MLB

L.A. Dodgers sensation Yasiel Puig went back to Cuba last night -- or as close as he's gonna get to it in Hollywood ... and a TMZ camera guy was there to roll out the bad Spanglish welcome mat.

Puig hit up El Floridita restaurant in Hollywood last night for some of L.A.'s most authentic Cuban food and music -- and on the way out our guy hit him up about ... "los playoffs."

Gotta give our guy credit ... Puig's English ain't so good yet, so we gave it the old high school Spanish try. Shout out to Google Translate too.

NY Yankees superstar CC Sabathia's cure for getting shelled for 7 runs in NYC on Friday night is hitting the club in L.A. on Sunday night!!

We spotted the Yankees ace pitcher cruising out of Greystone Manor -- just 2 nights after he suffered his third straight loss ... and just a few hours after Derek Jeter heroically led the Yanks to a win in the Bronx.

Why wasn't CC -- in the middle of his worst slump of the season -- with his teammates back east?

Well, the Bombers are playing the Dodgers in L.A. this week ... though CC isn't scheduled to pitch.

So, we're guessing he flew ahead of the Yanks to get in some practice -- or to scout a hot nightclub for his teammates.

Suicidal Yankee fans (they're not so good this year) are hoping it's practice.

Aaron Rodgers -- GB Packers quarterback and chronic bet reneger -- is blaming disgraced MLB player Ryan Braun for letting his mouth write a check his ass couldn't cash.

As you know by now ... back in February, Rodgers aggressively defended his friend Ryan Braun against allegations the Milwaukee Brewers outfielder was using PEDS ... and was so confident, he "bet" his 2013 NFL salary with a random person on Twitter.

Obviously, Rodgers was wrong and lost the bet (he'll never pay up, BTW) -- and now he's throwing Braun under the bus ... telling reporters he was merely "backing up a friend."

Rodgers says he was "shocked" when Braun admitted to cheating -- saying, "[Braun] looked me in the eye ... it didn't feel great being lied to like that."

Ryan Braun -- the 2011 National League MVP -- has been suspended without pay for the rest of the season amid allegations he was using performance enhancing drugs.

MLB Commissioner Bud Selig made the announcement ... saying the Milwaukee Brewers outfielder violated the league's policy on substance abuse.

FYI -- the allegations came to light after authorities raided the Biogenesis clinic in Florida and discovered records linking Braun -- and a host of other MLB stars -- to PED purchases.

Braun's suspension will go into effect immediately and last the remaining 65 games of the season.

Braun released a statement saying ... "As I have acknowledged in the past, I am not perfect. I realize now that I have made some mistakes. I am willing to accept the consequences of those actions. This situation has taken a toll on me and my entire family, and it has been a distraction to my teammates and the Brewers organization."

The statement continues, "I wish to apologize to anyone I may have disappointed -- all of the baseball fans especially those in Milwaukee, the great Brewers organization, and my teammates. I am glad to have this matter behind me once and for all, and I cannot wait to get back to the game I love."

Braun allegedly failed a MLB-administered urine test back in 2011 ... and was facing a 50 game suspension. But MLB's case fell apart thanks to a courier who allegedly mishandled the samples before they were tested.

Posing with porn star Andy San Dimas -- while wearing a UNICORN HEAD -- has a Pittsburgh cop in huge trouble, but San Dimas claims the whole booty-shaking mess is a giant misunderstanding.

This all went down last weekend during a Pirates game at PNC Park, where Andy says she was doing her best to get on the jumbotron ... by shaking her ass in cut-off shorts, while wearing a unicorn head mask!

Awesome, right? Wrong ... because Andy says when an usher asked her to sit down, she tried to rile up the crowd by shouting back, "Oh, I'm sorry I was trying to have a good time at the f**king Pirates game!"

Not smart ... Andy was hauled off to the Pittsburgh PD station at the ballpark.

Andy says the cops were very friendly, and told her they had to boot her from the park -- but not before one officer asked to try on the mask.

Not smart again. That "unicorn cop" is now reportedly under investigation. It's unclear if it's the unicorn mask, the porn star -- or both -- that got him in trouble.

Chris Brown didn't let the threat of 4 years in the big house get in the way of a big night out in Hollywood Monday ... because Chris partied like a rap star at the Playboy Mansion.

Brown -- whose probation was revoked Monday afternoon in the Rihanna beating case -- mugs with 2 cute chicks at a charity event to celebrate the MLB All-Star game.

Chris hung with Snoop Lion and L.A. Dodgers phenom Yasiel Puig (fast becoming a Hollywood party animal).

Carly Rae Jepsen spent hours, upon hours practicing her pitching skills before executing what is arguably the WORST first pitch in baseball history.

Just kidding! She didn't practice at all -- at least that's what she implied to our photog.

If you missed it ... CRJ threw the first pitch at a Tampa Bay Rays game Sunday and it was HORRIBLE x1000.

So when our photog asked Carly, at LAX today, if she practiced beforehand ... she said, "Clearly."

But watch the clip ... something makes us think she was really trying to say -- "No. No I did not."

Now here's 22 more terrible pitches, including Mariah Carey and Baba Booey's. After watching, we're convinced Carly still takes the cake ...

Yasiel Puig may have been snubbed for baseball's All-Star Game -- but he was in All-Star mode at an L.A. club in his totally PIMP white Rolls-Royce!

Last night -- when the Los Angeles Dodgers phenomenon should've been on his way to NYC for the All-Star Game -- we spotted him leaving Greystone Manor ... flanked by security guards, and, of course, a beautiful woman.

Check the video ... we threw Puig a few bilingual curveballs -- about baseball, his lady friend, his ride and Castro.

By the way, this time last year ... Puig had just defected from Cuba to Mexico.

That 7-year, $42 million deal looks good ... for YP and the Dodgers.

2:48 PM PT -- A judge just awarded Kris full custody and revoked Anna's visitation rights.

Former MLB pitcher Kris Benson isn't taking any chances after his estranged wife Anna Benson was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill him with a handgun -- TMZ has learned, he ran to court asking to have her stripped of custody of their children.

Kris filed the emergency motion Tuesday in Georgia, demanding full legal and physical custody of his and Anna's three kids.

Kris had previously been awarded primary physical custody, but still shared legal custody with Anna ... and now he's clearly scared to give her any custody at all.

Kris says Anna's arrest for felony assault this week shows she's too unstable to have custody. He claims she has also displayed bizarre behavior recently -- including paranoia that the FBI is following her, as well as possible hard drug use.

As we reported, Anna was arrested early Monday morning after allegedly raiding Kris' home with a handgun, a metal baton, and a bulletproof vest ... demanding $30,000 in cash. According to Kris' new legal docs, she also brought a hatchet and a stun gun, and threatened to kill him.

Former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani doesn't give two craps about steroids allegations ... telling TMZ, Yankees fans should STOP dumping on Alex Rodriguez because he's a baseball legend ... and a good person, too.

Yankees fans have been crushing A-Rod for years -- some say he's overpaid, some say he's overrated, some just like to give him grief -- but now that the famous third baseman is smack in the crosshairs of ANOTHER steroid investigation, the opprobrium has reached new levels.

But Giuliani tells us, it has to stop now -- "I was one of the first to say that Yankee fans should not boo A-Rod. He's on our team. You gotta root for him. I think he's one of the greatest players ever."

For the record, A-Rod admitted to using banned substances from 2001 to 2003 ... but he was never punished by MLB.

Still, Rudy's got his back: "I happen to know him personally," Giuliani tells TMZ ... "He's a really good man."

TMZ has obtained the terrified 911 call placed by "Baseball Wives" star Anna Benson's estranged husband Kris Benson ... moments after she burst into his bedroom on Sunday with a handgun, a bulletproof vest, and a metal baton.

Kris sounds extremely panicked during the call ... telling dispatch how Anna came into his house brandishing a gun and threatening him with it. He says he's not sure if Anna had been drinking before the incident ... but did say she's never done anything like this before.

As we reported, Kris -- a former MLB pitcher -- claims Anna used the gun to demand $30,000 from him.

Former "Baseball Wives" star Anna Benson demanded $30,000 from her estranged husband when she busted into his Georgia home with a gun, a loaded ammo belt, and a bulletproof vest ... this according to the police report obtained by TMZ.

As we reported, Benson was arrested Sunday for felony assault stemming from the incident ... but new details surrounding the arrest have just emerged.

According to the report, Anna's estranged husband (and former MLB pitcher) Kris Benson claims she threatened him with the handgun, demanding $30k in cash, and then smashed his computer with a metal baton.

Kris -- who filed for divorce from Anna last year -- told police she was "screaming and out of control" when she burst into his bedroom ... so he ran out of the house to hide in the woods, and called 911. Cops showed up soon after and when Kris told them Anna was armed, they formed a perimeter around the house. Officers eventually apprehended Anna on the back porch of the house.

According to the report, Anna told police she was angry and came over in the middle of the night to discuss money and other bones she had to pick -- like why he hadn't picked up their kids. She admitted to breaking his computer with the baton, but denied pulling out the handgun.

While searching her, police claim they found a loaded ammo belt and a knife. They also recovered the handgun at the scene.

As for the bulletproof vest, Anna claimed "it was a new model she was testing for a company" ... and that she "had to wear it for an extended time to get it to mold to her body."

According to the report, Anna insisted she didn't do anything wrong and was SHOCKED when cops placed her under arrest ... then called her husband "a f***ing p****."

As we first reported, Anna was subsequently booked on 4 counts ... 2 counts of felony aggravated assault with a weapon, 1 count of criminal trespass, and 1 count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime

Former "Baseball Wives" star Anna Benson -- the estranged wife of ex-pitcher Kris Benson -- was arrested this morning in Georgia ... after allegedly raiding Kris' apartment with a gun and a metal baton, all while wearing a bulletproof vest.

According to law enforcement, Kris -- who filed for divorce last year -- reported that Anna showed up in a rage last night after being forced by the court to vacate their marital home. Kris says Anna arrived and immediately whipped out an "expandable metal baton," threatening to hit him.

But it didn't stop there ... Kris told police Anna then pulled out a handgun and demanded money. She must have been expecting Kris to pull a gun on her too ... because she was allegedly wearing a bulletproof vest at the time of the alleged assault.

According to the police report, Kris told Anna he would get her the money following the altercation ... but then left the home and called police instead.

Anna -- a former FHM model -- was arrested this morning and booked on 4 counts ... 2 counts of felony aggravated assault with a weapon, 1 count of criminal trespass, and 1 count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

She is currently still in custody. Anna is famous for her outlandish behavior on "Baseball Wives" ... including pulling out a 12" dildo and threatening to hit her castmates with it. She also famously threatened to sleep with the entire Mets team if Kris ever cheated on her.

Put away the bottles of bub ... 50 Cent has just been dropped from MLB.com's upcoming All-Star Bash in NYC in the wake of his domestic violence scandal, TMZ has learned.

TMZ broke the story ... 50 was charged with domestic violence last week following the alleged domestic dispute at his baby mama's house in California in June, during which he allegedly kicked her and destroyed a bunch of her property (more than $7,000 worth).

50 was supposed to perform at the MLB.com party on July 14th along with Kaskade, but sources tell TMZ, MLB officials decided not to move forward with the alleged GF-kicker.

50's name appeared on the original flyer for the event ... but the event's Facebook page is now updated, and advertises 2 "surprise performances" for the party.

MLB hasn't returned our calls to confirm 50 was cut as a direct result of the domestic violence charges.

The whistleblower who claims to have proof Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun and other baseball players took steroids ... has been threatened and hounded so much ... he's being forced into hiding, TMZ has learned.

According to sources connected to Major League Baseball's steroid investigation ... Porter Fischer has been under constant pressure for more than six months from private investigators -- hired by players, he believes -- attempting to get their hands on his records from the now infamous Biogenesis clinic in Miami.

We're also told Fischer's received death threats.

As we previously reported the ex-Biogenesis employee has documents which allegedly nail several players for purchasing and using performance enhancing drugs from the clinic within the last year.

He's currently negotiating a deal to turn over the docs to MLB officials.

Although Fischer stands to make a fortune -- possibly seven figures -- we're told he plans to use the money to disappear, and to protect his loved ones ... sort of like his own witness protection program.

Alex Rodriguez' career could hang in the balance of a 7-figure check -- because sources tell TMZ, the whistleblower who allegedly has proof A-Rod and other players bought steroids wants at least a million bucks for his info.

As TMZ first reported, Porter Fischer -- an ex-employee at the Biogenesis clinic in Miami -- scheduled a sit down with MLB investigators in Miami ... which went down on Tuesday.

Fischer's attorney tells TMZ, his client discussed a possible deal with MLB ... in which the league would acquire the drug-purchasing records of more than 100 MLB players (including A-Rod and Ryan Braun) -- but it's gonna cost 'em.

Sources close to the investigation tell us, the MLB has yet to make an official offer for the goods ... but as it stands, Fischer won't settle for less than a million.

MLB officials want the records as part of their ongoing investigation into allegations of widespread performance enhancing drug use by players.

We're told Fischer and MLB already have plans to meet again in the near future -- but no one's talking dollars yet.

Never know when the price could go up ...