MOON!!!!

The Babe Ruthian swing all went down on Nov. 1, when Cruz was getting in some offseason golf hacks at the range.

Cruz only posted one video ... but it was seriously epic -- he blasted a ball that appeared to clear the top of the netting some 300-ish yards away!!!

Of course, Cruz is 6-foot-2, 230 pounds and is used to killin' balls ... he's hit 37 or more home runs in the MLB for 6 straight seasons.

But, it ain't like power in one sport always translates to another ... just ask 6-foot-6, 284-pound NBA beast Zion Williamson, who REALLY sucks at golf!!!

As for Cruz, the 39-year-old seemed impressed with himself after the hack ... writing on his social media page, "¿Futuro golfista?"

Everyone wants to know if Cleveland Indians superstar Francisco Lindor will sign a new deal to keep him in CLE after the 2021 season.

So, we asked him about that ... and this video could have Indians Nation super worried!

Here's the deal ... Lindor was out in NYC this weekend and was super nice to our camera guy and other fans, talking about everything MLB related.

He gave love to Cleveland and called it "my home" -- but when we pressed him about staying with the Indians long term ... well, that's when the cat got his tongue.

Watch the video ... Lindor is chatty about every other topic except when we specifically asked about his career in Cleveland.

Of course, Lindor -- who's one of the 10 best hitters in the sport -- has a very uncertain future in Cleveland ... Indians owner Paul Dolan has already hinted he ain't willing to give the shortstop the FAT contract extension he probably deserves.

In fact, Dolan famously said before this past season, "Enjoy him. We control him for three more years. Enjoy him and then we’ll see what happens."

So, is Lindor's silence speaking volumes ... or is this a big ol' nothingburger?

It's not just the Indians fans in our office feeling some sort of way ... and even the non-CLE crowd was shocked by the non-answer answer.

Johnny Damon says players like Sean Doolittle and Steph Curry should NOT ditch The White House because of President Trump ... telling TMZ Sports it's the perfect time to make their voices heard with the leader of the free world!

Of course, it's become a major debate in sports ... with huge athletes boycotting celebratory visits to 1600 Penn. as a way to stick it to POTUS.

So, when we saw Damon, we spoke with the ex-Yankees superstar about some Washington Nationals players like Doolittle, Anthony Rendon and more deciding to sit out the trip last weekend ... and JD says that's the WRONG thing to do.

"That's one of the things you wanted to do when you won the World Series was go to The White House, regardless of what political affiliation you may or may not have," Damon told us outside Capitale in NYC.

"I think it's a great thing and if you do have an issue, that's the greatest time to talk about the issues that you see and try to make things work."

Damon says there's too much hate going around between both sides ... and refusing to talk it out isn't gonna make anything better.

"I'm glad the Nationals went there. I'm glad there was a great support for the president. I hope other teams elect to go in the future so they can talk about the issues that are bothering them."

As for those who DID go to The White House ... the visit looked, uh, interesting. Just ask Kurt Suzuki.

Giancarlo Stanton is ready for two more superstar teammates ... the Yankees outfielder tells TMZ Sports he wants NYY to sign BOTH Gerrit Cole AND Stephen Strasburg!!

"You can never go wrong with Cole and Strasburg!" Stanton says.

The two stud pitchers are set to be free agents this offseason after epic playoff runs for the Astros and Nats respectively ... and when we got Stanton outside of Il Pastaio, he made his Pinstripes pitch to both guys.

"I'm pretty sure Gerrit grew up a Yankees fan, so he'd always like to do that," Stanton tells us. "And, Stras, we debuted together, so he'd like that!"

As for if there'd be any jealousy in a clubhouse full of superstars adding TWO MORE to the mix ... Stanton says hell no, telling us, "You can never have too many!"

So, could it actually happen? Maybe. Both guys are reportedly in line for some MASSIVE contracts, and everyone knows the Yankees have the cash to bring in big free agents.

By the way, Stanton -- who only played in 18 of 162 regular season games -- also tells us he's ALREADY working to make sure a repeat of his injury-shortened 2019 season doesn't happen again next year.

The 29-year-old slugger says he's trying to start his workouts WAY earlier this offseason ... and showed us he's serious about it -- already decked out in gym attire!

Alex Rodriguez says the Mets are going to be SUPER HAPPY with their new manager, Carlos Beltran ... telling TMZ Sports he thinks the guy is "a baseball savant."

"The Mets are going to love him," A-Rod says.

New York has stumbled the last few years with Mickey Callaway and Terry Collins running the dugout ... but Rodriguez seems convinced 42-year-old Beltran will turn things around next year.

Of course, A-Rod is a bit biased -- dude played with Carlos for a few years with the Yankees earlier this decade -- but he swears the ex-outfielder will kill it with the Mets.

"Love Carlos," Rodriguez says. "Great hire. Great person. New Yorker. His wife, Jessica, lives right here in the city. And, he's a baseball savant. I think the Mets are going to love him."

As for Beltran having NO managing experience heading into the gig ... Rodriguez says he has zero concerns about growing pains, telling us, "He'll do great, he'll do great."

By the way, Rodriguez has some new beginnings going on this week too ... he was out in NYC promoting his new show, "Back In The Game," which debuts Wednesday night.

Washington Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki tells TMZ Sports he had a BLAST at the White House with President Trump ... even with that bizarre hug from POTUS!

You know the hug ... when Trump basically recreated that famous "Titanic" shot with the catcher while honoring the World Series champs earlier this week. Weird!

"We all had a good time," 36-year-old Suzuki said ... while revealing he had no idea Trump was going to hit him with the sneak embrace!

There was some controversy surrounding the trip -- a handful of Nationals players (including Sean Doolittle, Anthony Rendon, Joe Ross and Javy Guerra) refused to attend the White House ceremony as a way of protesting Trump.

And, since Suzuki rocked a red MAGA hat during the ceremony, we asked if there is now a divide among the players.

"I love all my teammates, brother," Suzuki told us ... noting that he had a great time with the teammates who joined him at 1600 Penn.

We asked Suzuki if he planned on wearing his MAGA again in the future and he told us, "I'll be wearing my Washington Nationals hat."

Carlos Correa is holding out hope Gerrit Cole resigns with the Houston Astros ... telling TMZ Sports having the stud pitcher back in 2020 "would be great."

Of course, that might be wishful thinking at this point ... Cole's behavior after the Astros lost the World Series certainly suggests he'll be on someone else's mound next year.

If ya missed it ... Cole wore a Scott Boras hat -- NOT an Astros one -- to his post-World Series loss presser and wrote a note on social media shortly after that sounded like a farewell to Houston.

But, when we got Correa out in NYC this weekend, the 'Stros star shortstop told us he's got high hopes that Houston's execs can find a way to bring the ace back.

"I hope so," Correa said. "That'd be great."

As for how Carlos is handling the loss to the Nationals ... he told us the squad's already thinking about next season -- and he also gave some props to Washington for the W.

"They competed, they played great -- so congratulations to them."

By the way, Carlos says while he's already gearing up for 2020 ... he ain't quite hitting the bench press or the squat rack just yet.

IT'S RAINING (LARGE) MEN, HALLELUJAH!!!!

The fat guy who slid on the Washington Nationals dugout after the World Series is BLOWING UP!!!

He just got invited to do the weather for FOX 5 in Washington D.C. ... and man, he crushed it!!

In fact, the Nats super-fan -- real name Jason Turner -- channeling his inner Hulk Hogan on live TV, tearing off his shirt and chest bumping FOX 5's Tucker Barnes!!

Turner almost bumped Barnes off the set -- and then turned to the cam and shouted out the MLB champs!!

Of course, Turner's quick rise to social media stardom started Thursday night when he hit up Nationals Park in D.C. to watch a live screening of Game 7 of the World Series, which took place in Houston.

As the Nationals made the final out, Turner tore off his shirt and belly flopped across a dugout in the rain. It was awesome!

Ex-MLB star Jim Edmonds is adamant he did NOT cheat on his reality star wife with their nanny ... saying rumors are "disgusting and irresponsible."

The St. Louis Cardinals legend is reportedly splitting from 'Real Housewives of Orange County' star Meghan King Edmonds after 5 years of marriage ... and there are rumblings it's all over Jim's alleged infidelity.

And, when a fan referenced the alleged nanny-banging on social media over the weekend, Meghan commented with a thumbs-up emoji, adding fuel to the fire.

Now, 49-year-old Jim is breaking his silence ... coming out swinging hard against the allegations and seemingly taking veiled shots at Meghan as well.

"It’s one thing to be accused of something. It’s another thing to be so negligent and so careless, and ruin the lives of innocent young people," Jim said on Instagram.

"I did not sleep with our nanny."

"She’s not just a nanny, she is someone that we brought into our house and promised to protect and look after while she was in our home. We have been treating and raising this young girl like she is our own child! For someone to accuse me of sleeping with her is not only wrong, it’s disgusting and irresponsible."

Edmonds continued ... "Just because I am an athlete and I was portrayed as a bad person on bravo TV. Doesn’t mean I dont have a clue what life is all about."

"We made a promise to that young girls mom, that We would take care of her and make sure that she was safe while she was in our hands. I will not sit here and take this bulls**t without fighting back."

Here's where it seems Jim goes after Meghan -- who reportedly filed for divorce last week -- though he never mentions her by name.

"Just because you’re extremely whitty and intelligent, and know how to play the Instagram game. Doesn’t give you the right to use that platform to wrongfully accuse."

"Not only is it irresponsible. It is dangerous and puts my family in harms way."

Donald Trump wasn't welcomed warmly at the World Series on Sunday ... some fans hung "Impeach Trump!" banners in the stands while others booed the president relentlessly.

POTUS made his first appearance at the Astros-Nationals series in Game 5 at Nationals Park in D.C. ... and he was almost immediately hit with negativity.

When 45 was shown on the jumbotron, cameras caught fans booing him loudly ... with a "Lock him up!" chant breaking out in parts of the stadium.

Later in the evening, several people -- including some in Nationals hats -- unfurled multiple "Impeach Trump!" banners ... tying them to stadium railings.

There was more ... at one point during the game, fans behind home plate held up "Veterans For Impeachment" signs too.

Unclear if Trump saw or heard any of it (there haven't been any tweets from the Prez about the game yet) ... but footage from the night appeared to show Trump looking uncomfortable.

As for the game, things didn't go much better for the hometown team -- the Nationals got destroyed 7-1 -- and are now down 3-2 in the series.

The MLB umpire who vowed to buy an AR-15 and declare a civil war if President Trump was impeached is now apologizing ... saying he didn't "realize the violence in those words."

Rob Drake -- who's been working MLB games since 1999 -- created a firestorm this week when he tweeted, "I will be buying an AR-15 tomorrow, because if you impeach MY PRESIDENT this way, YOU WILL HAVE ANOTHER CIVAL WAR!!! #MAGA2020."

Drake deleted the tweet ... but it was too late -- people were going crazy over it.

Now, after the MLB Umpires Association condemned the tweet, Drake has issued an apology ... acknowledging he screwed up big time.

"I want to personally apologize to everyone that my words made feel less safe," Drake said.

"I especially want to apologize to every person who has been affected by gun violence in our country."

"I also acknowledge and apologize for the controversy this has brought to Major League Baseball, my fellow umpires and my family. I never intended to diminish the threat of violence from assault weapons, or violence of any kind."

Drake continued, "I'm going to learn from this. Once I read what I had tweeted I realized the violence in those words and have since deleted it. I know that I cannot unsay the words, but please accept my sincerest apologies."

The Houston Astros just fired their assistant GM Brandon Taubman -- saying an investigation revealed he did, in fact, direct inappropriate comments toward female reporters during a locker room celebration.

As we previously reported, several journalists claimed Taubman screamed, "I’m so f*cking glad we got Osuna!'" at a group of women in what was interpreted as a verbal taunt.

The backstory ... the Astros traded for Osuna after he was accused of domestic violence while he was a member of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Houston had received backlash for acquiring the all-star closer ... and after he helped the 'Stros earn a trip to the World Series last week -- Taubman's comments were interpreted as a middle finger to his critics.

But, the reporters didn't find the comments appropriate at all ... and despite initially defending Taubman, the Astros say a probe revealed their top-ranking exec was in the wrong.

"Our initial investigation led us to believe that Brandon Taubman's inappropriate comments were not directed toward any reporter. We were wrong," the team said in a statement.

"We sincerely apologize to Stephanie Apstein, Sports Illustrated and to all individuals who witnessed this incident or were offended by the inappropriate conduct. The Astros in no way intended to minimize the issues related to domestic violence."

The team added, "Our initial belief was based on witness statements about the incident. Subsequent interviews have revealed that Taubman's inappropriate comments were, in fact, directed toward one or more reporters."

"Accordingly we have terminated Brandon Taubman's employment with the Houston Astros. His conduct does not reflect the values of our organization and we believe this is the most appropriate course of action."

NY Congressman Peter King says MLB ump Rob Drake was WRONG to tweet about buying an AR-15 and threatening a civil war ... telling TMZ Sports free speech goes out the window when you start inciting violence.

Drake tweeted and deleted the controversial message Tuesday, saying "I will be buying an AR-15 tomorrow, because if you impeach MY PRESIDENT this way, YOU WILL HAVE ANOTHER CIVAL WAR!!! #MAGA2020”

The MLB has launched an investigation into the matter ... and Drake has since gone radio silent.

We spoke with Rep. King about the issue on Thursday ... and while he says he fully supports free speech, King thinks Drake crossed a line.

"I think people should have a very wide range of what they can say. There is free speech," King told us while pointing out he fully supports Rockets GM Daryl Morey and Shaquille O'Neal speaking out in support of the Hong Kong protests

"But, I think if you're talking about anything that comes close to inciting violence, that's where I draw the line. Nobody should be talking about AR-15s. Not in a democracy."

While the MLB investigates, the MLB Umpires Union released a statement on Drake's tweet, saying "He chose the wrong way to convey his opinion about our great country. His posting does not represent the view of the MLBUA or reflect those of the umpires we represent."