The fallout from the Houston Astros' sign-stealing evidence has reached the Boston Red Sox. The Bosox have fired manager Alex Cora a day after baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred implicated him in the sport's sign-stealing scandal.
Cora was the Astros' bench coach when they won the 2017 World Series and led Boston to the title the following year in his first season as manager. Manfred's nine-page report investigating sign-stealing by the Astros mentioned Cora 11 times, saying Cora was among those who "originated and executed" aspects of the cheating scheme. Manfred explained that the team used a center field camera to decode catchers' signals to pitchers and banged on a trash can with a bat or massage gun near the dugout to let hitters know which pitch was coming. MLB had also been investigating allegations the Red Sox had stolen signs en route to their 2018 World Series championship. Cora's dismissal comes a day after Astros manager AJ Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow were fired by the ballclub. Hinch and Luhnow let go an hour after Manfred suspended them for the 2020 season for their role in the cheating scheme.
In other MLB news, free agent Josh Donaldson has found a landing spot. A person familiar with the deal says the Minnesota Twins have worked out a four-year, $92 million contract with the third baseman and 2015 American League MVP. The 34-year-old Donaldson returned after an injury-spoiled 2018 to bat .259 with 37 homers, 94 RBIs and a .900 OPS for the Atlanta Braves last season. The deal likely means a position change for third baseman Miguel Sano, who just finalized his three-year, $30 million contract with Minnesota on Tuesday. Sano has seen action at first base and could replace the departed CJ Kron at the position.
The Phils have designated Odubel Herrera for assignment to make roster room for fellow outfielder Nick Martini, who was acquired off waivers from Miami. Herrera set career highs with 22 home runs and 71 RBIs in 2018, but he lost his starting job last year and was suspended under Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy following his arrest at a casino in Atlantic City. Herrera batting .222 in 39 games last season.
Daniel Hudson's two-year, $11 million package with the Nationals has been finalized. Hudson was 9-3 with a 2.47 ERA during the regular season last year before going 4-for-4 in save opportunities for the World Series champs.
The Angels have picked up reliever Matt Andriese from the Diamondbacks for minor league pitcher Jeremy Beasley. Andriese had a 5-5 record last season and a 4.71 ERA in 54 appearances for Arizona in 2019.
The Marlins have traded outfielder Austin Dean to the Cardinals for 18-year-old minor league outfielder Diowill Burgos. Dean batted .225 for Miami in 64 games last year and hit .337 with 18 home runs for Triple-A New Orleans.
NBA
The Utah Jazz have run their winning streak into double-digits. Joe Ingles matched his career high with 27 points as the Jazz picked up their 10th straight win, 118-107 over the Nets in Brooklyn. Rudy Gobert had 22 points and 18 rebounds for Utah, while Donovan Mitchell contributed 14 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter after missing the team's previous game due to illness. Bojan Bogdanovic had 18 for the Jazz, who opened a 20-point lead and held off numerous Brooklyn rallies. Nets guard Kyrie Irving had 32 points and a season-high 11 assists in his second game back from a shoulder injury.
Giannis Antetokounmpo poured in 37 points in just 22 minutes before resting the entire fourth quarter of the Bucks' 128-102 rout of the Knicks. Khris Middleton finished with 17 points and Milwaukee led by as many as 35 before improving to a league-best 36-6.
Kawhi Leonard scored a season-high 43 points in three quarters of the Clippers, 128-103 assault on the Cavaliers. Lous Williams added 24 points for Los Angeles, which had six scorers in double figures to win for the fifth time in six games.
Dwight Powell provided 21 points on 9 of 9 shooting in his return to the Bay Area as the former Stanford star helped the Mavericks crush the Warriors, 124-97. Luka Doncic added 20 points and eight rebounds as Dallas won its fourth straight against Golden State.
Rookie guard Ja Morant scored 26 points on 10 of 11 shooting and had eight assists in the Grizzlies' sixth consecutive win, 121-110 against the Rockets. Dillon Brooks chipped in 24 points and Jonas Valanciunas added 19 for Memphis, which has its longest winning streak since December 2016.
Trae Young scored 21 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter as the Hawks downed the Suns, 123-110 to end a four-game skid. Young got help from backcourt partner Kevin Huerter, who scored 23 points and set career highs with 15 rebounds and eight assists.
In NBA news, Detroit Pistons guard Derrick Rose has been fined $25,000 by the NBA for tossing a pen across the court during the end of Monday night's loss to New Orleans. Rose sat slumped on a courtside table and flung the pen into the stands during a stoppage of play with 37 seconds left in overtime. He finished with 23 points and eight assists, but he also had two turnovers in the final 90 seconds and missed a potential game-winning shot.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
In women's college basketball, UConn topped Memphis 68-56.
In men's basketball, it's been almost 19 years since Clemson was able to celebrate a win as great as this one. Aamir Simms poured in a career-high 25 points in the Tigers' 79-72 upset of No. 3 Duke. It was the highest-profile upset for the Tigers since beating No. 1 North Carolina on their home court in February 2001. The Blue Devils led 62-59 with 6:40 remaining before Clemson took control with a 14-3 run, including eight points from Simms. Tevin Mack scored 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting for the Tigers, who were coming off a win at North Carolina. Vernon Carey Jr. scored 20 points as the Blue Devils dropped to 15-2 with their first loss since a stunning home defeat to Stephen F. Austin in November.
Isaiah Moss shot 6-for-11 from 3-point range while scoring 20 points in his first start of the season to help sixth-ranked Kansas beat Oklahoma, 66-52. Udoka Azubuike had 16 points and 14 rebounds as the Jayhawks rebounded from Saturday's home loss to Baylor.
Seventh-ranked San Diego State remains one of two unbeaten teams left in Division 1 after Malachi Flynn furnished 20 points and Yanni Wetzell added 17 in a 64-55 victory over Fresno State. The Aztecs improved to 18-0 and ran its nation-best road winning streak to nine games.
No. 11 Louisville was able to pull out a 72-68 win against Pittsburgh after Panthers forward Terrell Brown was called for a foul while hitting a potential game-tying bucket with 21 seconds left. Jordan Nwora led the Cardinals with 14 points and Dwayne Sutton finished with 13 points and nine rebounds.
West Virginia rolled to an 81-49 romp over TCU behind Derek Culver's 17 points. The 12th-ranked Mountaineers are 8-0 at home this season and have held opponents to 60 points or fewer in five straight games.
Collin Gillespie made four straight free throws in overtime and scored 21 points to help 14th-rated Villanova survive a scare in its 19th straight win against DePaul, 79-75. The Wildcats trailed by 13 early and squandered an 11-point edge in the last 2:14 of regulation before improving to 13-3.
Obi Toppin dropped in 24 points, including three dunks and a 3-pointer while No. 15 Dayton was scoring 22 straight points in a 79-65 win versus VCU. Jalen Crutcher chipped in 20 points and Trey Landers added 16 with nine boards for the 15-2 Flyers.
Brad Davison capped his 14-point performance by draining a go-ahead 3-pointer with 11 seconds left to push Wisconsin past No. 17 Maryland, 56-54. Nate Reuvers contributed 17 points and Micah Potter had 14 in the Badgers' third straight victory against a ranked opponent.
Ohio State's four-game losing streak is over after C.J. Walker scored 18 points to lead the 21st-ranked Buckeyes past Nebraska, 80-68. D.J. Carton had 13 points and five assists for OSU, which played without suspended guards Luther Muhammad and Duane Washington Jr.
No. 23 Texas Tech was a 77-63 winner against Kansas State behind Kyler Edwards' 24 points. Davide Moretti finished with 13 points and Kevin McCullar added 10 off the bench for the Red Raiders.
NHL
Brock Nelson supplied a pair of goals and was one of seven Islanders to collect two points in an 8-2 dismantling of the Red Wings. Anthony Beauvillier, Leo Komarov, Jordan Eberle and Anders Lee each had a goal and an assist as the Islanders bounced back from Monday's 6-2 loss to the Rangers.
Jack Eichel provided the go-ahead goal on an end-to-end rush 7:57 into the third period of the Sabres' 4-2 victory against the Golden Knights. Eichel tied a career high with his 28th goal and became the first Buffalo player in 27 years to reach 60 points in 46 or fewer games.
Elvis Merzlikins recorded his second consecutive shutout in leading the Blue Jackets to their fourth win in five games, 3-0 over the Bruins. Alexander Wennberg, Kevin Stenlund and Riley Nash provided the goals to help Merzlikins win for the sixth time in his last eight starts.
The Maple Leafs routed the Devils, 7-4 as Auston Matthews registered his first hat trick since getting four goals in his NHL debut over three years ago. John Tavares added a goal and two assists in Toronto's first win in four games.
Sid the Kid was back in uniform for the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday, and he delivered his most productive game of the season. Pens captain Sidney Crosby came through with a goal and three assists in a 7-3 trouncing of the Wild. He needed less than eight minutes to pick up his first point since Oct. 29 when he assisted on Evgeni Malkin's first goal of the night 7:57 into the game. He was playing for the first time since missing 28 games with an abdominal injury that required surgery. Crosby's previous season-high for points was three. Malkin finished with two goals and an assist as the Pens improved to 12-2-1 in their last 15 games to pull within four points of the Metropolitan Division-leading Capitals.
Steven Stamkos scored once in regulation and furnished the deciding shootout goal to send the Lightning to their 11th victory in 12 games, 4-3 against the Kings. Tampa Bay was in danger of dropping its second straight since a 10-game winning streak before Nikita Kucherov tallied with 1:15 left in regulation.
Esa Lindell scored 1:54 into overtime to cap a Dallas comeback as the Stars beat the Avalanche, 3-2 to complete a sweep of their four-game season series. Ben Bishop stopped 41 shots and Jason Dickinson tied the game for the Stars with 5:23 remaining.
The Oilers are 5-1-1 in their last seven games after Leon Draisaitl had two goals and an assist in their 4-2 verdict over the Predators. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Josh Archibald also scored, and Connor McDavid picked up three assists.
Phil Kessel and Taylor Hall each scored twice as the Coyotes halted a three-game skid, 6-3 against the Sharks. Conor Garland had a goal and an assist as the Coyotes regained sole possession of the Pacific Division lead by two points over Edmonton and Calgary.
Kyle Connor scored twice and Connor Hellebuyck handled 41 shots as the Jets ended a six-game home losing streak, 4-0 over the Canucks. Hellebuyck notched his fourth shutout of the season and 18th of his career to become the franchise leader.
The Blackhawks erased an early 2-0 deficit and beat the Senators, 3-2 on an overtime goal by Jonathan Toews. Dominik Kubalik tied the game early in the third period with his second goal of the game and seventh in five games.
In NHL news, Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom has accepted a five-year, $46 million extension that runs through the 2024-25 season and will count $9.2 million annually toward the salary cap. The fourth player taken in the 2006 draft has nine goals and 35 points in 39 games this season. He's scored at least 71 points in each of his previous six seasons and has 908 in 934 career games.
Flyers general Chuck Fletcher expects center Nolan Patrick to return from a migraine disorder and play this season. The second player taken in the 2017 draft has been sidelined all season because of his condition after producing in two seasons with the Philadelphia.
NFL
A couple of Pro Bowl selections have decided to leave the NFL. Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly is retiring after eight seasons, announcing in a video posted on the team's website that he feels now is the right chance to move on. Kuechly was selected to seven Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro five times. However, he suffered three concussions during his career, which may have led to his decision. Tight end Antonio Gates has formally announced his retirement after a 16-year NFL career spent entirely with the Chargers. He holds the league record for tight ends with 116 touchdown catches, doing it without playing a down of college football. Gates didn't play last season and is the Chargers' all-time leader for TDs, receptions and receiving yards, grabbing 955 passes for 11,841 yards.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Iowa is losing one of its top defensive linemen to the NFL draft a year early. Defensive end A.J. Epenesa posted his decision on his Instagram page Tuesday, writing that his time with the Hawkeyes was everything he hoped it would be. He was an Associated Press second-team All-American and an AP All-Big Ten first-team pick this past season, recording 11.5 sacks to become the first Hawkeye to hit double-figures in that category in consecutive seasons since 2002-03. Epenesa paced the Big Ten with 10.5 sacks as a backup in 2018.
AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Australian Open officials have delayed the start of play by two hours on the second day of qualifying, hoping that smoke from regional wild fires will clear later today. Smoke and hazy conditions at Melbourne Park on Tuesday affected the opening day's play with organizers criticized for allowing qualifying matches to proceed. A number of players complained, including Australian Bernard Tomic, who sought medical treatment during his first-round loss when he struggled to breathe. Slovenia's Dalila Jakupovic feared she would pass out before retiring from her match when she collapsed to her knees with a coughing spell. The Australian Open begins Monday.
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