MLB

Terrible start to Trevor Bauer's Thanksgiving week ... a tire flew off a semi-truck and smashed up his $300,000 McLaren and the photo is heartbreaking!!!

It all went down in Houston, Texas early Tuesday ... where the Cincinnati Reds pitcher's beloved 2016 McLaren 650S was parked at the local McLaren dealership.

We're told the dealership is located next to a highway -- and earlier yesterday, a tire came loose on a semi-truck, flew across 6 lanes of traffic, ricocheted off a wall and smashed through a double-paned glass window before hitting the car!!!

The photo shows the damage to the wall, the glass and car ... it's a MIRACLE no one was hurt!!!

Sources familiar with the situation tell us the car is totaled -- but the good news, IT'S INSURED!!!

For his part, Trevor has a good attitude about the situation ... tweeting, "Yesterday, if you told me a semi truck would total my Mclaren, I would’ve believed you. If you told me it would happen like THIS? I would’ve said you’re out of your mind. If this isn’t @Mayhem I don’t  know what is @Allstate."

Bauer has reportedly made around $30 mil during his MLB career -- and is slated to make another $18 mil in the 2020 season.

Ex-MLB star Aubrey Huff believes Bernie Sanders is a threat to America -- and he's teaching his kids to shoot guns in case Bernie beats Donald Trump in the 2020 election.

"Getting my boys trained up on how to use a gun in the unlikely event @BernieSanders  beats @realDonaldTrump in 2020," the former SF Giants slugger said.

"In which case knowing how to effectively use a gun under socialism will be a must."

Of course, 42-year-old Huff -- who won TWO World Series rings with the Giants -- is an outspoken Trump supporter who doesn't shy away from controversy. And, when asked WHO he was training to shoot, Huff offered up this explanation.

"Ummmm crazy people rioting and trying to break into my house for food or shelter. And yes that includes Americans. And they aren’t fellow Americans if they are breaking into my house and trying to harm my family dumbass."

Huff isn't the first person with an MLB connection to talk about guns and Trump ... just last month, MLB umpire Rob Drake got himself in hot water for similar comments.

"I will be buying an AR-15 tomorrow, because if you impeach MY PRESIDENT this way, YOU WILL HAVE ANOTHER CIVAL WAR," Drake said.

MLB is investigating pitcher Sam Dyson over allegations he got violent with his ex-girlfriend ... AND their cat.

Dyson's ex, Alexis Blackburn, is accusing the former Minnesota Twins pitcher of flying into a rage and smashing up their cat's play box while the cat was still inside.

Blackburn posted a message on social media -- written in the voice of her cat -- saying, "Someone I trusted with my safety, protection, and love did the unthinkable while I was inside the box."

Blackburn says she moved the cat out of their home -- and says (in her cat's voice), "I don’t have to worry about getting hurt because of anger or control."

"I don’t have to be scared of yelling and things being hurled at mom and me. I don’t have to be scared anymore."

In ANOTHER cryptic post -- using her own voice -- Blackburn alludes to an abusive situation with an unnamed person ... and says, "I am broken."

"I’ve allowed my physical health, my emotional health, and my mental health to diminish to nothing."

A source close to the situation confirmed to The Athletic ... both social media posts were written about Dyson.

An MLB spokesperson tells TMZ Sports, "We are aware of the matter and looking into it."

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal says MLB is calling the matter a "domestic violence investigation."

So far, no comment from Dyson's camp.

31-year-old Dyson is currently a free agent after spending last season with the San Francisco Giants and Minnesota Twins.

It pays to be the champs ... and the Washington Nationals now know exactly how much they're getting for winning the World Series -- a whoppin' $382k per player!!

Major League Baseball just announced the total amounts that got divvied up to each postseason team ... and while it isn't record-breaking, it's still an insane number -- $80,861,145.74!!

BTW -- the total pool number is essentially made up of playoff stadium ticket sales and is divided by the 10 playoff teams based on how far they got.

Since the Nats took the title, they obvi got the biggest amount to share -- $29,110,012 to split between 61 players, totaling in $382,358!!

The Houston Astros lost, but they can wipe their tears with a sweet $256,030 each!!

Here's how much the rest of the playoff teams got ...

New York Yankees -- $114k per player

St. Louis Cardinals -- $144k per player

Atlanta Braves -- $33k per player

Los Angeles Dodgers -- $32k per player

Minnesota Twins -- $37k per player

Tampa Bay Rays -- $36k per player

The $80 million pot is the 3rd-highest of all time ... right behind the 2017 and 2018 postseasons.

Kate Upton and Justin Verlander had the best seats in the house at the Houston Texans game on Thursday -- getting the ultimate VIP treatment ... plus hugs from J.J. Watt!

The Houston Astros pitcher was being honored at NRG Stadium in Houston for winning the 2019 AL Cy Young Award ... his 2nd Cy Young ... and they picked the right game to attend!

Deshaun Watson threw for nearly 300 yards and 2 TDs as the Texans escaped with a 20-to-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Kate and Justin not only got field access before the game to rub shoulders with stars like Watt, Watson and others ... but they later got to chill in a VIP suite!

There was even a moment where the Texans put Kate and Justin on the Jumbotron -- and Kate shot herself being shot ... and put it on IG!

After the game, the couple got to go back in the locker room where Watson hooked 'em up with a signed jersey (it looks game worn, but we're told it's not. Still cool though!).

More terrible allegations against MLB pitcher Felipe Vazquez -- the Pirates star has just been hit with multiple child pornography charges in his already disturbing child sex case.

The 28-year-old All-Star showed up to a Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania courtroom on Tuesday with shackles on his ankles and wrists ... and was reportedly looking to be released on bond after he was arrested back in September for allegedly sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl.

But, not only did a judge not let him out of jail Tuesday -- prosecutors announced they were bringing 21 new charges against Vasquez.

Among the new crimes ... Vasquez has been hit with 10 counts of child pornography, 10 counts of unlawful contact with a minor and 1 count of corruption of minors.

In court docs, authorities say they found photos and videos of the alleged underage victim in "various stages of nudity" in Vazquez's phone.

All 21 charges are listed as 3rd-degree felonies ... which carry a maximum of 7 years in prison each if Vazquez is convicted.

As we previously reported, Vazquez is accused of having sex with a 13-year-old girl in his Ford Mustang in Pennsylvania back in 2017.

Officials say the MLB closer also sent the girl graphic videos and photos -- and told her in text messages he was planning to have sex with her again.

The texts were discovered by the alleged victim's mother -- who alerted police. Investigators say the images depicted numerous "unique and distinguishable" tattoos on his body ... which they were able to match to Vazquez through public images on the Internet.

Cops claim Vazquez admitted to the crime during a Sept. 17 interrogation ... telling investigators he had "sex but not really" with the victim.

Vazquez was initially charged with 3 felonies in Pennsylvania -- including statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor and corruption of minors.

Vazquez is also facing 2 felony charges in the case in Florida -- where the alleged victim's mom initially reported the relationship to authorities.

Vazquez is a 2-time All-Star who had a great season for the Pirates in 2019. He signed a 4-year, $22.5 million contract in 2018.

Remember when Dwight Gooden charged the mound and PUNCHED PAT COMBS IN THE FACE?!

Doc sure does ... and tells TMZ Sports if there's anyone questioning his fighting ability, they need to watch that video!

Of course, the 55-year-old MLB legend is gearing up for a celebrity boxing match against 29-year-old comic Catfish Cooley on March 7 in Atlantic City.

Some people are concerned for Gooden since Cooley is a big dude who squats 600 pounds -- but Doc tells us HE CAN SWING, BRO!!

In fact, Gooden brings up that crazy brawl from August 1990 -- when Phillies pitcher Pat Combs threw at Doc and he charged the mound with bad intentions!

We found the clip -- and yeah, Doc's right ... he hit Combs with a solid right to the face that ignited a bench-clearing brawl! Good stuff!

Now, Doc says he's been training for his next fight and even hit up his old pal, Mike Tyson, for advice.

Turns out, Doc and Mike have been friends for decades -- remember when they kicked it together with Darryl Strawberry at Shea Stadium back in '86?

As for why Doc's fighting again, it's all about raising awareness for causes dear to his heart.

"I'm trying to do something positive to bring awareness to mental health as well as sobriety," Doc says.

Got tissues nearby? Better go grab 'em ... 'cause Cody Bellinger started crying after winning the NL MVP award Thursday -- and he says it's all 'cause of a celebration hug with his dad!!!

"That's what made me emotional right there for sure," Bellinger said.

The LA Dodgers superstar had an unbelievable year in 2019 ... hitting 47 home runs with 115 RBIs while batting .305 -- and he earned the MVP award over Christian Yelich because of it.

When MLB Network had Cody on shortly after to talk about the honor ... the outfielder couldn't hide his emotions -- saying an embrace with his pops made him break down.

"It's what you dream of, man," Bellinger said.

Of course, Cody and his dad, Clay, are SUPER tight ... Poppa Bellinger is a former MLB player who Cody has often credited for his ultra-successful baseball career.

Cody also had a bunch of other family and friends join him for the celebration ... and he called the whole moment, "pretty cool."

"It's absolutely incredible," Bellinger said ... "A little emotional. So, it's pretty cool."

Here's Alex Bregman super concerned about the Astros' cheating scand -- AHH JUST KIDDING, BREGS CLEARLY COULDN'T CARE LESS ABOUT YOUR ACCUSATIONS!!!

The 'Stros superstar bolted from all the drama in Texas this week to get in a sick island vacay with his smokin' hot GF -- proving no matter what's going down in Houston, he's still winning!!!

The third baseman joined up with his GF, Reagan Howard, and his Astros teammate, Jake Marisnick (plus some other buds), to hit up St. Barts in the Caribbean ... and there's obviously zero worries about the possibility his 2017 World Series title could now be tainted.

Bregs has been cruisin' around the island with Howard -- soakin' in the beach and the pool and very obviously not covering all parts of his bod with sunscreen.

Looks like great times are being had by all!!!

Of course, back home in Houston ... things are going less swimmingly. The Astros have launched an investigation into claims they stole signs during the 2017 season.

Bregs has yet to comment on the matter ... but seems he's pretty comfortable letting these pics do all the talking for him.

And, hey, if the team DID cheat during 2017 ... it's not like Alex should care all that much -- 'CAUSE HAVE YOU SEEN HIS GIRLFRIEND?!?

The Houston Astros have launched an investigation into claims the team cheated during the 2017 MLB season ... the same year they won the World Series.

Former 'Stros pitcher Mike Fiers said in an article posted by The Athletic on Tuesday that he personally witnessed Astros players going above and beyond to steal signs from opposing teams back in '17.

"That’s not playing the game the right way," said Fiers, a current Oakland A's pitcher who left Houston after the 2017 season. “They were advanced and willing to go above and beyond to win.”

The Athletic, citing multiple MLB sources, reports Houston used an outfield camera to record other team's catchers ... and watched video of the footage in the clubhouse hallway.

The report states Astros staffers and players would then try to decode the signals ... and when they felt they had them down, they would relay the expected upcoming pitches to batters using a loud banging noise.

The report claims the alleged cheating took place during the regular season ... but says it's unclear if it continued during the Astros' epic playoff run that year.

Houston released a statement saying they're looking into the matter, writing, "The Houston Astros organization has begun an investigation in cooperation with Major League Baseball."

"It would not be appropriate to comment further on this matter at this time."

Of course, the 'Stros have become no stranger to controversial MLB investigations ... just a few weeks ago they fired high-ranking exec Brandon Taubman after a probe revealed he directed taunts about Roberto Osuna to female journalists.

Wanna see how far one of the MLB's best power hitters can launch a golf ball??

Good ... 'cause Minnesota Twins slugger Nelson Cruz pulled out the driver at a Top Golf earlier this month -- AND HE SENT A BALL TO THE FREAKIN' MOON!!!!

The Babe Ruthian swing all went down on Nov. 1, when Cruz was getting in some offseason golf hacks at the range.

Cruz only posted one video ... but it was seriously epic -- he blasted a ball that appeared to clear the top of the netting some 300-ish yards away!!!

Of course, Cruz is 6-foot-2, 230 pounds and is used to killin' balls ... he's hit 37 or more home runs in the MLB for 6 straight seasons.

But, it ain't like power in one sport always translates to another ... just ask 6-foot-6, 284-pound NBA beast Zion Williamson, who REALLY sucks at golf!!!

As for Cruz, the 39-year-old seemed impressed with himself after the hack ... writing on his social media page, "¿Futuro golfista?"

Everyone wants to know if Cleveland Indians superstar Francisco Lindor will sign a new deal to keep him in CLE after the 2021 season.

So, we asked him about that ... and this video could have Indians Nation super worried!

Here's the deal ... Lindor was out in NYC this weekend and was super nice to our camera guy and other fans, talking about everything MLB related.

He gave love to Cleveland and called it "my home" -- but when we pressed him about staying with the Indians long term ... well, that's when the cat got his tongue.

Watch the video ... Lindor is chatty about every other topic except when we specifically asked about his career in Cleveland.

Of course, Lindor -- who's one of the 10 best hitters in the sport -- has a very uncertain future in Cleveland ... Indians owner Paul Dolan has already hinted he ain't willing to give the shortstop the FAT contract extension he probably deserves.

In fact, Dolan famously said before this past season, "Enjoy him. We control him for three more years. Enjoy him and then we’ll see what happens."

So, is Lindor's silence speaking volumes ... or is this a big ol' nothingburger?

It's not just the Indians fans in our office feeling some sort of way ... and even the non-CLE crowd was shocked by the non-answer answer.

Johnny Damon says players like Sean Doolittle and Steph Curry should NOT ditch The White House because of President Trump ... telling TMZ Sports it's the perfect time to make their voices heard with the leader of the free world!

Of course, it's become a major debate in sports ... with huge athletes boycotting celebratory visits to 1600 Penn. as a way to stick it to POTUS.

So, when we saw Damon, we spoke with the ex-Yankees superstar about some Washington Nationals players like Doolittle, Anthony Rendon and more deciding to sit out the trip last weekend ... and JD says that's the WRONG thing to do.

"That's one of the things you wanted to do when you won the World Series was go to The White House, regardless of what political affiliation you may or may not have," Damon told us outside Capitale in NYC.

"I think it's a great thing and if you do have an issue, that's the greatest time to talk about the issues that you see and try to make things work."

Damon says there's too much hate going around between both sides ... and refusing to talk it out isn't gonna make anything better.

"I'm glad the Nationals went there. I'm glad there was a great support for the president. I hope other teams elect to go in the future so they can talk about the issues that are bothering them."

As for those who DID go to The White House ... the visit looked, uh, interesting. Just ask Kurt Suzuki.

Ex-MLB All-Star Nick Swisher is still swinging for the fences in retirement ... shelling out nearly $6 million for an awesome Beverly Hills pad with a pool!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 38-year-old ex-Yankees stud and his actress wife, JoAnna Garcia, copped the super private Hidden Valley home recently ... and the "forest-like sanctuary" comes with everything you could ask for.

The 6,780-square-foot crib has 5 bedrooms and 7 baths, a media room, bar, library and office, gourmet chef's kitchen, master suite, walk-in closets and a dope pool/hot tub outside with a yard!!!

And, don't bother trying to visit Swisher's new palace unannounced -- the place has 24/7 guarded security. Yeah, dude ain't messing around.

Not only is the pad cool and private, it's also in a perfect location for hitting up all the Beverly Hills hot spots -- it's only about a 5-mile drive to Mastro's!!!

Final closing price -- $5.95 million (just a little bit of change for a guy who made over $94 million in his career).

Giancarlo Stanton is ready for two more superstar teammates ... the Yankees outfielder tells TMZ Sports he wants NYY to sign BOTH Gerrit Cole AND Stephen Strasburg!!

"You can never go wrong with Cole and Strasburg!" Stanton says.

The two stud pitchers are set to be free agents this offseason after epic playoff runs for the Astros and Nats respectively ... and when we got Stanton outside of Il Pastaio, he made his Pinstripes pitch to both guys.

"I'm pretty sure Gerrit grew up a Yankees fan, so he'd always like to do that," Stanton tells us. "And, Stras, we debuted together, so he'd like that!"

As for if there'd be any jealousy in a clubhouse full of superstars adding TWO MORE to the mix ... Stanton says hell no, telling us, "You can never have too many!"

So, could it actually happen? Maybe. Both guys are reportedly in line for some MASSIVE contracts, and everyone knows the Yankees have the cash to bring in big free agents.

By the way, Stanton -- who only played in 18 of 162 regular season games -- also tells us he's ALREADY working to make sure a repeat of his injury-shortened 2019 season doesn't happen again next year.

The 29-year-old slugger says he's trying to start his workouts WAY earlier this offseason ... and showed us he's serious about it -- already decked out in gym attire!

Alex Rodriguez says the Mets are going to be SUPER HAPPY with their new manager, Carlos Beltran ... telling TMZ Sports he thinks the guy is "a baseball savant."

"The Mets are going to love him," A-Rod says.

New York has stumbled the last few years with Mickey Callaway and Terry Collins running the dugout ... but Rodriguez seems convinced 42-year-old Beltran will turn things around next year.

Of course, A-Rod is a bit biased -- dude played with Carlos for a few years with the Yankees earlier this decade -- but he swears the ex-outfielder will kill it with the Mets.

"Love Carlos," Rodriguez says. "Great hire. Great person. New Yorker. His wife, Jessica, lives right here in the city. And, he's a baseball savant. I think the Mets are going to love him."

As for Beltran having NO managing experience heading into the gig ... Rodriguez says he has zero concerns about growing pains, telling us, "He'll do great, he'll do great."

By the way, Rodriguez has some new beginnings going on this week too ... he was out in NYC promoting his new show, "Back In The Game," which debuts Wednesday night.