The Pittsburgh Pirates received sobering news on Tuesday afternoon, as Felipe Vazquez was arrested on charges of pornography and soliciting a child.
The Pittsburgh Pirates 2019 season officially reached its nadir. Star closer Felipe Vazquez was taken into custody by the Pennsylvania State Police early Tuesday and later arraigned in Allegheny County. There was a warrant out for his arrest out of Florida, where he faces felony charges of child pornography and soliciting a child.
Vazquez is charged with soliciting a 13-year-old female whom he met through social media, as reported by CBS Pittsburgh. Needless to say, these are serious accusations that extend far beyond the reach of baseball.
The Pirates released this statement:
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"“Today we were made aware of an active law enforcement investigation involving Felipe Vázquez and his subsequent arrest. We take this matter, and these charges in particular, extremely seriously. We have informed the Commissioner’s Office of the investigation and arrest. The Commissioner’s Office will immediately place Felipe Vázquez on Administrative Leave (and, as a result, Restricted List) pursuant to the Joint MLB/MLBPA Policy. We need to be respectful to all involved and the ongoing legal proceeding. As a result, the organization, our staff and players cannot comment any further at this time.”"
The Pirates entered the All-Star break just one game under .500, but they entered free-fall not long after. A 5-24 stretch quickly took them out of the playoff race. They’ll finish the season in last place in the NL Central.
On the field, a recent sweep at the hands of the Cubs may have been their low point, as a devolved pitching staff surrendered 47 runs over the span of three games.
This in a year when Clint Hurdle’s managerial style has come under scrutiny from players and coaches around the league. Hurdle promotes pitching high and inside, but Pirates hurlers have routinely struggled to locate in that quadrant, leading to some buzzed chin hairs and on-field extracurriculars.
The mood in the clubhouse boiled over recently as well. Vazquez instigated an altercation with Kyle Crick that ended in blows. Crick sustained an injury to his finger that will cost him the rest of the season.
Crick joined a long list of Pirates already on the injured list: Gregory Polanco, Jason Martin, Chris Archer, and Jameson Taillon are all expected to miss the remainder of the season.
But everything else pales in comparison to the news of Vazquez’s arrest. Certainly, there will be many who point to the Pirates decision not to trade him at the deadline as a missed opportunity, but today’s development falls outside the sphere of normal operating procedures. Today’s news obviously has baseball repercussions, but it is not about baseball.
For Felipe Vazquez, he faces the very real possibility that he’s thrown his last pitch as a major league pitcher. A preponderance of evidence is sure to convict him in the court of public appeal, but the actual court proceedings will not be as swift. Vazquez faces an extradition hearing on September 25th. The Pittsburgh Pirates have placed him on the restricted list.