Teen testifies to sexual relationship with ex-Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez, says initial contact was 'super cool'

A 17-year-old girl testified Monday she thought it was “super cool” when Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Felipe Vazquez responded to her social media message in which she wished him a happy birthday in July 2017.

Six weeks later, with her parents away for the day, Vazquez had sex with her just a few weeks before she turned 14 in the front seat of his Mustang as it sat parked in front of her Scottdale home, she told a Westmoreland County jury during the first day of the sexual assault trial of the suspended All-Star pitcher.

Vazquez, 29, has been in the county jail without bond since his arrest in September 2019 after he was charged with statutory sexual assault, indecent assault of someone under 16, corruption of a minor and unlawful contact with a minor. He is facing an additional 10 counts of child pornography, 11 counts of unlawful contact with a minor and one count of corruption of a minor because police said he and the girl exchanged sexually explicit pictures and text messages.

His accuser told jurors she, along with her parents, were Pirates fans who regularly attended games and, in 2016, made contact through social media with another player, outfielder Starling Marte, who arranged a meeting with her and her parents after a game to give her team memorabilia.

She testified that, a year later, she contacted another player on social media — Vazquez — when she wished him happy birthday. Vazquez responded and initiated a followup conversation. She said she kept her relationship with Vazquez a secret from her parents.

The prosecution contends she and Vazquez exchanged text messages that were innocent at first but quickly changed tone over the proceeding weeks.

“Eventually, he asked to send pictures. He wanted nude photos, pictures of boobs and butt,” she testified.

Through tears, the teen described in detail what she claimed was her one in-person meeting with Vazquez in 2017 that was arranged a day earlier. She said Vazquez arrived outside her home just hours before the start of an afternoon game in Pittsburgh and she got into his car. Vazquez, she said, pulled her onto his lap, instructed her how to kiss him, and they engaged in sexual activity.

“He put me back in the passenger’s seat, and we sat there for a few minutes until he said he had to go back for the game. I got out and he slapped my butt and drove away,” she testified. “He texted me after I left — a drooling emoji.”

Explicit text messages between the two continued for another two years and included exchanges of pictures and videos of each performing sex acts, she said.

The teen will return to the witness stand Tuesday morning for the defense’s cross-examination before Westmoreland County Judge Scott Mears.

The prosecution contends Vazquez should have known the girl was a minor.

In his opening statement to the jury, Assistant District Attorney Jim Lazar said details from the dozens of messages sent between Vazquez and the teen indicate he suspected she was underage.

“Today, nearly four years after he drove from Pittsburgh to Scottdale to have sex with her in his car, she is still a child. This is what drew him to her,” Lazar said.

The prosecution conceded the girl initially told Vazquez she was 17. During two police interrogations at his Pittsburgh apartment shortly before his arrest in September 2019, Vazquez admitted he believed she was “too young,” according to the prosecution.

In his opening statement, defense attorney Gary Gerson called the teen a liar and suggested the evidence at trial will show Vazquez committed no crimes.

Gerson said the teen led a secret life, sent Vazquez an image via Snapchat of a fake ID that listed her age as 17 or 18, and through text messages and images made herself to appear much older than her actual age. Gerson said the teen was the aggressor who initiated contact with Vazquez more than 30 times over the two years and was grooming the pitcher for a sexual relationship.

“He is not some monster, not a sexual predator,” Gerson told jurors. “He may be dumb, gullible and naive, but he is a good man.”

In addition to the charges in Pennsylvania, police in Florida charged Vazquez with similar offenses based on allegations he had a sexual relationship with the same girl after she moved there.

Police in Missouri also charged Vazquez last year with pornography offenses after investigators said he and the same girl exchanged sexually explicit messages when the the pitcher was playing for the Pirates in St. Louis in 2019. The Florida and Missouri cases are pending.

The teen’s mother was the first witness to testify Monday and said she learned of her daughter’s relationship with Vazquez when she saw a message come through to the teen’s phone after it was left on a counter. She testified her daughter labeled contact information for Vazquez on her phone as “Justin” from school but eventually disclosed the nature of the relationship with the pitcher.

She told jurors Vazquez texted a picture of himself wearing only a towel to her daughter’s phone and did not respond after she confiscated the phone and sent a message telling him her daughter was still a minor.