Baseball

Whoa.

Look at Christian Vasquez's eye -- which he's LUCKY to still have after getting hit directly in the face with a baseball during a practice sesh.

The Boston Red Sox catcher revealed his scar Monday during a media session and explained how wearing sunglasses may have saved his vision ... and the whole thing is super scary.

Vasquez was working on drills on one of the practice fields at Boston's JetBlue Park complex Thursday when pitcher Hirokazu Sawamura fired a ball his way ... mistakenly thinking Vasquez was looking in his direction.

We know what you're thinking ... and no, video of the incident has not been released.

The ball struck 30-year-old Vasquez with such force, it opened up a nasty gash under his left eye -- requiring immediate medical attention.

Vasquez required several stitches to close the wound -- and says if it wasn't for the sunglasses, he might have lost his left eyeball.

"You like my scar," Vasquez joked with reporters Monday before giving a health update.

"I’m doing good ... “My eye is good. I can see perfect."

Vasquez then walked reporters through the incident -- "I saw the ball right here in my face and it knocked me down to the floor."

"The sunglasses saved my eye,” he said ... "If I don’t have the sunglasses, it was a different story."

And, get this ... Vazquez says he's "99% sure" he'll be ready to play Thursday for Boston's Opening Day game against the Baltimore Orioles.

Devastating news from the Minnesota Twins ... former MLB player and current bench coach Mike Bell has passed away after a battle with kidney cancer. He was only 46.

"The entire Minnesota Twins organization is saddened by the death of current bench coach Mike Bell, who passed away today at the age of 46 from cancer," the team said in a statement Friday.

"At the request of the Bell family, we will play tonight’s game in honor of Mike."

Bell was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the first round of the 1993 amateur draft ... and played 7 seasons in the minor leagues.

He made his MLB debut in 2000 with his hometown Cincinnati Reds ... hitting 2 home runs and 4 RBI before returning to the minors. He retired from playing in April 2005.

Bell's family has a long history in baseball -- Mike's brother, David, played 12 years in the MLB and is the current manager for the Reds.

His dad, Buddy, had an 18-year playing career in the majors before coaching from 1996-2007.

Mike's grandfather, Gus Bell, is in the Reds Hall of Fame.

Earlier this week, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli praised Bell ... saying he was "absolutely invaluable to what we do," according to the Star Tribune.

"I feel fortunate, I really do feel lucky, that I've had the opportunity to work with [him],"

Baseball clearly runs THICK in the Harper blood ...

Here's Bryce Harper's 1-year-old son hitting a MOON SHOT home run off his toy tee ball set Wednesday ... and, yeah, safe to say Dad loves it!!!

The Philadelphia Phillies superstar's kid was getting in some hacks with his plastic baseball bat this week ... when suddenly, the little man fired off a rocket DEEP to left-center!!

Check out the swing ... little Krew Harper already has the one-handed follow-through down pat!

Bryce was impressed with his boy's ability ... writing of the clip, "That'll work."

The effort is pretty amazing ... Krew was only born in August 2019 -- so, only about 17 years to go until the MLB debut?!

By the way, baseball stars' infant sons crushing homers is becoming quite the thing in the MLB ... have you seen Freddie Freeman's kid with the bat??

Ty Cobb's century-old, game-used baseball bat -- complete with cleat marks and tobacco juice stains -- just sold for over $1 MILLION!!

TMZ Sports has learned Cobb's 34.5 inch, 40.1-ounce ash Hillerich & Bradsby bat -- used by the baseball legend during the 1928 MLB season -- raked in $1.1 mil at a private sale.

The buyer and seller of the insanely special piece have chosen to remain anonymous.

Cobb was one of baseball's earliest stars ... and an absolute BEAST at the plate. He won the Triple Crown in 1909, the A.L. MVP in 1911, and was a 12x batting champion. He averaged .366 and had 4,191 hits over his 24 season career.

The lumber was authenticated and graded by PSA ... who gave the bat a perfect GU 10 score -- a super important figure for collectors.

In order to authenticate the bat, PSA says they examined cleat markings and tape on the bat (among other stuff) -- and all were consistent with other known Cobb bats. They also traced records back to the manufacturer.

The bat also came with a hand-written note from Ty ... who referenced using the bat during "the last year of my career in baseball" -- the 1928 season with the Philadelphia Athletics.

Joe Orlando -- CEO of PSA's parent company, Collectors Universe -- tells us Cobb's bat is one of the most special items to hit the market.

“In this case, when you consider the classic Ty Cobb characteristics this bat exhibits, along with its impeccable provenance, it’s no wonder this gamer became the first of its kind to crack the $1 million dollar barrier."

"From his signature taped handle, which is totally intact, to the tobacco juice-soaked barrel, the eye appeal of this baseball relic is elite.”

Cracking 7 figures is very rare ... but not totally unheard of. Back in 2019, the bat Babe Ruth used to slug his 500th home run sold for $1 million at auction.

Vanessa Hudgens and MLB player Cole Tucker are getting pretty serious ... 'cause the "High School Musical" star showed up to his spring training game Tuesday to cheer him on!!

The 32-year-old -- who made things Instagram offish with the 24-year-old Pirates utility man last month -- rocked a Pittsburgh jersey and sat just a few rows behind home plate to check out her BF.

Hudgens was there with her pal, GG Magree -- and you can see in the footage they shot out at LECOM Park in Bradenton, FL ... they were super into Cole's game!!

The two went crazy when Tucker nearly beat out a broken-bat ground ball to second base ... and then they jammed out to "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" later on.

The bad news? Tucker didn't impress much during the Pirates' 1-0 win over the Twins ... he was 0-for-2 with a walk while serving as his team's designated hitter for the day.

But, hey ... it's spring training after all -- AND the dude gets to go home to Vanessa Hudgens at the end of the day.

Beer isn't just for drinking at Spring Training -- it may also have SAVED A LIFE!!

Check out these incredible photos showing the moment an MLB player smashed a line drive foul ball directly into a fan's beer can during a Spring Training game this weekend -- causing a massive liquid explosion!

It all went down in the 2nd inning of the Angels vs. A's game Saturday at Diablo Stadium in Tempe -- when A's catcher Sean Murphy stepped up to the plate and smacked a laser beam toward 3rd base.

A quick-thinking fan used his beer can as a shield to protect himself and his lady friend from getting hit by the ball -- and photographer Mark Rebilas managed to snap some pics right at the moment of impact!!!

The good news ... the fan and his friend weren't hurt.

The bad news ... those stadium beers are pricey as hell -- and judging by the explosion, it was a pretty full can!

But, more good news ... the Angels did the right thing and sent the fan FOUR MORE BEERS along with an autographed Mike Trout bat.

Bonus points for sending the beers over in a bag of ice to keep 'em cold!

LeBron James says he couldn't be happier to have broken the Red Sox ownership group color barrier this week ... explaining he hopes the move inspires the Black community.

"I think for me and for my partner, Maverick, to be the first two Black men to be a part of that ownership group in the history of that franchise, I think it's pretty damn cool," James said after his Lakers beat the Timberwolves on Tuesday night.

"It gives me and people that look like me hope and inspiration that they can be in a position like that as well, that it can be done."

James added, "It gives my kids at my I Promise School more and more inspiration as well."

James and his long-time business partner, Maverick Carter, officially joined Fenway Sports Group on Tuesday ... making them the first Black ownership partners in the history of the Red Sox.

A self-proclaimed Yankees and Indians fan ... James said Tuesday he's fired up to be teaming up with the org. -- telling media members the Red Sox are "obviously a historical franchise."

"And we know the history of the World Series championships that they've brought home to Boston and players that have come through there and the legacy that they hold in that area."

FYI -- the Sox, according to Forbes, are the third most valuable franchise in the MLB (behind the Yanks and Dodgers) ... reportedly valued at $3.3 BILLION.

As for what's next for LeBron -- who, by the way, also owns a piece of the legendary Liverpool soccer team -- he said buying an NBA team is the new major goal.

"I got so much to give to the game," Bron told reporters Tuesday. "I know what it takes to win at this level. I know talent. I also know how to run a business, as well."

LeBoston Red Sox.

Yep, LeBron James is now a part-owner of one of the most storied franchises in pro sports ... the Boston Red Sox.

So, how did it happen?

LeBron has obtained shares in the Fenway Sports Group -- which is the parent company of the BoSox, along with several other prominent sports teams and companies.

No word on how many shares LeBron owns or how much money he put down -- but what's clear is he's a minority partner in FSG, which means he's a part-owner of the Sox, as first reported by the Boston Globe.

By the way, the Boston Globe is owned by John Henry -- the majority owner of the Boston Red Sox, who's reportedly worth $2.8 BILLION.

LeBron has publicly supported the NY Yankees for years -- but obviously, those days are over now.

The rivalry between NY and Boston goes back decades and there's no way you can support both teams ... even if you're LeBron!

LeBron's business partner, Maverick Carter, is also part of the FSG ownership group now -- which makes him a Sox part-owner as well.

LeBron has yet to publicly comment on the deal -- but he's expected to make some sort of announcement in the near future.

FYI, the Boston Red Sox are reportedly valued at $3.3 BILLION, according to Forbes ... which makes them the 3rd most valuable franchise in MLB, behind the Yankees and Dodgers.

LeBron has some experience with pro sports ownership -- he bought a piece of the legendary Liverpool soccer team back in 2011.

As for FSG, the company owns pieces of the NESN network, Roush Fenway Racing, Liverpool FC and more.

The move expands LeBron's already impressive empire -- he's reportedly made $343 million from NBA contracts alone.

Plus, his media company, Springhill Entertainment, is thriving with "Space Jam 2" coming out soon.

And, don't forget that reportedly $1 billion lifetime deal with Nike.

He's also a part-owner of the Blaze pizza company and has a stake in the Ladder supplement company, which he created with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Bottom line ... LeBron is not only the greatest athlete on the planet, he's a pretty savvy businessman, too!

The Houston Astros do NOT deserve an asterisk next to their 2017 World Series championship ... so says Miguel Cabrera, who thinks the notion of a tainted title is "bulls***."

The MLB superstar didn't mince words in an interview with ESPN this week ... saying straight-up Houston earned its '17 ring, despite its massive sign-stealing, cheating scandal that season.

"In the end ... it's baseball," the future Hall of Famer said. "[Try to] go ahead and do it like those guys did."

It's a hot take from Cabrera ... considering most of Miguel's baseball peers wildly disagree.

MVPs like Cody Bellinger and Mike Trout have blasted the Astros for their roles in the cheating ordeal ... and were HEATED when none of the players were severely punished.

In fact, former Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia has been so livid over it all ... he's ripped the 'Stros every opportunity he's had, even recently calling Carlos Correa a "clown."

Cabrera -- whose Tigers manager is now former Astros 2017 bench honcho A.J. Hinch -- clearly sees things differently ... saying of the entire ordeal, "I don't care about that."

Cabrera says Hinch has been nothing but a good dude since the Tigers hired him this offseason ... adding, "I don't care what they did in Houston."

"He [was] a big part of the success Houston had the last three to five years."

Eulogio "Frankie" De La Cruz -- a relief pitcher who was a key cog in the trade that sent Miguel Cabrera from the Marlins to the Tigers -- died Sunday ... MLB officials confirmed.

He was just 37 years old.

De La Cruz's Dominican winter league team, Toros del Este, was first to report the news Monday morning, saying in a statement, "Our condolences to his family and friends for this terrible loss. Peace to your Soul!"

The Diario Libre in the D.R. reported the team added his death was due to a heart attack.

De La Cruz signed with the Detroit Tigers as a teenager in 2001 ... and eventually made his debut for the big-league club in 2007.

He was traded just a short time later, though, as one of the pieces that helped Detroit land one of the greatest MLB players ever.

The Tigers sent De La Cruz -- along with several other notable names including Andrew Miller and Cameron Maybin -- to the Marlins in exchange for Cabrera and ace pitcher Dontrelle Willis.

De La Cruz didn't do much in his short time with the Marlins in 2008, and was later traded to the Padres, who released him after the 2009 season.

De La Cruz went on to pitch in Tokyo ... and eventually latched on with the Brewers in 2011, when he had his best season as a pro, logging a 2.77 ERA in 13 innings pitched.

De La Cruz -- who also had a stint in the Chicago Cubs' organization -- had reportedly still been pitching professionally in the D.R. just this past winter.

The Texas Rangers are paying tribute to Charley Pride -- who owned part of the team -- by naming a baseball field after the country music legend.

The Rangers announced the decision Sunday ... unveiling "Charley Pride Field" at the official Rangers spring training complex in Surprise, Arizona.

“Introducing Charley Pride Field! You are greatly missed,” the team said in a statement.

Pride -- a Country Music Hall of Fame inductee and 3x Grammy award winner who was nominated 13 times -- died December 12, 2020 from complications related to COVID-19 at the age of 86.

The legendary country singer held a part-ownership stake in the Rangers after joining a group that purchased the team in 2010.

Pride was a frequent visitor to the Texas Rangers Spring Training facility.

That should come as no surprise since Pride was a BALLER back in his day. Before deciding to pick up the microphone, he was a standout pitcher in the Negro Leagues in the 1950s and 1960s.

CP even had a couple of brief stints with the Yankees and Reds minor league squads ... before retiring from baseball and becoming a music superstar.

Pride sang the National Anthem in July 2020 at the Rangers Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas ... the first-ever baseball game at the field, and one of his last live performances.

Pride was such a talented and respected performer, he was honored during The Grammys on Sunday night in the "In Memoriam" segment.

From Cy Young winner to Sock Puppets manager?!

Ex-MLB star Jack McDowell has done just that ... 'cause the Burlington Sock Puppets -- a developmental summer league team for collegiate baseball players -- just named him their new manager!

The squad -- which is part of the Appalachian League -- made the announcement Monday morning ... and McDowell said he's PUMPED for the opportunity.

"As a lifelong participant in the game of baseball, as both a coach and a player, I am thrilled to be managing the Burlington Sock Puppets this summer,” McDowell said in a statement.

"This opportunity is meaningful for me, and I cannot wait to impact the lives of countless collegiate baseball players in the Appalachian League this year. It is going to be a positive and fun season!"

If you're unfamiliar, the Appalachian League comprises of 10 teams in Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina and West Virginia ... and it's designed to help rising freshman and sophomores in college refine their skills with wooden bats over a 54-game, summer season.

The Sock Puppets clearly believe McDowell has the goods to help their players best ... with the team's general manager, Anderson Rathbun, saying Monday, "We couldn't be more thrilled to have someone leading our team with a resume quite lack Jack's."

55-year-old McDowell won the Cy Young back in 1993 while pitching for the White Sox ... and he made the All-Star team 3 times in his 12-year, big-league career.

The family of the legendary 1927 NY Yankees team is selling an authentic signed team photo passed down through the generations ... and yeah, this thing is worth a fortune.

The '27 squad features icons like Babe Ruth and Lou Gherig -- and the slugging power was so insane, they were dubbed "Murderers' Row."

One of the pitchers from the 1927 team -- Don Miller -- was savvy enough to get everyone on the roster to autograph a team photo ... and it stayed with Miller's family for decades.

Miller never appeared in a game for the Yankees that season -- but clearly, he knew securing the signatures would just as important as getting on the field!

Now, the Miller family has decided to sell it -- and they've taken it to SCP Auctions to find the highest bidder.

The photo has been authenticated by multiple leading memorabilia companies -- including PSA and Beckett -- which is huge for the hardcore collectors willing to pay top dollar.

As far as the expected sales price, we're told it could fetch around $500,000 ... but with the sports collectibles market being on FIRE at the moment, who knows where it could end up!?

As we previously reported, a rare Babe Ruth baseball card from 1933 just sold for $761k ... more than DOUBLE the price a similar card sold for just 6 months earlier.

Point being ... people are paying CRAZY money for Babe Ruth items.

If you're not familiar with the '27 Yanks ... they're one of the most legendary baseball teams ever. They finished the regular season 110-44 and swept the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series.

Ruth was in the midst of setting the single-season home run record (60 HR's) that ultimately stood for decades. He also had 164 RBI's and batted .356.

Not to be outdone ... Gehrig won the AL MVP that year -- also putting up ABSURD numbers. The Iron Horse slugged 47 HR's, drove in 173 runs, and had a batting average of .373.

But, it wasn't just Babe and Lou ... the rest of "Murderers' Row" was made up of solid players like Earle Combs, Mark Koenig, Bob Meusel, Tony Lazzeri, Joe Dugan and Pat Collins.

New York Yankees pitcher Zack Britton says he was ROCKED by COVID-19 ... revealing he lost 18 pounds in 10 days while battling the virus ... and he's still not fully recovered.

The 33-year-old southpaw says he contracted the coronavirus back in January ... and went into detail with reporters about his experience on Wednesday.

"I was surprised," Britton said. "I think I got it at the hospital when we were having our kid, so it was even worse."

"I was not expecting to be hit that hard by COVID. It wiped me out pretty good."

"The weight loss was surprising and just the after-effects I've been dealing with showed me how serious this can be, even for somebody that's healthy and how that can impact you months even after you've gotten over the roughest symptoms."

FYI -- Britton is 6'1" and reportedly usually weighs around 200 pounds ... in other words, he's in pretty good shape.

"It just wiped me out pretty good for about 10 days," Britton said. "Lost about 18 pounds, which could be good, I guess? But, I wasn't looking to lose 18 pounds and it happened quickly, so that's not good on your body and puts pressure in a lot of places."

Britton says the virus prevented him from throwing for about 3 to 4 weeks during the offseason ... but he's finally starting to feel like himself again.

But, COVID isn't the only health issue Britton's dealing with -- the 2-time All-Star is set to undergo surgery to remove a bone chip in his left elbow ... and is expected to miss several months of the season.

Johnny Damon got in a scuffle with cops, appeared to bomb field sobriety tests, and even brought up his Trump support during his arrest last month ... and the wild scene was all captured on police video obtained by TMZ Sports.

Damon and his wife were pulled over at around 1:23 a.m. on Feb. 19 in Windermere, Fla. after cops say he was swerving on the road and driving erratically.

Once a cop stopped Damon ... body cam footage captured the 47-year-old ex-Yankee and Red Sox outfielder admitting to drinking before getting behind the wheel.

Then, an intense standoff between the officer, the ex-MLB star and the baseball player's wife ensued.

In the video, you can see the officer ordered Damon and his wife, Michelle Mangan-Damon, to stay in the car, but neither complied ... and a pushing and shoving squabble broke out.

At one point, the officer grabbed Mangan-Damon's wrist ... before Johnny got involved to separate the two.

The bumping and pushing got so heated, the officer's body camera was actually knocked to the ground.

Fortunately for all parties, backup arrived, and officers were able to settle down the scene.

Damon and his wife repeatedly talked about their support for cops, mentioning over and over, "Blue lives matter."

And, at one point, Damon brought up his affinity for Trump to a cop, saying "Hey, bro, I'm a good f***ing guy. I know people are trying to target me because I'm a Trump supporter."

Damon was then asked to complete some field sobriety tests ... but you can see on the video, it doesn’t look like he exactly passed any of them with flying colors.

Damon was ultimately arrested and booked on multiple charges, including driving under the influence and resisting arrest without violence.

A police report later showed cops said Damon's blood-alcohol level was .30, nearly FOUR TIMES the legal limit.

Damon's wife was also arrested after the stop, and booked on charges of battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest with violence.

Court records show Damon pled not guilty to his DUI charge last month. He's due back in court in May.

Rheal Cormier -- a longtime MLB reliever and a Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer -- died Monday after a battle with cancer, MLB confirmed.

He was 53-years-old.

The left-handed pitcher threw for several teams over his 16-year MLB career ... but had his most notable season as a pro with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2003, going 8-0 with a 1.70 ERA.

Cormier ultimately pitched for the Phils, Cardinals, Red Sox, Expos and Reds ... and finished his career with a 71-64 record and a 4.03 ERA.

Details surrounding his cancer diagnosis and subsequent battle with the disease are unclear ... but several of his former teammates were crushed to hear the news of his passing Monday.

"RIP 'Frenchy' ... Rheal Cormier lost his battle with cancer," Dan Plesac said on Twitter. "One of my all time favorite teammates. Big heart, spent 2yrs sitting next to him in the @Phillies bullpen (2002-2003)."

"He made everyone he played with better...keep throwing that 3-2 splitter in heaven. RIP my friend."

Added Jim Thome, "Rheal was one of the most vibrant people I’ve had the pleasure of knowing."

"He loved baseball, but he always put his family first. Frenchy was the kind of guy who would do anything for you and I’m lucky to have called him my friend for many years."

"Our time spent together in Philadelphia as teammates was unforgettable. He will be greatly missed but never forgotten."

Cormier -- who grew up in Canada -- was a 6th round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1988. He later made his first appearance with the team at the big-league level in 2003.

He ultimately pitched for Team Canada in two Olympics ... and was inducted into the country's baseball Hall of Fame in 2012.