Houston Astros

A Houston Astros exec allegedly taunted a group of female reporters about a star player's domestic violence allegations ... but the team says that ain't exactly how it went down.

The man at the center of the controversy is assistant GM Brandon Taubman -- one of the top execs of the team -- who was reportedly fired up about star pitcher Roberto Osuna after their ALCS win Saturday night.

FYI, Osuna allegedly assaulted his baby mama in May 2018, while playing for the Blue Jays -- but the charges were dropped when the alleged victim disappeared to Mexico and refused to cooperate with prosecutors.

MLB suspended Osuna for 75 games and the Blue Jays, looking to get rid of his ass, traded Osuna to the Astros.

Fast-forward to Saturday night when Taubman ... Sports Illustrated cites a reporter (who was there) and several witnesses who say this happened during the locker room celebration.

"Taubman turned to a group of three female reporters, including one wearing a purple domestic-violence awareness bracelet, and yelled, half a dozen times, 'Thank God we got Osuna! I’m so f*cking glad we got Osuna!'"'

Yeah, sounds bad. REALLY bad.

But, the Astros are disputing the report ... seemingly acknowledging Taubman made the comments, but didn't intend them to be an offensive attack toward the women.

"The story posted by Sports Illustrated is misleading and completely irresponsible."

"An Astros player was being asked questions about a difficult outing. Our executive was supporting the player during a difficult time."

The team added, "His comments had everything to do about the game situation that just occurred and nothing else -- they were also not directed toward any specific reporters."

"We are extremely disappointed in Sports Illustrated’s attempt to fabricate a story where one does not exist."

Since the S.I. article came out, the Houston Chronicle says two of its reporters confirm the S.I. account.

So far, no footage of the incident has surfaced. But, we're guessing SOMEONE in that locker room caught something on video.

Here's MLB legend Jeff Bagwell happy as hell he's not on the Yankees right now ... 'cause he tells TMZ Sports the way Gerrit Cole is currently pitching is straight-up scary!!

"He's the closest thing I've seen to Randy Johnson," the Astros legend says ... "He's tough. He's a monster out there."

Cole has been mowing down lineups all season ... and nothing's changed so far in the playoffs -- especially in Houston's HUGE Game 3 win over the Yanks on Tuesday.

Bagwell -- one of the greatest power hitters ever -- says it's truly impressive what the flamethrower has been able to do over the last few months.

"He's just a different animal," Bagwell says ... "There's something out there when he's on the mound where it just looks like he feels like he's just better than you."

In fact, Bagwell is so impressed by GC ... he says it actually reminds him of when Randy Johnson was shoving for the 'Stros back in 1998!!

Carlos Correa's walk-off dinger to even up the ALCS on Sunday was bigger than baseball ... 'cause the MLB star dedicated the home run to one of his biggest fans battling cancer.

Jalen Garcia is a teenage Houston Astros super fan who has been bravely battling Osteosarcoma -- a type of bone cancer -- since he was 13, according to the Laredo Morning Times.

The 25-year-old shortstop and his fiancee, Daniella Rodriguez, met the big-time fan at a hospital in Houston on Friday ... and Correa was so moved by the visit, he wanted to do something extra special that Garcia would never forget.

"Next home run I hit will be for you," Correa promised Garcia. "When you see me pointing, I'll be pointing at you."

Fast forward to Sunday night against the Yankees ... when Correa stepped up to the plate in the 11th inning with the game tied at 2 ... and he hit it right outta the park!!!

As Correa rounded first base, he held true to his promise ... pointing out for his new friend, Jalen while all eyes were on him.

Correa commented on the awesome gesture on Monday ... saying "That was for you, Jalen. Keep fighting we are with you."

No word on how Jalen reacted ... but we're assuming the guy has to be PUMPED!!

Amazing gesture from Astros superstar Carlos Correa ... the shortstop visited the family of murdered Houston police officer Sandeep Dhaliwal on Monday -- and donated $10,000.

Dhaliwal was killed last Friday in broad daylight after a man shot him in the back of the head during a routine traffic stop ... and Correa was hit hard by the news.

42-year-old Dhaliwal had famously helped citizens in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria devastated the community in 2017 ... so Carlos -- a Puerto Rican native -- wanted to reach out.

The 'Stros stud was able to meet with the Dhaliwal's family Monday afternoon ... and, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, it was the first time he had seen the family smile since the tragedy.

"Can't thank him enough," Gonzalez said of Correa to Fox 26's Mark Berman ... "Amazing what he does for the Houston community."

Correa also donated $10k to Dhaliwal's family ... and said of the situation, "A lot of people in Puerto Rico suffered the tragedy of Hurricane Maria. And, for him to go out of his way and help people that he didn't even know, it really touched me."

Correa added, "We're very grateful for everything he did -- me, my family, the whole country of Puerto Rico. It's an unfortunate situation, but I wanted to come show my respects and my appreciation for the family and be able to help them in some way."

Despite working for the NY Yankees these days ... even Carlos Beltran had to admit the Houston Astros CRUSHED the MLB treadline -- telling TMZ Sports he loved the Zack Greinke pickup!

"I mean, Greinke's one of the best pitchers in the game," Beltran says.

Of course, Carlos did have two stints as an Astro during his 20-year MLB career ... but the 42-year-old now works as an adviser to Yankees GM Brian Cashman.

But, Beltran just had to put work allegiances aside when our camera guy asked about the league's trade deadline moves ... saying the Astros are going to be VERY tough to beat now.

"They have three starting guys over there that are No. 1 on any team in baseball."

Beltran ain't kidding, the two favorites for the AL Cy Young this year are Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander ... and with a 2.90 ERA and 135 Ks, Greinke was a leader for the award in the NL before the trade.

Johnny Damon is sending a huge warning signal to the AL's top dogs ... telling TMZ Sports if the Yankees and Astros let Boston climb into the postseason -- the Sox might just win it all!!!

We got Johnny out in NYC this week and had to ask some baseball questions ... and that's when the 2-time All-Star told us teams NEED to be afraid of the Red Sox's potential.

"If they can somehow get above Tampa and make the playoffs, they're going to be scary," Damon says.

And, if you think Johnny is just blowin' smoke because he's a Sox legend ... he ain't -- he tells us he's still got some bitterness toward the way he left the team after the 2005 season.

"Boston and I, it was a little like a divorce," he says.

Johnny tells us the Red Sox are legit this year ... and if they had actually signed a closer in the offseason, he thinks they'd be much closer to the Yankees in the AL East standings right now.

Still, Damon says he thinks the Astros are the favorite for now ... saying when he watched Justin Verlander pitch earlier this week -- he didn't seem hittable!!!

Justin Verlander is giving props to Max Scherzer for coming back strong from a gnarly broken nose injury ... telling TMZ Sports, "I appreciate him working through the pain."

Of course, Mad Max took a baseball straight to the face during a bunting drill in Nationals' batting practice Tuesday ... and suffered a nasty broken nose and a black eye as a result.

But, Scherzer toughed it out and pitched for Washington just 24 hours later ... and DOMINATED -- throwing 7 innings with no earned runs and 10 strikeouts against the Phillies.

Verlander -- who played with Max for a few years in Detroit -- says he saw his ex-teammate put in the work ... and he was impressed!!!

By the way ... we also asked Verlander if he thinks he's done enough in his own career to deserve a spot in the Hall of Fame -- and he tells us he ain't so sure.

Dennis Eckersley -- one of the greatest MLB closers EVER -- says baseball HAS to extend the netting around its stadiums ... or else more fans are going to get seriously hurt.

Of course, one young fan at a Houston Astros game Wednesday night nearly suffered that fate after getting struck by a line drive ... but it appears the child is going to be OKAY.

Eckersley clearly feels that's way too close for comfort either way ... and now he's calling for ALL major league squads to extend the netting in their stadiums from foul pole to foul pole.

"It looks ugly," Eckersley told us out in NYC on Thursday afternoon ... "but ya gotta do it."

For their part, the MLB says it's considering all options ... telling TMZ Sports in a statement Thursday morning, "Clubs have significantly expanded netting and their inventory of protected seats in recent years."

Major League Baseball says the injury to the little girl struck by a foul ball at the Houston Astros game is "extremely upsetting" ... and insists the league is focused on finding more ways to protect the fans.

The little girl was in the stands at Minute Maid Park in Houston when Cubs star Albert Almora Jr. ripped a line drive foul ball down the 3rd baseline that struck the child directly.

The girl was rushed to a nearby hospital where she was treated for injuries -- but she's reportedly doing okay.

Almora Jr. was visibly shaken after the incident and appeared to be crying. He was consoled by his teammates and later vowed to get in touch with the girl's family to offer his prayers and any other assistance he could provide.

Now, the MLB is also weighing in ... telling TMZ Sports, "The events at last night’s game were extremely upsetting. We send our best wishes to the child and family involved."

A spokesperson added, "Clubs have significantly expanded netting and their inventory of protected seats in recent years. With last night’s event in mind, we will continue our efforts on this important issue."

Move over Robert Kraft, here's another crazy story about a celebrity massage gone wrong.

Houston Astros' star shortstop, Carlos Correa, says he'll be out for the next 4 to 6 weeks ... BECAUSE HIS MASSEUSE BROKE HIS RIB DURING A MASSAGE!!

Yes. He's serious!!

Correa -- who's making $5 MILLION this season -- announced the injury moment ago and he's pointing the finger squarely at the person in charge of his rubdown.

"I sustained the rib fracture during a massage at my home on Tuesday," the 24-year-old said in a statement.

"To sustain an injury in such an unusual way makes it even more frustrating. However, I will work hard to get back on the field as quickly as possible to help our team achieve our goal of winning another championship."

"I'm extremely disappointed about not being on the field with my teammates."

FYI ... Correa has made over $12 MILLION from the Astros since they drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick back in 2012 -- so, not exactly a great look for the guy.

What's even worse? 24-year-old Carlos was killin' it for Houston when he was healthy this season ... batting .295 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs.

Houston Astros star George Springer has been disciplined by the MLB ... and it's over a homophobic slur he mouthed at an umpire after a strikeout.

The incident went down back on April 23 during the Astros-Twins game -- when Springer was called out on strikes by umpire Angel Hernandez on a pitch GP clearly thought was WAY too low.

As Springer was venting about the call in the dugout ... cameras caught the outfielder mouthing the words to Angel, "f**king c*** sucker!"

Now, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has issued a statement to Outsports ... saying the MLB has internally punished the 'Stros star for the vulgar language.

"This inappropriate behavior was addressed with Mr. Springer and the Houston Astros,” Manfred said ... “and he has been disciplined.”

Unclear what the punishment was for Springer ... but he has NOT been suspended for the altercation.

Neither Springer nor the Astros have yet to comment on the situation.

TMZ Sports has obtained pictures of the injury a Houston Astros fan allegedly suffered when the team's mascot "shattered" her finger with a t-shirt cannon last summer ... and they're gnarly.

A woman claims she was at a 'Stros game last July 8 when Orbit -- Houston's furry mascot -- fired t-shirts at her and her family at a rapid pace from his "bazooka style T-shirt cannon."

The woman -- who filed a lawsuit against the team for the incident this week -- says one of the t-shirts caught her square in the hand ... and mangled her left index finger.

You can see in the photos, her digit was severely swollen and bruised ... and needed TWO screws to help stabilize it.

In her lawsuit, the woman says she had to have multiple surgeries to fix the issue ... and claims she still has little range of motion in the finger.

Now, she's suing the team for $1 million ... saying the team failed miserably to protect its fans.

Kate Upton and Justin Verlander are the proud new parents of a baby girl ... and like her parents, she's already dominating the spotlight.

Kate announced Saturday on Instagram she gave birth to Genevieve Upton Verlander. She finished the caption with what appears to be Genevieve's birthday -- 11.7.18, which, of course, was Wednesday.

As we reported ... the Sports Illustrated swimsuit model announced back in July she was expecting her first kid. But, getting knocked up wasn't pulling her away from her S.I. duties. At the time she announced -- which BTW would have put her at around 5 months pregnant -- Kate was in Miami helping S.I. find its next roster of models. Gotta pay the bills.

This is great -- David Ortiz with some real emotion when he learned his beloved Red Sox lost to the Astros on Saturday night.

"AH, F**K!"

So, why didn't he know the score himself?

Big Papi missed Game 1 of the ALCS to hit up the Drake show at Staples Center instead.

Big Papi swears he was still watching the Sox during the concert ... but clearly not long enough to see the final score -- 'cause he was PISSED when we told him it was 7-2 'Stros.

Good news for D.O. ... the Sox bounced back to win Game 2 on Sunday -- and we're pretty sure he didn't miss that one.

He predicted the Dodgers would make the playoffs ... now Eric Karros is breaking out the crystal ball yet again for a World Series prediction -- and Red Sox fans ain't gonna like this.

TMZ Sports spoke with the Dodgers legend/prophet about the final 4 teams in the MLB playoffs ... and he's expecting a rematch of last year's Fall Classic between the Dodgers and Houston Astros.

Not only is he predicting L.A. to make it, but he also says they have a serious shot at winning it all. He's also biased as all get-out.

Oh, and to the people predicting Clayton Kershaw will choke in the post-season -- KARROS SAYS YOU'RE WRONG!!

Again -- biased -- but Karros says the Dodgers' ace will go down as one of the best pitchers ever.

Houston Astros pitcher Ryan Pressly tried to play the role of peacemaker with a heckler who was going after Roberto Osuna ... but Pressly ended up calling the guy a "dickhead" and walking away.

It all went down on Monday when the Astros were taking on the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field for Game 3 of the ALDS ... when a CLE fan began teeing off on Osuna.

The person who shot the video says the heckler was going after Osuna about his domestic violence arrest -- yelling things like, "Do you remember baseball before you committed domestic violence?"

Osuna -- who pled not guilty in his criminal case -- didn't say one word to the heckler but fellow pitcher Pressly came over to try to calm things down.

"Stop, stop, stop ... I don't care what you say. You can talk all the sh*t you want. Just don't bring that stuff up," Pressly said.

The heckler argued that Osuna should be able to handle the trash talk because he's a pro -- but Pressly fired back.

"He's trying to be a professional ... but you're coming over here being a dickhead, dude."

Finally, Pressly gives up and walks away ... telling the heckler, "You're f*cking soft."