Baseball

Did the Chicago Cubs just draft the next Randy Johnson?!?!

Maybe ... because they selected a 6'8" left-handed pitcher on Thursday who touches 105 MPH with his fastball!!!

Meet Luke Little ... a Texas junior college player whose arm is so electric, he went in the fourth round to the Cubs during the MLB's draft this week.

Check out some recent video of the 19-year-old pummeling a catcher's mitt from the top of a mound ... he hits 100 with ease -- getting all the way up to 105 on one throw!!!

So, just how crazy is the feat? Well, there ain't many who can climb up over 100 in baseball ... and there are even fewer who do it left-handed, with Randy Johnson, Chris Sale and Aroldis Chapman being the only (consistent) ones recently.

Little's got a long way to go before he's doing it in The Show like those guys ... but he was fired up after the draft pick Thursday, saying, "A dream in the making! Go @Cubs"

Ex-Astros bench coach Alex Cora is breaking his silence on the 2017 sign-stealing scandal ... saying the ENTIRE team was responsible for cheating, and he shouldn't be the only one taking the blame.

Of course, Cora received a season-long suspension and lost his gig as manager of the Boston Red Sox after the MLB's investigation determined he and player Carlos Beltran played major roles in the Astros' complex sign-stealing scheme.

Although Astros manager A.J. Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow lost their jobs as well ... Cora wants to make it clear he and Beltran were NOT acting alone -- and the whole team was in on it.

"If there is one thing I am absolutely sure of, it is that it was not a two-man show," Cora told ESPN. "We all did it. And let me be very clear that I am not denying my responsibility, because we were all responsible."

Cora says he fully deserved his suspension ... but hints he's not happy with the lack of more punishment being handed down.

"We made a mistake as a group, the entire [Astros] team. What happened was something that, if you ask anyone involved, no one is proud of it. We're all at fault. Everybody. We're all responsible."

"Everyone who was part of the team from around mid-May until the end of the season, we are all responsible."

As for those who claim the Astros 2017 World Series title is tainted ... Cora doesn't disagree.

"I understand why people think that our championship is not valid, and it's our fault that they think that. I am being honest and I apologize for what happened and for the mistakes we made as a group."

"I understand why people are disappointed. I am disappointed in myself. At the time, one doesn't think about the consequences. It was something that kept growing and growing, and in the end, it was wrong."

Ever wanted to stuff your face with a burger filled with cotton candy and Cracker Jacks!?!?

Us neither ... but a South Carolina minor league baseball team is giving you the opportunity to do it anyway -- and it looks as gross as it sounds!!!

(COUNTERPOINT: The person editing this post -- a proud junk food-aholic -- disagrees and thinks the burger looks BOMB AS HELL!! Put it in my faaaaaaace!!!!!).

Here's the deal ... the Charleston RiverDogs have been doing some awesome things during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering food for their community while also providing meals for the needy.

This week, in an effort to spice up their takeout menu at the ballpark ... they concocted a hamburger nobody was asking for -- and they seem proud as hell of it.

The burger features a bun, special sauce, an Angus beef patty, a rich slathering of cotton candy ... and it's all topped off with some flavored Cracker Jacks.

Yeah, ew.

(COUNTERPOINT: Inject this straight into my veins!!!!!)

If that somehow intrigues you ... the team says it'll only cost ya $12.99 -- and hey, it even comes with truffle fries!!!

We'll pass on that one ... but if you don't -- get the dentist appointment ready STAT!!!

The Red Sox say Torii Hunter is right ... their fans DO spew racial hatred from the stands at players -- and now, the MLB squad is vowing to make organizational changes to fix it.

Hunter -- a former Minnesota Twins superstar -- said this week he heard constant slurs and hatred from Red Sox fans at Fenway Park throughout his career.

In fact, the 9-time Gold Glove outfielder said it got so bad, he actually put a no-trade-to-Boston clause in his contracts.

Hunter even said on WEEI's "Greg Hill Show" earlier this week that in one game alone, several kids at Fenway chanted the n-word at him while parents clapped and cheered along.

In a statement released Wednesday afternoon, the Red Sox didn't even try to refute the outfielder's claims ... saying they're straight-up well aware of what's going down at their park.

"Torii Hunter's experience is real," Sox officials said. "If you doubt him because you've never heard it yourself, take it from us, it happens."

"Last year there were 7 reported incidents at Fenway Park where fans used racial slurs. Those are just the ones we know about. And it's not only players. It happens to the dedicated Black employees who work for us on game days."

The good news? The Red Sox say in addition to the heavy penalties they've already put in place for racism in the stands -- they're now going to make broad, organizational changes to help erase the issue altogether.

"There are well-established consequences for fans who use racial slurs and hate speech in our venue, and we know we have more work to do. This small group of fans does not represent who we are, but are rather a reflection of larger systematic issues that as an organization we need to address."

Carl Crawford has been arrested for felony domestic violence in Texas stemming from a May incident where he allegedly choked his ex-girlfriend at gunpoint ... this according to court documents obtained by TMZ Sports.

The alleged victim claims she had recently broken up with the former MLB star after a two-and-a-half-year relationship, but agreed to meet with him on May 8 at her Houston, Texas apartment to talk things out.

When Crawford arrived, the woman claims he removed a semi-automatic handgun from his pocket. She then claims Crawford "unloaded the clip and ejected a round of the pistol and began walking towards her holding the firearm."

The woman says Crawford was visibly upset ... and claims the former MLB star began interrogating her, warning her that "if she lied to him that he was going to hurt her."

The woman says she tried to leave her apartment ... but says Crawford pushed her down to the ground in the hallway.

Crawford, per the docs, then "held the gun in one hand, and used the other hand to grab her by the head and neck, while asking her how long she had been dating a male acquaintance."

When she says she replied that she only knew the other man for a week, she claims Crawford accused her of lying and slammed her head against the wall several times.

While still holding the gun, Crawford allegedly began to squeeze the woman's neck while asking, "how long had she been having sex with the male."

The woman says she felt like she was about to pass out when her 1-year-old daughter walked over to her, which allegedly distracted Crawford long enough for her to get up and flee the scene.

She claims Crawford also fled, but left his gun at the scene. Cops were called -- and according to the docs, they observed pink areas on the woman's neck and an injury to her right hand.

After the incident, the woman says Crawford continued to send her menacing text messages ... saying, "That wasn't a beating u just mad I made u confess."

Crawford also allegedly texted that he was paying someone to track down the other male.

Officials in Harris County hit Crawford with a charge of assault of a family member - impeding breathing ... and he surrendered to authorities on Thursday, June 4.

The 38-year-old is currently in custody ... being held on $10,000 bond.

We've reached out to Crawford's reps for comment ... but so far, no word back yet.

As we previously reported ... just days after the alleged incident, on May 16, a child and a woman tragically drowned at the former L.A. Dodgers outfielder's Houston, Texas home.

In a statement addressing the accident, Crawford wrote, "My Hearts Heavy. The tragic events that occurred at my home will be with me forever. I'm at a loss for words I've struggled all week to manage my emotions and I keep thinking of the families of those who've passed and their grief, I know they have it the hardest."

Dodgers Stadium was lit up for 8 minutes and 46 seconds Wednesday night ... and the team says it's all in an effort to pay tribute to George Floyd.

The MLB squad announced they turned on the lights at Chavez Ravine at 9 PM PT to stand in unity with "all Angelenos" who are outraged by Floyd's tragic death.

The 8 minutes and 46 seconds represent the same amount of time a Minneapolis cop had his knee on the neck of Floyd, before the 46-year-old ultimately passed away.

Thousands of others in L.A. joined in the light-up gesture ... with some individuals even stopping to pull out their phone's flashlights on city streets to honor Floyd.

"Tonight, the Dodgers joined families across Los Angeles in shining our Dodger Stadium lights into the sky at 9 pm for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in recognition of George Floyd," the team said in a statement.

"The Dodgers join all Angelenos in this peaceful display of unity to shine a light in the darkness."

The team and its players have consistently denounced racism and condemned police brutality since Floyd's death ... with star third baseman Justin Turner writing, "We will not pretend that we have personally experienced your struggle."

"But we will use our voice to speak out against racism and stand with you all."

The Dodgers also said in a team statement on June 1, "As we stood with Jackie Robinson to overcome the barrier of racism in our sport, we now stand with all Americans who will no longer tolerate the evils of racism and social injustice in our society."

Tim Tebow's ex-teammate just went scorched earth on the Mets over the former QB's 2016 signing ... calling the move a "mockery" and saying it only happened to help the team sell tickets.

Andrew Church -- a 2nd-round pick by the Mets in 2013 -- just exploded on his former squad after they officially released him this week ... taking aim at Tebow's signing in the rant.

“The Mets made a mockery of our team by putting a celebrity on it to sell more tickets,’’ Church wrote. "I saw players lose their jobs because of it."

He added, "We weren’t playing to win, we were playing to make everyone else money. Not the players. We never saw a cut. Well, allegedly one player did."

25-year-old Church never directly named Tebow in the post ... but it's pretty clear he's talking about the former Heisman Trophy winner -- whom Church was minor league teammates with in 2017.

Of course, Tim officially signed a minor league deal with the Mets in '16 ... and at the time, NY general manager Sandy Alderson said the move was strictly made because of Tim's baseball potential.

But, Alderson reportedly later admitted he inked Tim to a deal "partly because of his celebrity, partly because this is an entertainment business."

32-year-old Tebow has shown some flashes of being a potential big leaguer in his minor-league career ... but it's largely been a disappointment for the ex-NFL player -- he's batted .231 or worse in all but one of his seasons.

Church, meanwhile, also ripped the Mets for an injury he suffered in his career ... claiming they forced him to pitch when his body wasn't ready.

Church says he decided to go forward with his rant Thursday because "now that it’s officially over with them I’d like to say some things."

Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler has apologized for wearing a Blue Lives Matter mask in the wake of George Floyd's tragic death ... saying he "had no idea that the mask had any underlying inferences."

The 27-year-old MLB player posted a picture of himself in a mask featuring a Blue Lives Matter flag ... just days after people accused a Minneapolis cop of killing Floyd by putting his knee to the man's neck.

The mask -- which had a black and grey American flag with a blue stripe in it -- caused tremendous online backlash for Kepler ... but the Berlin, Germany native brushed off the criticism.

"✌️wasn’t aware what the mask supported. still not into politics" Max wrote.

But, that only caused MORE criticism for the MLB player ... and he finally addressed the issue formally in a lengthy statement on his social media page Thursday.

"Earlier, I posted a photo of me in a mask that was sent to me by a company, to wear during the pandemic," Kepler said. "I had no idea that the mask had any underlying inferences -- I simply thought it looked good."

"After I was informed, I immediately took down the post. I take complete responsibility for not knowing what I was wearing. I am truly sorry for the hurt and pain my actions have caused, especially now."

Kepler continued, "Racism has no place in our world and I do not in any way support the actions that we all witnessed that led to George Floyd’s passing. My sympathies are with the Floyd family."

The Twins have not addressed Kepler's picture directly ... but did release a statement of their own Thursday, saying, "We are deeply saddened by the tragic and senseless death of George Floyd Monday night in Minneapolis."

"The Minnesota Twins send our deepest sympathies to the Floyd family, and join our Twin Cities community in mourning."

Suspended MLB pitcher Felipe Vazquez -- who's already behind bars and facing more than 20 felonies in a child sex case -- has been hit with a new child porn charge in St. Louis, according to reports.

Remember, 28-year-old Vazquez was arrested back in September for allegedly sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl in 2017 ... and was also charged with sending nude pictures and videos of himself to the victim.

In docs, obtained by the Trib, Vazquez was charged with a count of "furnishing pornographic materials to a juvenile" in February ... a Class A misdemeanor.

According to the docs, the act allegedly went down from Vazquez's hotel room on July 16 ... when he sent nudes and a video of himself masturbating to a 15-year-old girl.

Worth noting ... the Pirates beat the Cardinals 3-1 that same day, and Vazquez recorded the save for Pittsburgh.

The Westmoreland County, PA Assistant DA told the Trib he believes the minor is the same girl at the center of Vazquez's other charges.

A collection of super-rare signed contracts for some of baseball's biggest names -- including Mickey Mantle and Hank Aaron -- is up for sale ... and they're all expected to go for insane prices!!

RR Auction tells TMZ Sports ... Mantle's 1953 deal with the New York Yankees (with a $17,500 salary) headlines the lot ... and the historic pieces of paper are estimated to land a $50k price tag.

Mantle's contract is signed "Mickey C. Mantle" ... in which the legend agrees to provide "skilled services as a baseball player during the year 1953," according to the paperwork.

"As one of Mantle's early Yankees contracts from a World Series season, this is an absolutely spectacular, museum-quality piece," Bobby Livingston of RR Auction says.

On top of Mantle's piece of history, Aaron's Atlanta Braves contract for the 1974 season -- when he became the all-time home runs leader over Babe Ruth -- is also available ... and could fetch more than $10k!!

Worth noting ... Aaron's contract was worth $220k for the '74 season. He later became the highest-paid player in the MLB in 1975, when his salary jumped to $240k.

The Korean Baseball Organization just laid the hammer down on ex-MLB player Jung Ho Kang for his multiple DUI arrests ... suspending the infielder Monday for 1 YEAR.

The former Pittsburgh Pirates stud -- who nearly won the NL's Rookie of the Year award in 2015 -- was also ordered to perform 300 hours of community service.

Kang, who's reportedly been arrested for drunk driving three times since 2009, accepted the punishment ... saying in a statement, "I took putting on a uniform and getting on the field for granted."

"And I was a fool not to see how precious that was. I know I don't deserve to be saying this, but I would love one final opportunity to play baseball."

Kang's been busted for drunk driving in August 2009 and May 2011, according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, and he was also arrested for DUI in 2016.

In that case, South Korea officials accused the baseball player of crashing his car into a guardrail and then fleeing the scene. Kang later received a suspended jail sentence in 2017.

Kang was unable to obtain a work permit to return to the U.S. to play baseball after the incident -- missing the entire 2017 season -- and even after he finally made his way back to the States in 2018, he only went on to play in 68 total games.

33-year-old Kang is looking to revive his career in the KBO ... which reportedly will begin his 1-year ban as soon as he signs with a team.

It's got diamonds and rubies and sapphires and more ... but who cares about that, the Nats World Series rings have BABY SHARK!

The team revealed their 2019 World Series championship rings over the weekend -- which are dripping in jewels ... 170 total stones and weighs 23.2 carats.

But everyone is talking about the Baby Shark design on the inside of the ring -- a tribute to the song that became the rallying cry for the team.

Remember, outfielder Gerardo Parra used the song as his walk-up music ... but it was later adopted by the fans as the unofficial song of the squad. Hence the tribute.

Here's the explanation of the rest of the design ...

108 Diamonds ... representing the team's 105 total regular-season and postseason wins PLUS one diamond for the World Series championship and 2 more diamonds to honor the cities where the team has been based (Montreal and Washington).

32 Sapphires ... the total of the team's 7 walk-off wins, 13 shutout wins, 8-game winning streak (their longest of the season) and 4 playoff rounds won.

(Yeah, that one is weird).

30 Rubies ... total number of runs the team scored during the World Series.

Aaron Judge's GF brought up her relationship with the Yankees star during a DUI arrest in February ... straight-up asking officers during the stop, "Do you know who my boyfriend is?!"

It's all in new police video obtained by TMZ Sports ... which shows Judge's longtime GF, Samantha Bracksieck, name-dropping the NYY outfielder several times to arresting officers.

And, spoiler alert ... it didn't go so well for her.

Here's the deal ... the 26-year-old was pulled over at around midnight on Feb. 25 in Scottsdale, AZ after cops say they spotted her driving without her headlights on.

During questioning ... video shows she admitted to an officer she drank two glasses of wine at Mastro's Steakhouse before getting behind the wheel.

When cops suspected her of being too drunk to drive ... they put her through field sobriety tests and administered a breathalyzer. And, after they say she bombed the tests and blew a .12 ... they put the cuffs on her.

That's when Samantha became standoffish toward officers ... telling them, "Do you understand what you're doing right now?"

"I just need to get home," she added. "Do you know who my boyfriend is?!"

The officers responded, "We don't."

"This is going to be bad for me," Sam continued. "I'm just saying that right now."

Officers didn't even ask a follow-up and put her in the back of a squad car ... but that's when she pulled the Judge card a few more times to another cop.

"My boyfriend is not in a spot where I should be, like, having this happen," Bracksieck said. "He's like a public figure. So, like, me being arrested for, like, having two glasses of wine is not okay."

Bracksieck continued, "My boyfriend is in the spotlight of New York media in general. And, now here I am handcuffed here in Arizona ... like, that is not good."

The cop clearly didn't care all that much ... and eventually took Bracksieck to the station, where officers say in the police report they tested her breath two more times -- claiming she blew a .169 and .181.

Prosecutors ultimately hit Samantha with five charges over the incident, including extreme DUI -- which is classified as a BAC of .15-.19.

Samantha -- who's due in court for a hearing on the case in June -- is facing jail time and fines if she's convicted.

Tragic news ... MLB superstar Starling Marte says his wife died from a heart attack Monday.

"Today I go through the great pain of making public the unfortunate death of my wife Noelia," Marte wrote on social media. "It is a moment of indescribable pain."

Noelia was at a hospital awaiting surgery for a broken ankle when she suffered the heart attack, this according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman.

Other details surrounding the death were not released.

31-year-old Starling and Noelia had been married for several years ... and the couple had three children together, including two sons and a daughter.

"On behalf of my family," the Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder wrote, "I am grateful for the expressions of esteem and solidarity in this difficult time."

Marte's former team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, shared their condolences on Twitter ... writing, "The entire Pirates family extend our deepest condolences to Starling Marte and family during this terrible time. Our hearts are truly saddened by this news."

The D-Backs added, "We are deeply saddened to learn of the tragic passing of Noelia Marte. Starling and his family are part of the D-backs’ family and we will do all we can to support him and their children during this incredibly difficult time."

Marte was traded from Pittsburgh to Arizona this offseason ... and was expected to compete for MVP votes in his first year with the Diamondbacks before the coronavirus pandemic suspended play.

Wanna see a dude who throws 100 MPH toss a ball through the windows of a moving, autopiloted Tesla???

Good ... 'cause here's MLB super prospect Hunter Greene hitting the insane trick pitch -- and the video is wild!!!

Greene -- a Cincinnati Reds pitcher who's famous for hitting 103 MPH on an MLB radar gun -- hit up an L.A. parking lot Sunday for the trick, getting his fancy ride and his buddy to help with the shot.

It's unclear how exactly the dudes got the car to drive by itself without a passenger in it ... but if you know anything about Teslas, there's a "Summon" mode that can get the whip to drive by itself for short distances.

So, 20-year-old Greene let the car drive by ... and then fired a heater that passed straight through the windows and into the catcher's mitt!!

INSANE, RIGHT?!?!

Of course, Greene's hit similar shots recently ... famously throwing a football to his friend on the Tesla back in November.