MLB

Aaron Judge made 2 of his biggest fans bawl their eyes out ... but they definitely weren't sad tears, 'cause the MLB slugger hooked them up with his bat and gloves!!

The moment is incredible ... a little girl and boy got to meet their favorite player on the field before NY faced off against the Rays in Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

But, Judge -- who's always down to meet his small supporters -- didn't want them to leave empty-handed ... gifting the boy his bat and the girl his batting gloves!!

The kids' reactions will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside ... as they start sobbing with happiness when they realize what just happened. The girl even collapsed to the dirt with emotion!!

Judge knows what these moments mean to his fans ... remember,  last month he surprised a little kid whose dad just recently died.

Yankees legend David Cone is calling Domingo German's domestic violence investigation a "sad" situation ... and tells TMZ Sports losing the pitcher is going to really affect NY.

"It's sad," Cone says. "The whole thing is sad. I don't know what the details are, but it really hurts the Yankees."

German was placed on Administrative Leave by the MLB last Thursday after an allegation of domestic violence was reported to the league.

No police report was filed in the incident ... and details of the accusation are still unclear -- but what is known is German seems VERY unlikely to pitch again in pinstripes this season.

Cone obviously thinks that's a pretty big loss for the Yanks ... 'cause the 27-year-old was 18-4 with 153 strikeouts in 143 innings -- and NY's pitching staff ain't exactly the best.

But, good news for Yankees fans ... Cone seems pretty confident CC Sabathia can pick up the slack, 'cause he tells us the guy is 1st-ballot Hall of Famer with an unreal resume.

"I think he's one of the best pitchers of his generation," Cone says.

Lenny Dykstra will NOT fight Bagel Guy Chris Morgan ... the ex-MLB star has pulled out of the celebrity boxing match just DAYS before it was set to go down.

Dykstra had been promoting the Sept. 28 event for weeks -- he's been training, trash-talking ... he even shoved Morgan during a face-off earlier this month.

But now, it's all over ... Lenny went on Howard Stern Monday morning to make the announcement himself -- "Unfortunately, the fight will not happen."

Lenny's attorney, John Pierce, issued a statement explaining Dykstra pulled out to focus on preparing for his upcoming trial, stemming from a malpractice suit.

As we previously reported, Lenny filed a $15 million lawsuit against L.A. County and several deputies claiming he was badly beaten while serving a jail sentence in 2012.

Now, he's suing the Boucher Law Firm -- which represented him in his lawsuit -- and his new attorney believes the boxing match would be too big of a distraction with that legal issue on the horizon.

Dykstra's attorney says ... "The fight will not be rescheduled."

We're told "Bagel Guy" wants a new opponent -- after all, he's been training with UFC stars like Chris Weidman and Al Iaquinta ... and he wants to unleash the fury on someone!

Stay tuned ...

New York Yankees star pitcher Domingo German has been placed on administrative leave while Major League Baseball investigates allegations of domestic violence.

A source tells TMZ Sports the alleged incident happened earlier this week after the Yankees returned from their road trip in Toronto. We're working on more details.

For their part, the Yankees have announced they fully support the MLB's decision saying, "We support this policy which reinforces that domestic violence has no place in our society and cannot be tolerated."

"We have followed the lead of Major League Baseball and will continue to provide our complete cooperation throughout the investigative process."

Under MLB policy, German's stay on Administrative Leave can last up to seven days ... although the league has the power to extend that timeline.

German has been a stud for the Yanks this season, winning 18 games with 153 strikeouts in 143 innings.

The 27-year-old just pitched for New York at Yankees Stadium on Wednesday night ... throwing 2.1 innings and giving up just 1 hit and no runs.

He was expected to be relied on heavily when the Yanks kick off their run toward their 28th World Series championship this October.

Story developing ...

Surreal scene at Fenway Park on Wednesday ... Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski threw out the first pitch of the night to his grandson -- Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemksi!!!

The odds of seeing this moment are wild ... to have Mike be called up from the minors this year AND to have S.F.'s schedule put the team in Boston this season are incredible coincidences.

But, the two squads took advantage of the opportunity -- allowing 80-year-old Carl to hurl the first pitch to 29-year-old Mike before the Giants played the Sox in the 2nd game of their 3-game series.

The video of the interaction is spine-tingling ... Mike has a huge smile on his face the whole time, and Carl -- one of Boston's all-time greatest athletes -- is clearly loving the moment too.

The Yastzemski's shared an embrace in the middle of the diamond after throw ... and when the game ended, Mike called it all "special."

"Honestly, I was thinking about the last time we had played catch," Mike said. "I remembered a time probably during Thanksgiving when I must have been 7 or 8 at his house."

"Being able to relive that and to go through that again on this type of scale and to have such a warm welcome from everyone was really awesome."

Mike killed it in his debut in the same batter's box Carl used to play in ... so far in the series, he's 3-for-11 with a home run, 4 runs scored and 2 RBIs. His team's gotten both wins too!

Pennsylvania State Police say MLB pitcher Felipe Vazquez suspected the victim in his child solicitation case was underage when he first met her ... but he had sex with her anyway.

TMZ Sports has obtained the police criminal complaint filed by the Penn. State Police in which troopers detail an interview with Vazquez on the morning of Sept. 17, the day he was arrested.

When speaking with cops, the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher says he initially refused to communicate with the girl "due to her age" ... noting, "she appeared to be 16 years of age or younger."

In the documents, cops say the girl told investigators they began communicating over social media in 2017 when she was only 13 years old.

She claims Vazquez escalated the situation by driving to her Pennsylvania home in August 2017 with the intention of having sex with her.

The girl claims Vazquez invited her into his red Mustang and then began to make sexual moves on her ... at one point trying to have vaginal sex.

Both the girl and Vazquez acknowledge he penetrated her with his penis but they stopped almost immediately -- and he left claiming he had to get ready for a game that night.

When Vazquez spoke with cops, he told investigators that the girl initiated the sexual contact that day.

Cops say in July 2019, Vazquez sent her a text message, sexual in nature, expressing a desire to finish what they started.

Vazquez was arrested on Tuesday and he's facing multiple felonies in 2 states including felony statutory sexual assault, felony unlawful contact with a minor and felony solicitation of a child.

He's currently in custody.

Pirates ace Chris Archer appeared floored by the child sexual assault allegations against his teammate, Felipe Vazquez ... saying the crimes he's accused of are "heinous" and he hopes they're not true.

"I do have a 14-year-old sister," Archer told media in the Pirates' clubhouse before taking on the Mariners in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. "So, it's something that hits home."

Vazquez was arrested Tuesday morning after authorities in both Pennsylvania and Florida say they have evidence he tried to have a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old girl.

Felipe is facing MULTIPLE serious charges ... including felony statutory sexual assault, felony unlawful contact with a minor and felony solicitation of a child.

When Archer spoke about the accusations, he told media members, "In the U.S., you're innocent until proven guilty. So, until due process is completely played out, we're hoping that this stuff's not true."

But, Archer added, "These allegations are very, very serious."

Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle also spoke with reporters hours after Vazquez was arrested ... but would only say, "It's in our best interest to not have any comment."

As for Felipe, his attorney told WTAE in Pennsylvania they're reviewing the charges and have no comment on the allegations at this time.

Vazquez is currently being held in Allegheny County Jail after a judge denied his bail Tuesday afternoon.

CC Sabathia says a World Series win to end his career this year would be epic ... telling TMZ Sports, "That's storybook right there."

The Yankees starting pitcher is calling it quits once NY's season ends this fall -- and he's hoping he can ride off into the sunset with one more championship ring on his finger.

"2009 is my ultimate Yankee moment," Sabathia said at his LegaCCy Gala in NY on Monday.

"But, getting another chance to win on the way out, I mean, man. I don't know, that's storybook right there."

The Yanks certainly have a good shot to do it ... everyone in the baseball world thinks they're one of three teams -- alongside the Astros and Dodgers -- that should win it all this year.

Pittsburgh Pirates all-star pitcher Felipe Vazquez was arrested this morning in Pennsylvania on some truly disturbing charges including solicitation of a 13-year-old girl.

The 28-year-old closer -- considered one of the best pitchers in baseball -- was taken into custody in Pittsburgh stemming from an arrest warrant out of Florida.

Officials say they were investigating allegations Vasquez had a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old girl in Lee County, Florida.

According to officials, the girl, now 15 years old, WAS continuing to have a relationship with Vasquez and had received a video in July from the MLB star performing a "sex act."

Officials say Vasquez also sent the girl text messages suggesting they would meet for sex after the MLB season ended.

Didi Gregorious says a season-ending foot surgery ain't going to hurt Mike Trout's MVP chances ... the Yankees shortstop tells TMZ Sports the Angels star is definitely deserving of the award!!

"I mean, he got good numbers, right?" Didi says ... "Why not?!"

Trout had been having a historic season until a foot injury this month cost him his final at-bats of the year ... but a lot of people are saying he still deserves the MVP award.

Count Didi in as one of those guys ... 'cause he says Trout's 45 homers, 104 RBIs and .294 batting average are more than good enough to lock up the honor.

Of course, it's high praise from Didi ... seeing as most people consider his NY teammate, DJ LeMahieu the other favorite for the AL's MVP.

Sorry, Jacob deGrom ... you are NOT the NL's Cy Young winner this year -- so says Orel Hershiser -- who tells TMZ Sports Hyun-Jin Ryu is actually most deserving!!!

Of course, Orel's biased ... the dude is a Dodgers legend and is currently broadcasting L.A.'s games -- but he swears Ryu is the best pitcher in the National League this season.

"My mind and my heart say that," Orel tells us.

Ryu REALLY struggled in four of his last five starts -- hitting a slump that caused his ERA to balloon up from sub-2.00 to 2.35 -- which made a lot of pundits to hop off his Cy Young bandwagon.

But, Hershiser thinks that's a mistake, telling us, "If he would have spread out his slump over a time period, you would have said, 'Oh, he's had the better year.'"

As for who else is in the running for the award, Orel says it's down to Ryu, deGrom, Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg in the NL.

President Trump just presented Mariano Rivera with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Monday ... and unfortunately, he left his calculator behind.

POTUS -- a HUGE Yankees fan -- honored the Sandman at 1600 Penn on Monday ... praising "maybe the greatest pitcher of all time" for his accomplishments on and off the mound.

FYI -- the Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest award a civilian can achieve in the United States -- and is given to people who make an especially great contribution to American society.

But, the funny part is when Trump tried to do some impromptu math ... and hilariously failed when talking about MR's minor league ERA in 1990.

"That year, he had an average ERA of 0.17 ... so that doesn't mean ONE. That means, like, 1/17th of one."

Uhh ... no, it doesn't, Mr. President. Like, not even close. But, hey, we get it. Math is hard.

For the record, .17 is closer to 1/6th of 1 ... not 1/17th.

Of course, the love between Trump and Mariano is mutual -- Rivera serves as the co-chair of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition ... and became a U.S. citizen in 2015.

Cody Bellinger ain't sure about the MVP debate ... but he is positive about the "MCP" one -- the Dodgers star tells TMZ Sports Christian Yelich is the MLB's "Most Consistent Player" in 2019.

Bellinger and Yelich have gone pretty much swing for swing this season -- at least until Yelich broke his kneecap last week -- leading to an intense debate for who should win the NL's MVP award.

When we got Bellinger out in NYC ... he told us he ain't concerned about winning the honor -- but he says the Brewers superstar certainly deserves the title of "most consistent" at the very least.

"He's probably the most consistent player in the game, for sure," Bellinger says.

Of course, Yelich is done for the season after fouling a ball off his right knee last week ... but his numbers are still incredible -- especially side-by-side with Bellinger's ...

Yelich: 100 runs, 44 home runs, 97 RBIs, 30 stolen bases and a .329 batting average

Bellinger: 112 runs, 44 home runs, 108 RBIs, 12 stolen bases and a .304 batting average

As for Yelich's injury, Bellinger says it "definitely was" a big loss for the game.

"You know what's going to happen in the 9th inning, but it takes five hours to get there!"

Yankees legend Ron Guidry clearly dislikes watching the MLB these days ... telling TMZ Sports games just take too damn long to finish!!

We got the ex-pitcher out in NYC when he told us straight-up, "The game has changed, and it's long, and it makes it harder to watch because it's so long."

The MLB has been accused of juicing baseballs this season in order to see more offense ... but all the home runs and scoring has led to much longer days at the park.

Guidry says it's really killing the game ... and he thinks more needs to be done to help speed things up.

His solution to the problem? "Let the pitchers pitch."

David Ortiz broke his silence with the media since being shot in the Dominican Republic, and he gave an emotional interview ... acknowledging he almost died there.

The former Boston Red Sox slugger spoke with Univision in a sit-down that aired in Spanish on Saturday, answering a number of questions related to the scary incident in his home country this past June -- when he was ambushed and shot in the back at a club.

Big Papi described the initial feeling of the bullet going in, saying he felt a stinging sensation ... adding that in the first five seconds, he felt like he was in a living nightmare. He said the shooting made him disheartened, as he has no problems with anybody.

Ortiz went on to explain that he never lost consciousness en route to the hospital, but said he experienced something he'd never quite felt before ... trying to survive for his life.

He says he's never had his life threatened before, and that him sitting with his back to the street and no security around should be an implication ... he's not someone who'd ever think he was in danger. Then came the question about who did it ... and why.

Ortiz says he has no idea why anyone might've wanted to kill him, again reiterating that he has no enemies ... and no issues with anybody (especially criminals) that would make him worry.

Big Papi also touches on a rumor that Dominican drug lord Cesar Emilio Peralta might've been the one who ordered the hit, but he again came back with uncertainty ... saying he couldn't think of any reason why that would be the case -- if, in fact, it is.

As we reported ... authorities in the Dominican Republic have made several arrests in connection to the shooting, including the alleged shooter himself. Cops say that Ortiz was not the actual target, and that the hit was a case of mistaken identity.

Ortiz is unclear on that himself, but one thing that clearly hurt him as he was in the hospital ... people apparently suggesting that he deserved what he'd gotten. He tears up as he recounts the recovery process, saying that at one point he was in a coma ... and almost died.

Luckily, Big Papi is getting better each day. He threw out the first pitch at a recent Sox game -- and seems to be doing well following multiple life-saving surgeries.

Ex-MLB great Doc Gooden says he's found his sobriety again after his recent relapse and is crediting a lot of people -- including his friend Darryl Strawberry -- for helping him out of the dark.

Gooden has struggled with cocaine addiction for years and pled guilty to 3rd-degree drug possession last week after he was arrested in New Jersey during a traffic stop in July.

Doc was ordered into rehab by the courts, and when we got him out in NYC this week, he says the process is working, and he's feeling healthy and focused again.

"I'm feeling great," Doc says. "I appreciate all the support I've been getting. It's overwhelming, it's good to have."

"Things are going great, spirits are good, I've found my sobriety. Good to be back."

As for how he got to that point, Gooden says he had a lot of people come out to support him ... including his ex-Mets teammate, Strawberry.

"Daryl prayed with me -- he's a good man," Gooden says.

Gooden and Strawberry took the MLB by storm in the '80s as members of the '86 NY Mets championship team, and Doc says they used that same teamwork to help him kick his habit this time.