New York Yankees

Kanye West is going from the big stage at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church to a truly massive one -- this time they'll be teaming up to fill Yankee Stadium to the brim ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to Kanye tell us ... Ye and Joel will take center stage at baseball's cathedral on May 2, 2020 for a mega event that certainly plays like a tour stop. The NYC event is part of Joel's "America's Night of Hope" ... which he takes to several cities across the country.

We're told Joel will do his sermon at Yankee Stadium, and then let Kanye and his choir do their thing with the music. Call it a double play, considering the setting, similar to what they did a few weeks ago in Houston.

If Joel's past appearances at Yankee Stadium are any indication, this one's sure to sell out quickly ... especially now that Kanye's involved. The stadium has a max capacity of 54,251 ... almost 10,000 more than Lakewood.

This will be Joel's third time doing 'Night of Hope' at the Stadium, but his first with Ye.

Our sources tell us the Lakewood get-together went so well, Joel recently asked Kanye about when they will do a sequel ... and they agreed Yankee Stadium would be the perfect backdrop. They're coordinating details now.

"Alright, I'm about to a hit home run because I know what pitch is coming!"

Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier SAVAGELY roasted the Houston Astros on his Twitch stream Tuesday ... throwing shade at the AL champs over their alleged use of trash bins in their 2017 cheating scandal.

The clip is pretty hilarious ... Frazier -- who's in the middle of a Call of Duty stream -- hits his virtual gun on some empty cans and says, "Two bangs, slider!"

After his avatar eventually goes down, he ribs the 'Stros some more, adding, "He said two bangs was a curveball and he banged twice and it was a heater!"

Of course, Houston is accused of stealing signs with video cameras 2 years ago and using dugout trash bins to relay the message to its hitters.

While it's a joking matter for Frazier -- who didn't make the Yankees' playoff roster when they played the Astros in the 2017 ALCS -- most guys in the MLB ain't laughin'.

Houston's penalty will reportedly be STEEP if it's found guilty ... and Yankees players and fans are still (rightfully) pissed over the whole deal.

In fact, CC Sabathia just said Tuesday he still sometimes wakes up "angry" over the whole issue!!!

Here's proof CC Sabathia gave EVERYTHING he had to try to get the Yankees another World Series title ...

TMZ Sports got the former MLB ace out in NYC on Tuesday ... and he was sporting a bulky brace on his pitching arm.

When we spoke to sources close to the 39-year-old, they told us he needed surgery last week to clean up the mess he made in his left arm after pitching for the Yanks against Houston in the ALCS.

Tough dude, right?!

Of course, CC battled a TON of injuries in his last year in pinstripes ... the guy famously said he would have had knee surgery over the summer if the Yanks weren't in a championship hunt.

As for his future, a timeline for recovery doesn't matter much anymore ... Sabathia is done pitching for good -- and if you expect to see him around the diamond next year, don't count on it.

The guy told reporters Tuesday he has ZERO interest in managing or broadcasting ... and seems he wasn't kidding when he told us earlier this year he's looking to do a ton of fishing in retirement!

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!

CC Sabathia just wrote a goodbye letter to his New York teammates and the sport of baseball altogether ... and we gotta say, it's getting a little dusty in here.

With the Yanks getting eliminated by the Astros on Saturday ... the future Hall of Famer's career is now over -- and he took some time to reflect on it on social media Monday.

"Through the ups and downs, baseball has always been my home," 39-year-old Sabathia wrote ... "From Cleveland, to Milwaukee, New York, and everywhere in between, I'm so thankful to have experienced this journey with every teammate past and present."

Sabathia tried to pitch through injuries to get the Yanks past Houston and into another World Series ... but he couldn't quite finish the run, reinjuring himself in Game 4.

Still, the pitching legend got a huge ovation from fans when he walked off the NY mound for the final time last week.

"I'm so proud of this year's team, we fought til the end," Sabathia said, "Love you guys!"

CC added, "I'm going to miss going out there on the mound and competing, but it's time to say farewell. Thank you, baseball."

Ex-Yankees skipper Joe Girardi fought like hell to choke back tears when talking about CC Sabathia ... and if you're a Bronx Bombers fan, or just someone with a heart, cue the waterworks.

Barring a miracle, Sabathia's career ended Thursday night ... when the 39-year-old star pitcher was forced to leave Game 4 of the Yankees-Astros ALCS game when his knee buckled on the mound. The Yanks are 1 game away from elimination ... and CC's retiring after this season.

So, when former longtime manager Joe Girardi -- who managed CC from 2009-2017 -- was asked to talk about the legendary hurler during his MLB Network TV gig, it got emotional.

"That was not the way I wanted to see it end for him."

"CC, you're a Hall of Fame pitcher that was as tough as any man I was ever around, what you went through on a daily basis to just be able to get on the mound."

"You were a great husband. You were a great father. You were probably the greatest teammate I've ever been around because of your ability to pull all 25, sometimes all 50 people together in the clubhouse."

Girardi continued, and this is where it really gets emotional ... "And, you were the guy I always wanted on the mound when we needed a win. And, it was a privilege for me to manage you for 9 years. I love you, man."

WE'RE NOT CRYING, YOU'RE CRYING!!!!

If this is it for the 251-game winning, 6x All-Star and 2007 AL Cy Young winner -- and it certainly looks like it's a wrap -- Sabathia's next stop is likely Cooperstown

Here's MLB legend Jeff Bagwell happy as hell he's not on the Yankees right now ... 'cause he tells TMZ Sports the way Gerrit Cole is currently pitching is straight-up scary!!

"He's the closest thing I've seen to Randy Johnson," the Astros legend says ... "He's tough. He's a monster out there."

Cole has been mowing down lineups all season ... and nothing's changed so far in the playoffs -- especially in Houston's HUGE Game 3 win over the Yanks on Tuesday.

Bagwell -- one of the greatest power hitters ever -- says it's truly impressive what the flamethrower has been able to do over the last few months.

"He's just a different animal," Bagwell says ... "There's something out there when he's on the mound where it just looks like he feels like he's just better than you."

In fact, Bagwell is so impressed by GC ... he says it actually reminds him of when Randy Johnson was shoving for the 'Stros back in 1998!!

Listen up, Marlins fans ... Derek Jeter says Miami WILL have a playoff squad to cheer for eventually -- he tells TMZ Sports it's just going to take a little more time!!!

"I preach patience," Jeter says. "I don't have any myself, but we'll get there!"

The Marlins have been pretty awful since DJ took over as part-owner of the team ... and a lot of people are bent by the fact that No. 2 has traded away Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, J.T. Realmuto AND Marcell Ozuna in the last few years.

But, when we got Jeter out at his annual Turn 2 Foundation Dinner in New York Monday night ... he told us he's got a plan -- and he's sure it's all going to work out.

RIP OFF YOUR SHIRT AND BEAT ON YOUR CHEST LIKE KING KONG, NICK TURTURRO!!!!

The "NYPD Blue" star lost his friggin' mind Monday night when the Yankees swept the Minnesota Twins out of the playoffs ... and Nick busted out the broom at his home to make the point!

Of course, Nick is a diehard Yanks fan ... like, probably in an unhealthy way.

But, the dude couldn't have been happier watching the Yanks hang 5 on the Twins -- the adrenaline took hold, the shirt came off and the self-flagellation began!

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.

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 ...

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.

"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."

It's been a month since Brian Cashman was ordered to step away from his car at gunpoint ... but the Yankees GM still has no hard feelings toward cops, praising the officers to TMZ Sports!!!

"The police were doing their job, and so it was all good," Cashman said. "I followed their commands and it all worked out."

Cashman was stopped in Darien, Conn. on Aug 9 after cops mistakenly thought he had stolen the Jeep he was driving ... and when they ordered him out of the car, the scene was tense.

Multiple officers had their guns drawn -- seemingly ready to shoot at any moment -- telling the 52-year-old to get away from the car.

Eventually, the scene calmed down when cops realized they had the wrong guy ... and Cashman was free to leave.

When we got Brian out in NYC on Wednesday ... he told us he hasn't changed his mind one bit about the officers' actions, saying they did a great job throughout the stop.

"Big shoutout to the police for what they do and keeping us all safe."

As for the case against Cashman, cops say he's been cleared of any wrongdoing ... with the lead officer on the scene even apologizing to the Yanks exec.

Rudy Giuliani is going to bat for James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka and the rest of the Yankees' starting pitchers ... telling TMZ Sports they're good enough to win the World Series!!

"They wouldn't have the best record in baseball if they didn't have enough pitching," the former NY mayor says.

Of course, tons of MLB pundits disagree ... especially because the Houston Astros added Zack Greinke to their already stacked rotation at the trade deadline while the Yanks stood pat.

But, Giuliani says he's got no worries about the Yanks' staff heading into the postseason, telling us their 90-49 record "indicates they do" have enough!

Currently, the Yankees rank No. 14 in the league with a 4.44 staff ERA ... while other World Series favorites like the Dodgers (3.45) and Astros (3.69) rank 1st and 4th, respectively.