MLB
The majors' top two teams during the regular seasons will square off in the American League Championship Series.
The Boston Red Sox advanced by surviving a wild ninth inning to beat the Yankees, 4-3 in Game 4 of the ALDS in the Bronx. The Yankees scored twice in the ninth and had the potential winning run on base when third baseman Eduardo Nunez grabbed a slow roller and threw out Gleyber Torres at first to end the game. The Yankees challenged the call at first base, but the Red Sox were able to celebrate in earnest following a 63-second review.
The Red Sox reached losing pitcher CC Sabathia for three runs in the third inning to end the left-hander's night. J.D. Martinez put Boston ahead with a sacrifice fly and Ian Kinsler followed with an RBI double before scoring on a single by Eduardo Nunez to make it a 3-0 game.
Christian Vazquez followed with a fourth-inning homer off Zach Britton.
Winning pitcher Rick Porcello blanked the Yankees until Brett Gardner lifted a sacrifice fly in the fifth. Porcello limited the Yankees to one run and four hits over five frames.
Boston closer Craig Kimbrel made the game interesting by issuing a bases-loaded walk and giving up a sac-fly before notching the save.
The Red Sox will be home for the first two games of their ALCS against the defending-champion Houston Astros. The series begins Saturday at 8:09 p.m.
Also in the majors:
The Tampa Bay Rays have given manager Kevin Cash a contract extension through 2024, plus a one-year club option. The extension comes after the Rays went 90-72, the most victories by any non-playoff team and tied with the division-winning Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves. Cash has gone 318-330 during the first four seasons of his five-year contract.
The Padres have fired hitting coach Matt Stairs after one year on the job as the team continued to rank at the bottom of the majors in key offensive stats. The rebuilding Padres finished last in the NL West at 66-96, five losses worse than 2017.
NHL
Frustrated during a 4-0 shutout loss to the New York Islanders on Columbus Day, the San Jose Sharks broke out against the Flyers in Philadelphia.
Joe Pavelski and Evander Kane each scored twice and Kevin Lebanc set up four goals as the Sharks hammered the Flyers, 8-2. Logan Couture and Pavelski scored 11 seconds apart to put San Jose ahead 2-0 just 3 ½ minutes into the game. Pavelski and Kane added goals later in the first period.
The Sharks outshot the Flyers 48-33, with Aaron Dell blanking Philadelphia until Shayne Gostisbehere beat him on a power play 4:56 into the second period.
Wayne Simmonds also scored a power-play goal in the Flyers' home-opening loss.
Checking out Tuesday's other NHL action:
John Tavares has five goals in his last two games after scoring twice in the Maple Leafs' 7-4 win at Dallas. Auston Matthews also tallied twice, and defenseman Morgan Rielly had a career-high four assists to help Toronto improve to 2-0 in its four-game road trip. Mitchell Marner had a goal and three assists for the 3-1 Leafs.
The Hurricanes picked up their third straight win as Sebastian Aho delivered a goal and an assist while Carolina scored three times in the first period of a 5-3 decision over the Canucks. Rookie Andrei Svechnikov scored for the second straight game as the Canes improved to 3-0-1, their best four-game start since moving from Hartford in 1997. Sven Baertschi had two goals and an assist as Vancouver fell to 0-2 on its six-game trip.
The Blue Jackets knocked off the Avalanche, 5-2 behind Nick Foligno's two goals and one assist. Sergei Bobrovsky made 25 saves as Columbus dealt Colorado its first loss. Pierre-Luc Dubois, Artemi Panarin and Josh Anderson also scored for the Jackets.
Mike Smith turned back 43 shots and Sean Monahan scored twice in the Flames' 3-0 shutout of the Predators in Nashville. Smith made 21 saves in the second period, when Calgary killed off a pair of 5-on-3 power plays. Elias Lindholm scored and Johnny Gaudreau had three assists in the Flames' second win in three games.
Kyle Connor scored for a third straight game and the Jets overcame Ilya Kovalchuk's first NHL goal in five years to beat the Kings 2-1. Mark Scheifele also scored and Connor Hellebuyck made 16 saves while Winnipeg was outshooting the Kings, 39-17. Jack Campbell stopped 37 shots for the Kings in his ninth career game.
Penguins’ goaltender Murray out indefinitely:
Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Matt Murray is out indefinitely with a concussion.
Coach Mike Sullivan says Murray suffered the concussion during practice Monday and reported potential symptoms immediately afterward. This is the third time in his NHL career the 24-year-old Murray has been diagnosed with a concussion.
Casey DeSmith will get the first chance at replacing Murray.
NFL
The Buffalo Bills have signed quarterback Derek Anderson to add veteran experience and have him serve as a mentor for rookie starter Josh Allen.
Anderson spent last season as Cam Newton's backup in Carolina and is 20-27 as a starter over 12 NFL seasons.
Buffalo lacked veteran depth at quarterback behind Allen and second-year player Nathan Peterman.
Elsewhere in the NFL:
The Chiefs have placed right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and rookie safety Armani Watts on injured reserve after both were injured during Sunday's 30-14 win over Jacksonville. Duvernay-Tardif broke a bone in his left leg with a few minutes left, and Watts injured his groin. The Chiefs also signed outside linebacker Frank Zombo to provide depth at that depleted position.
The Jaguars have signed former Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles to help during Leonard Fournette's absence. The 31-year-old Charles worked out for the team Tuesday morning and signed a one-year contract in the afternoon. The Jaguars don't expect to have Fournette back for several more weeks.
The Giants have waived former first-round draft pick Ereck Flowers and signed tackle Brian Mihalik off their practice squad to replace him. Flowers never lived up to expectations after being taken ninth overall in the 2015 draft.
Longtime Chargers owner Alex Spanos has died at 95, 34 years after purchasing the NFL franchise. The son of Greek immigrants was a self-made millionaire who used his fortune from construction and real estate to buy controlling interest in the Chargers from Gene Klein for about $50 million. The team announced in 2008 that Spanos was suffering from dementia.
The first black player drafted in the NFL has died at age 91. Running back George Taliaferro starred at Indiana and was taken by the Chicago Bears in the 13th round of the 1949 draft, 13 years after the first draft took place. Taliaferro was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1981 and played seven positions in the NFL, earning Pro Bowl honors from 1951-53.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UCLA freshman guard Tyger Campbell has a torn ACL in his left knee and will miss the upcoming season, making him the third Bruin to be sidelined.
The school says Campbell got hurt in practice Sunday.
The Bruins already are without Shareef O'Neal, who will sit out the season because of a heart condition he has described as "risky." UCLA forward Alex Olesinski has a stress fracture in his right foot that will force him to miss two to three months.
Bowen describes payment by Louisville:
The father of a blue-chip college basketball recruit has testified that a University of Louisville assistant coach gave him a secret payment of $1,300 as part of a deal to get the son to sign with the Cardinals.
Brian Bowen Sr. described setting up two meetings with assistant Kenny Johnson via text in 2017 to try to collect cash in violation of school and NCAA rules. Bowen says Johnson was initially shocked and flabbergasted when Bowen told him that Christian Dawkins had promised that the coach would help the father with paying rent. Bowen said Johnson reluctantly handed over $1,300 and made it clear it was a one-time deal.
Dawkins, former amateur coach Merl Code and former Adidas executive James Gatto are defendants in a criminal trial about corruption in big-time college basketball.
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