Pittsburgh Pirates

A Roberto Clemente rookie card -- one of the greatest outfielders in MLB history -- is hitting the auction block next month ... and is expected to sell for over $1,000,000!!

TMZ Sports has learned Clemente's 1955 Topps rookie card -- recently graded a PSA 9, indicating "mint" condition -- will go up for auction in September at PWCC Marketplace and could rival the previous record for a Clemente card, $1.107 million.

PWCC officials tell us the '55 Clemente rookie card is in the "upper echelon of quality for vintage trading cards."

The card's front features two images of Clemente in his Pittsburgh Pirates uniform and baseball cap, and the back has stats from when Roberto played in the minor leagues.

"There are just so few copies of this card in this quality in existence that they require the highest level of custodianship possible," said PWCC exec Jesse Craig.

"We're talking about a museum-quality piece here."

During his rookie season, Clemente played 124 games for the Pirates, tallying 121 hits, 23 doubles, and a .255 batting average.

A 12-time Gold Glove winner and 15-time All-Star, Clemente finished his career with four batting titles, 2 World Series rings and a World Series MVP award.

Clemente was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973.

The auction is still a few weeks away ... so bidders start saving.

Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Rodolfo Castro has just been hit with a suspension by Major League Baseball ... after his phone made an accidental appearance during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Jeff Passan of ESPN says the league handed down the one-game ban because Castro "played while having a cell phone in his back pocket."

The 23-year-old -- who's in his second season with the Pirates -- was sliding into third base when the mishap occurred. As Castro slid head-first into the bag, his phone flew out of his left pocket.

Castro was unaware the phone came out ... and the ump had to tell him it was on the ground before he retrieved it.

Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton was not pleased with Castro -- who was called up from the Minors for the game that night -- and said after the incident, "This was just a kid who made a mistake."

"It’s just one of those things we move forward from and tell him, 'You can’t do that,'" he said.

To his credit, the second-year player did take accountability for his mistake, which he contends was an honest mistake, expressing he felt "horrible" about the situation and never wanted to be the center of attention.

The Diamondbacks vs. Pirates game on Wednesday night got a whole lot more interesting in the 8th inning ... when two fans invaded the field -- and juked the hell out of stadium security while they were out there!

The guys jumped from the stands in the middle of a Pirates player's at-bat and raced toward the outfield ... and then caused chaos for several moments.

Video shot from inside of Chase Field in Phoenix shows the men did laps around a bevy of guards who were trying to bring them down -- and at one point, one of the guys even stripped his shirt off.

The highlight of their jaunt, though, came when one of the men evaded a security member so badly, the worker actually fell flat on their face.

But, after running around for nearly a full minute -- the guys gave up, and guards appeared to take them off the field without further incident.

Bizarre scene in the Pirates game on Tuesday night -- a player's phone spilled out of his pocket while he was sliding into a bag ... and his manager was pissed about it!

Pittsburgh second baseman Rodolfo Castro committed the blunder in the fourth inning of the Buccos' tilt with the Diamondbacks ... when he went head first into third base.

As the 23-year-old was reaching the bag safely, his iPhone flew from his back pocket ... and hit the base at the same time as he did.

Castro -- who was just called up from the Minor Leagues for Tuesday night's game -- was initially oblivious to it all, but had to pick it up after an ump pointed out to him that it was on the ground. He then handed it over to his third base coach, who didn't appear pleased.

Following the game, which the Pirates ended up losing, manager Derek Shelton was clearly not thrilled with Castro either ... telling media members, "This was just a kid who made a mistake. It’s just one of those things we move forward from and tell him, 'You can’t do that.'"

Castro, meanwhile, said afterward he felt "horrible" about the incident ... and added that it was completely unintentional.

Of course, outside of the unprofessional look of having a phone out during the middle of playing in an MLB game ... the league has become highly sensitive to technology use in the field of play (thanks, Astros).

The Marlins' win on Thursday didn't come without a price for Miguel Rojas -- who had to sacrifice his tooth in order to make an out near the end of the game.

The wild scene all went down in the 9th inning of the Marlins' afternoon tilt with the Pirates ... when Pittsburgh star Oneil Cruz attempted to steal second base.

As Rojas was going to lay the tag on the rookie -- who slid into the bag feet first -- the Pirates star rose up and accidentally cracked Rojas in the mouth with his helmet.

Broadcast replays showed Cruz's head hit Rojas' so hard -- it sent a tooth flying out of his mouth and onto the infield dirt.

Rojas was forced to leave the game following the collision.

Three Pittsburgh Pirates staffers looked more like "The Three Stooges" on Monday night ... because they failed to corral a squirrel that had gotten loose in the outfield during a game -- and it was comical.

The little critter jetted out into left field during the second inning of the Buccos' game against the Chicago Cubs ... and a short time later, Pirates officials apparently thought it'd be good to send three guys out with a bucket, a towel and a net to get it away from players.

Turns out ... that was not a great idea.

Check out video from the game's broadcast, the trio hilariously tried everything they could to capture the squirrel -- but the animal juked them at every turn.

Eventually, the squirrel grew tired of making the guys look silly -- and bolted through a fence.

The scene was so hysterical, the MLB even had some fun with it ... tweeting out, "sandy cheeks wildin."

Men, you might wanna close your eyes.

Pirates pitcher J.T. Brubaker drilled Nationals shortstop Alcides Escobar in the balls ... in what will go down as one of the most painful pickoff attempts in MLB history.

The wild play went down in the fourth inning of Thursday's game between the Nationals and the Pirates ... Brubaker's throw over to first base hit Escobar square in the groin area.

In the video, you can see Escobar taking a lead off first base when Brubaker turns and fires a throw towards the bag (foreshadowing) that misses everything ... except, well, you know the rest.

Escobar immediately grabbed his marbles as he was falling backward to the ground ... and signaled with his right hand to the first base ump that he needed a few to gather himself.

Play was temporarily stopped (understandably so, if you've ever experienced that pain before) as Escobar rolled around on the ground in clear discomfort.

Fortunately, though, the veteran shortstop was able to laugh about it all as one of his coaches and the team's trainer helped him back to his feet.

Escobar would stay in to finish the game, going 1-for-4 at the plate with two strikeouts ... but the biggest hit of the day came unexpectedly, if you catch our drift.

Former MLB All-Star Felipe Vazquez has just been sentenced to 2 to 4 years behind bars ... after he was convicted of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl.

A spokesperson for the Westmoreland District Attorney's Office confirmed to TMZ Sports that Vazquez was also sentenced to 2 years probation as well.

The sentencing comes three months after a jury found Vazquez guilty of 15 total charges -- including statutory sexual assault, sexual abuse of children, child pornography and corruption of minors.

As we previously reported, prosecutors alleged that Vazquez had sex with a 13-year-old girl in his Ford Mustang in Pennsylvania in 2017 when he was 26 years old.

Prosecutors say the former Pittsburgh Pirates closer -- who was named an MLB All-Star in 2018 and 2019 -- then sent the girl graphic videos and photos, and messaged her with plans to have sex with her again.

In his trial, 30-year-old Vazquez denied knowing the girl's age ... but did not deny having a sexual relationship with her.

Vanessa Hudgens and Pittsburgh Pirates player Cole Tucker are CLEARLY getting serious ... the actress posted a pic with her man Sunday, saying he's "All I need."

The two -- who began dating late in 2020 -- appeared to spend the whole weekend together in New York, while Tucker and the Pirates were in town for a series with the Mets.

And, it seems the couple is going SERIOUSLY strong ... 'cause Vanessa showed up to his games to cheer him on -- and then posted a pic of the two with the mushy caption to cap it all off.

Of course, Vanessa hasn't been shy about her affinity for Tucker over the past few months ... acknowledging their relationship on Valentine's Day, heading out to his games, and posting photos with him constantly.

Yeah, feels like love to us!

As for how Cole did in front of Hudgens during the series in New York this weekend ... he went 0-for-5 and the Pirates were only able to split the games 2-2.

Insanely scary moment on the MLB diamond Wednesday ... Reds star rookie Jonathan India was drilled in the forehead by a 94 MPH fastball, but thankfully, he appears to be okay.

India was at the dish for his second at-bat of Cincinnati's game against the Pirates ... when pitcher Chad Kuhl lost control of a fastball and accidentally plunked the 24-year-old in the head.

India immediately crumpled to the ground in pain ... and Kuhl got down into a squat in disbelief that he had just misfired that badly.

Miraculously, India popped up to his feet just a few seconds later ... and after a short talk with trainers, he stayed in the game.

In fact, India was feeling so good ... in the next inning, he made a hell of a play throwing out a base runner at home plate!!!

It was an awesome throw ... but it was even more awesome that the dude's going to be all right after all that.

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.

Unprecedented Roberto Clemente honor coming up for the Pittsburgh Pirates ... team officials say they'll unretire the Hall of Famer's #21 so their players can wear it for Clemente Day next week.

The team says the tribute will go down when the Buccos take on the White Sox on Sept. 9 ... with each Pitt. player set to don Clemente's famous number for the game.

Afterward, Pirates officials say they'll auction off the unis ... with all proceeds going toward the Clemente Foundation and other Pirates charities.

Of course, it's a HUGE honor ... no one in the org. has worn the number for a Pirates game since Clemente tragically died in a plane crash back in 1972. He was only 38.

"Our staff and players are excited to wear the number 21 with pride as we constantly search for ways to not only honor Roberto's legacy but to keep his memory alive through our community actions," Pirates chairman Bob Nutting said.

"We recognize what this moment represents for all of us within the organization, the Clemente Family, our fans, and the people of Puerto Rico. We take great pride in representing such a great ambassador of the game."

The Pirates and MLB as a whole have honored Clemente every September since 2002 with Clemente Day ... with Pittsburgh doing different things every year to carry on RC's legacy.

One of the first "YOU'RE OUTTA HERE" calls of the 2020 MLB season just went down in St. Louis, and the usual faceoff between manager and umpire is so very 'rona-hilarious.

Pitcher Derek Holland got tossed by home plate umpire Jordan Baker Sunday in the team's game against the Cardinals, because he was sitting in the stands. That pissed off his manager, Derek Shelton ... who stormed out to the field to give the ump a piece of his mind.

Watch though ... before Shelton and Baker get into each other's faces, they both remember to throw on their face masks before barking at each other. You can even see Shelton step away from Baker as they square up, seemingly trying to keep his distance.

It's pretty hilarious ... normally, managers and umpires are touching noses over an on-field decision like this, but because of the MLB's strict new guidelines, they can't even do that anymore.

The Korean Baseball Organization just laid the hammer down on ex-MLB player Jung Ho Kang for his multiple DUI arrests ... suspending the infielder Monday for 1 YEAR.

The former Pittsburgh Pirates stud -- who nearly won the NL's Rookie of the Year award in 2015 -- was also ordered to perform 300 hours of community service.

Kang, who's reportedly been arrested for drunk driving three times since 2009, accepted the punishment ... saying in a statement, "I took putting on a uniform and getting on the field for granted."

"And I was a fool not to see how precious that was. I know I don't deserve to be saying this, but I would love one final opportunity to play baseball."

Kang's been busted for drunk driving in August 2009 and May 2011, according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, and he was also arrested for DUI in 2016.

In that case, South Korea officials accused the baseball player of crashing his car into a guardrail and then fleeing the scene. Kang later received a suspended jail sentence in 2017.

Kang was unable to obtain a work permit to return to the U.S. to play baseball after the incident -- missing the entire 2017 season -- and even after he finally made his way back to the States in 2018, he only went on to play in 68 total games.

33-year-old Kang is looking to revive his career in the KBO ... which reportedly will begin his 1-year ban as soon as he signs with a team.

Tragic news ... MLB superstar Starling Marte says his wife died from a heart attack Monday.

"Today I go through the great pain of making public the unfortunate death of my wife Noelia," Marte wrote on social media. "It is a moment of indescribable pain."

Noelia was at a hospital awaiting surgery for a broken ankle when she suffered the heart attack, this according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman.

Other details surrounding the death were not released.

31-year-old Starling and Noelia had been married for several years ... and the couple had three children together, including two sons and a daughter.

"On behalf of my family," the Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder wrote, "I am grateful for the expressions of esteem and solidarity in this difficult time."

Marte's former team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, shared their condolences on Twitter ... writing, "The entire Pirates family extend our deepest condolences to Starling Marte and family during this terrible time. Our hearts are truly saddened by this news."

The D-Backs added, "We are deeply saddened to learn of the tragic passing of Noelia Marte. Starling and his family are part of the D-backs’ family and we will do all we can to support him and their children during this incredibly difficult time."

Marte was traded from Pittsburgh to Arizona this offseason ... and was expected to compete for MVP votes in his first year with the Diamondbacks before the coronavirus pandemic suspended play.

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.