MLB:
The Atlanta Braves have won their first World Series championship since 1995, hammering the Houston Astros 7-0 in Game 6. Jorge Soler hit his third home run of the Series, and Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson also connected.
Max Fried got stomped on in the first inning, then delivered the best start of the entire World Series for the champion Braves. Fried got 18 outs against the 19 batters faced after his right ankle got stepped on by Michael Brantley’s rubber cleat in the first inning. Fried became the first pitcher in this World Series to complete six innings.
Steadied by 66-year-old manager Brian Snitker, an organization man for four decades, the underdog Braves won the franchise’s fourth title.
Freeman hit an RBI double and then punctuated the romp with a solo home run in the seventh that made it 7-0.
By then, it was a total team effort. Ailing star Ronald Acuña Jr., the dynamo of Atlanta’s future, bounded from the dugout to join the celebration for Freeman, the longtime face of the franchise.
Consider it a tribute to the greatest Braves player of them all, Mr. Hank Aaron. The Hall of Fame slugger died Jan. 22 at 86, still rooting for his old team, and his legacy was stamped all over this Series.
The loss denied 72-year-old Astros manager Dusty Baker the crown.
Jorge Soler was a bit player during the Chicago Cubs’ drought-smashing victory over Cleveland five years ago, but, now he's been voted MVP of Atlanta Braves’ six-game World Series win over over the Houston Astros.
Soler hit .316 with three home runs and six RBIs. He became the first batter to lead off a World Series with a home run, hit a go-ahead, seventh-inning drive in Game 4 and put the Braves ahead in Game 6 with a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the third against Luis Garcia.
Atlanta Braves infielder/outfielder Ehire Adrianza was placed on the postseason paternity list ahead of World Series Game 6 on Tuesday night and replaced on the active roster by infielder Johan Camargo.
NBA:
Four Miami Heat players had 22 or more points for the first time in franchise history in holding off a late Dallas rally to beat the Mavericks 125-110 on Tuesday night.
Tyler Herro scored 25 points off the bench, 15 of them in the second quarter. Jimmy Butler added 23 points, Kyle Lowry had 22 and Bam Adebayo scored 22 and grabbed 13 rebounds.
Luka Doncic scored a season-high 33 points for the Mavericks, who lost for the first time in four home games. Jalen Brunson added 25 points in his first start of the season.
In other NBA action:
Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points in a reserve role and Russell Westbrook added 20 points in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 95-85 victory over the Houston Rockets. Anthony Davis had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and LeBron James scored 15 points in the star-studded Lakers’ fourth win in five games after opening the season with two losses. Eric Gordon scored 17 points and Christian Wood had 16 for the Rockets, who lost their fourth straight at the start of a five-game road trip. Anthony had another dynamic game in his first season with Los Angeles, hitting five 3-pointers and tying his career high with four blocked shots.
Mikal Bridges scored 22 points, Chris Paul added 14 points and 18 assists and the Phoenix Suns rallied for a 112-100 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans Tuesday night. Paul is now third in NBA history with 10,346 career assists, passing both Mark Jackson and Steve Nash. The 36-year-old shook off a slow start with a vintage performance in the second half, when he scored all of his points and dished 10 assists. The Suns improved to 3-3 this season. The Pelicans fell to 1-7. Little-used reserve Frank Kaminsky added 17 points and four steals, and JaVale McGee had 18 points and five rebounds.
Donovan Mitchell scored a season-high 36 points and Mike Conley add a season-best 30 points, lifting the Utah Jazz to a 119-113 win over the Sacramento Kings. Conley scored 13, including three 3s, in the fourth quarter, and Rudy Gobert made six clutch free throws down the stretch to move Utah to 7-1 on the season. Gobert had 12 points, 20 rebounds and four blocked shots. Harrison Barnes led the Kings with 23 points and Buddy Hield had 19. Seven Sacramento players scored in double figures.
— Giannis Antetokounmpo had 28 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in 27 minutes as the Milwaukee Bucks routed the Detroit Pistons 117-89 Tuesday. The Bucks, who ended a three-game losing streak, also saw Pat Connaughton and Jordan Nwora score 16. Jerami Grant led the Pistons with 21 points, but Trey Lyles was the only other player to reach double figures with 13 points. Cade Cunningham, the No. 1 pick in this summer’s draft, went 2 for 14 in his second NBA game, including 0-9 from behind the 3-point line.
There’s a new crackdown in the NBA on non-basketball moves used to draw contact. So far, some of the game’s biggest offensive stars are going to the free-throw line less often. There’s some concern that the changes may be allowing more physicality in general, beyond what was intended — and nobody’s quite certain how the officiating will evolve throughout the season.
Atlanta’s Trae Young averaged 8.7 free-throw attempts per game last season, down to 5.3 so far in 2021-22. It’s a similar story for James Harden, Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal.
NHL:
Auston Matthews scored twice and Jack Campbell made 26 saves, leading the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 4-0 win over the short-handed Vegas Golden Knights. The Maple Leafs won their third straight. Mitch Marner had a goal and assists on both Matthews’ goals. William Nylander added a goal and an assist. Robin Lehner made 29 saves on 33 shots.
In other ice action:
J.T. Miller scored his second goal of the game 2:22 into overtime and the Vancouver Canucks rallied to beat the New York Rangers 3-2. Trailing 2-0 heading into the third period, Vancouver rallied with a pair of goals, and goaltender Thatcher Demko forced extra time with solid saves in the final minutes. Demko stopped 20 of 22 shots. Igor Shesterkin made 33 saves for the Rangers. Miller and Vasily Podkolzin scored in regulation for the Canucks (4-5-1), who won at home for the first time this season and snapped a three-game losing streak. Conor Garland contributed a pair of assists. The Rangers (6-2-2) got goals from Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin. Adam Fox had two assists.
Tomás Hertl had two goals and an assist, and the San Jose Sharks beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-3. The Sharks overcame the loss of seven players and head coach Bob Boughner to NHL COVID-19 protocols for the second straight game. Jonathan Dahlen returned from protocol to score his fourth goal of the season, Mario Ferraro added his first along with an assist, and Ryan Merkley scored the first of his career. Rudolfs Balcers had two assists and James Reimer stopped 25 shots. Jeff Skinner scored two goals for the Sabres and Drake Caggiula added one. Vinnie Hinostroza had two assists for his first multi-point game of the season. Craig Anderson finished with 22 saves.
Matt Duchene scored at 1:37 of overtime, giving the Nashville Predators a 3-2 win over Calgary Tuesday night and snapping the Flames six-game win streak. On a two-on-one rush following a stretch of extended pressure from the Flames, Mikael Granlund fed Duchene, who lifted a shot over Flames goalie Jacob Markstrom as he slid across. Duchene had a goal and an assist and Predators starter Juuse Saros stopped 38 shots in the win. Luke Kunin scored his first of the season and Filip Forsberg added a goal for Nashville (5-4-0), which has won four straight. Granlund had two assists. Matthew Tkachuk and Oliver Kylington scored for Calgary (6-1-2). Markstrom stopped 19 shots in the loss.
Troy Terry had two goals and an assist to extend his point streak to nine games, John Gibson made 28 saves and the Anaheim Ducks beat the New Jersey Devils 4-0. Terry’s three-point night gives him the NHL’s longest active and overall point streak with seven goals and five assists during the nine-game span. It is the longest point streak by an Anaheim player since Getzlaf had an 11-game run during the 2015-16 season. Gibson recorded his 23rd career shutout in his 330th appearance. It is also his fifth win in seven games against the Devils.
Nick Suzuki had a goal and two assists, Jake Allen stopped 22 shots and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-0. Josh Anderson scored his third of the season and Brendan Gallagher added an empty-netter for the Canadiens, who had lost three of their last four — all on the road. Allen got his second shutout of the season and 23rd of his career. Alex Nedeljkovic finished with 39 saves for the Red Wings.
Kirill Kaprizov scored his first goal of the season 2:02 into overtime and Minnesota beat Ottawa 5-4. Marcus Foligno scored twice for Minnesota, which got points from 11 players and won for the sixth time — all by one goal. Cam Talbot had 24 saves for the Wild, winners of nine straight against Ottawa. Ten players had points for Ottawa. Drake Batherson had a goal and assist. Filip Gustavsson overcame a shaky start and made 38 saves, including 20 in the third period.
Mark Scheifele scored the deciding goal in the shootout in his return from COVID-19 protocol, leading the Winnipeg Jets to a 4-3 win over the Dallas Stars. Paul Stastny (STAS’-nee), Josh Morrissey and Pierre-Luc Dubois scored in regulation for Winnipeg. Eric Comrie stopped 24 shots. Kyle Connor also scored in the shootout. Jamie Benn, Jason Robertson and Tyler Seguin scored for Dallas, and Braden Holtby made 33 saves. Joe Pavelski scored in the shootout for the Stars.
Sean Couturier broke a scoreless tie early in the third period and Carter Hart made 29 saves to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 3-0 victory over the winless Arizona Coyotes. Claude Giroux had a goal and an assist and Scott Laughton also scored for the Flyers, who have won three of four. Arizona lost its 10th game to start the season and remains the only winless team in the NHL. The 1943-44 Rangers set the NHL record going 15 games without a win to start the season.
The Chicago Blackhawks have held settlement talks with the attorney for a former player who has sued the team. Kyle Beach accused an assistant coach of sexual assault in 2010 and the team largely ignored the allegations. An attorney who represents Beach, says the sides met for about an hour and that there may be more talks.
NFL:
The Tennessee Titans have signed 2012 NFL MVP and four-time All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson to the practice squad to help replace NFL rushing leader Derrick Henry.
This is the sixth NFL team for Peterson, who had been unsigned since finishing last season with Detroit. Tennessee plans to add the 36-year-old Peterson to the active roster with the Titans visiting the Rams on Sunday night.
Henry was scheduled for surgery Tuesday on his injured right foot. The Titans placed him on injured reserve Monday. Tennessee also signed running back D’Onta Foreman and two others to the practice squad.
Elsewhere in the NFL:
The Carolina Panthers have agreed to terms with undrafted free-agent quarterback Josh Love to join their practice squad. The deal is contingent upon Love passing his physical. Quarterback Sam Darnold is in the NFL concussion protocol and his status is unclear for Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots. P.J. Walker would start if Darnold doesn’t play. Love has never played in an NFL game but threw for 7,206 yards and 43 touchdowns while at San Jose State.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have traded veteran outside linebacker Melvin Ingram to the Kansas City Chiefs for a sixth-round pick in the 2022 draft. Ingram sat out Pittsburgh’s win over Cleveland on Sunday with a groin injury.
Deshaun Watson’s future destination remains unknown. The NFL trade deadline passed Tuesday with the Houston Texans keeping the embattled quarterback on their roster. Watson has not played this season amid a trade request and 22 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment or assault. He has not been charged.
The Green Bay Packers have released Jaylon Smith less than a month after signing the former Dallas Cowboys linebacker. Smith’s agent, Doug Hendrickson, confirmed Tuesday that the 26-year-old Smith has been released. The Packers left Smith inactive for their 24-21 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday.
The New York Jets hired John Beck to their staff as a full-time assistant. Beck is also the rookie Zach Wilson's personal quarterback coach. Wilson is sidelined with a sprained knee ligament.
The New York Jets added some depth to the offensive line, acquiring guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif from the Kansas City Chiefs for tight end Daniel Brown ahead of the NFL’s trade deadline. Duvernay-Tardiff is a licensed medical doctor who opted out of last season to work on the front lines in the battle against COVID-19.
The San Francisco 49ers acquired defensive lineman Charles Omenihu from the Houston Texans in exchange for a 2023 sixth-round draft pick. Omenihu must pass a physical.
The Los Angeles Rams have released disgruntled receiver DeSean Jackson after just seven games with his hometown team. The Rams spent the past five days trying to find a trade partner for the 14-year NFL veteran. Jackson asked to leave the Rams last week after making just eight catches for 221 yards and a touchdown in his first seven games.
The Detroit Lions have activated offensive tackle Taylor Decker and defensive end Kevin Strong from injured reserve. The team waived guard Tommy Kraemer.
Las Vegas police and his attorney say Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III was released from a hospital and taken to jail ahead of an initial court appearance Wednesday on multiple felony charges after a fiery predawn vehicle crash that left a woman dead and Ruggs and his female passenger injured.
According to police, Ruggs was driving a Chevrolet Corvette that plowed into the rear of a Toyota Rav4 on a residential thoroughfare west of the Las Vegas Strip. The Toyota caught fire and the driver died. Police say the 22-year-old Ruggs “showed signs of impairment.”
Court records show he faces charges of felony DUI resulting in death and reckless driving. His female passenger remained hospitalized with unspecified injuries.
NASCAR:
Team owner Joe Gibbs said 2015 Cup champion Kyle Busch should not have used a slur referring to the mentally disabled during a post-race interview. He says NASCAR was right to order Busch to undergo sensitivity training before the start of the 2022 season.
Busch has two wins this season for Joe Gibbs Racing but failed to qualify among the championship drivers for Sunday’s final race at Phoenix Raceway.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL:
Georgia, Alabama, Michigan State and Oregon are the top four teams in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season with Ohio State and Cincinnati up next. The unbeaten Bearcats have the best ranking ever in the selection committee’s Top 25 for a team from outside the Power Five conferences.
Michigan, Oklahoma, Wake Forest and Notre Dame, which lost to Cincinnati, rounded out the top 10.
Meanwhile, with four weeks remaining in Big Ten play, and Michigan State, Ohio State and Michigan all remain in pursuit of a spot in the national semifinals. The Rose Bowl is next on the list. Iowa and Minnesota have also reached the six-win threshold for bowl game eligibility.
Wisconsin and Penn State are at five and should have no problem getting there, while Purdue and Maryland with five wins have tougher schedules ahead. Rutgers has to win two of its last four games. Northwestern can only lose once more. Illinois, Indiana and Nebraska have to win out to play beyond November.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL:
Kansas forward Jalen Wilson was suspended for the No. 3 Jayhawks’ lone exhibition game and first three regular-season games Tuesday after he was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving. The 6-foot-8 sophomore from Texas was arrested early Sunday in Lawrence and released on $250 bond. He will miss Wednesday night’s exhibition game against Emporia State, along with the regular-season opener against Michigan State in the Champions Classic.
Wilson also will miss the Jayhawks’ home opener against Tarleton State and a nonconference game against Stony Brook.
TENNIS:
Novak Djokovic has won his first singles match since missing out on a calendar-year Grand Slam. He beat Marton Fucsovics 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in the second round of the Paris Masters. No. 1 ranked Djokovic showed signs of rustiness with a couple of unforced errors in the opening game, but he put pressure on his Hungarian opponent with the quality of his service returns, breaking him twice in the first set.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion dropped serve with a forehand error to trail 2-1 in the second set. Fucsovics leveled the set score when Djokovic hit a return long.
In the third set Djokovic broke for a 4-2 lead when Fucsovics sent a backhand long before converting his second match point with a forehand winner.
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