MLB:
In Major League Baseball, the Yankees topped Tampa Bay 5-0.
The St. Louis Cardinals figured to be the toughest competitors for the Chicago Cubs in the race for the National League's Central Division title. The first two games of the season have shown just how fierce that race will be. The Cubs saw the Cardinals score a late run on a hit by Randal Grichuk to win in team's opener at St. Louis. The Cubs struck back Tuesday night, edging the Cardinals 2-1 on Jake Arrietta's stellar pitching and a game-saving catch by center fielder Albert Almora Jr., who robbed the Cardinals' Matt Adams of a game-tying homer.
St. Louis outfielder Stephen Piscotty left the ardinals' game against the Cubs Tuesday night after he was hit in the head by a ball while sliding into home. Piscotty departed in the fifth inning with a head contusion, and the team says he will be evaluated again on Wednesday. Piscotty reached when he was hit by a pitch from Jake Arrieta. He was hit again by catcher Willson Contreras' throw when he stole second. Piscotty then scored from second on Kolten Wong's infield hit to the right side of the mound. Cubs second baseman Javier Baez threw home, but the ball went off Piscotty's head. Piscotty, who agreed to a $33.5 million, six-year contract a day earlier, was down on the field for several minutes after being hit Tuesday night. He eventually walked off the field.
The wife of former World Series MVP Pedro Guerrero says he had a stroke and is recovering in a hospital in New York. Roxanna Jimenez says her 60-year-old husband was taken to a hospital Monday. She says doctors initially declared him brain dead but a second opinion confirmed he was comatose. He was transferred to Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan. Speaking by phone from New York to a radio show in the Dominican Republic, Jimenez said "it was his second massive stroke."
Mets right-hander Seth Lugo has a partially torn ligament in his pitching elbow, but has not decided whether he will have Tommy John surgery. Lugo had a platelet-rich plasma injection yesterday at the Hospital for Special Surgery and will not throw for about two weeks. New York says he will then start a throwing program, and the need for surgery will be determined based on how he feels after trying rehabilitation.
NBA:
In the NBA, the Knicks topped Chicago 100-91, Brooklyn blasted Philadelphia 141-118, Cleveland won against Orlando 122-102, Denver bested New Orleans 134-131, Oklahoma City beat Milwaukee 110-79, San Antonio defeated Memphis in overtime 95-89, Utah topped Portland 106-87, Golden State beat Minnesota 121-107, Sacramento won against Dallas 98-87, Washington defeated Charlotte 118-111, and it was Indiana over Toronto 108-90.
It was a record for the ages. No one had surpassed superstar guard Oscar Robertson's record of 41 games in a season with a triple-double — double-digit stats on points, rebounds and assists — until Tuesday night. Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, whose name regularly pops up in talk about the NBA Most Valuable Player, tied Robertson's venerable record in the Oklahoma City Thunder's lopsided 110-79 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Brooklyn Nets have signed guard Archie Goodwin to a multiyear contract. Goodwin has played in seven games since signing the first of two 10-day contracts on March 25th. He's averaged 6.6 points while shooting 57.1 percent (16 of 28) from the field.
A person with knowledge of the plans says the NBA will discuss whether to bring the 2019 All-Star Game to Charlotte at its Board of Governors meeting this week. The person tells The Associated Press that the NBA board was already planning to discuss the matter at its meeting Thursday, though it's not known if a decision will be made. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the board's agenda is not publicized. The league pulled this year's All-Star event out of Charlotte and it went to New Orleans instead. The NBA had it said it hoped the All-Star game could go to Charlotte in 2019 if changes were made to a North Carolina law that limited anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay and transgender people. North Carolina has repealed the "bathroom bill" and replaced it with a compromise law. The NCAA said Tuesday it would again consider the state as a host for championship events. The 2018 All-Star Game is already set for Los Angeles.
NHL:
In the NHL, New Jersey beat Philadelphia in overtime 1-0, Boston shut out Tampa Bay 4-0, the Islanders edged Nashville in overtime 2-1, Pittsburgh beat Columbus 4-1, Ottawa blanked Detroit 2-0, Minnesota beat Carolina 5-3, Winnipeg bested St. Louis 5-2, Dallas won against Arizona in overtime 3-2, Colorado skated by Chicago in overtime 4-3, Anaheim beat Calgary 3-1, Washington topped Toronto 4-1, San Jose won against Vancouver 3-1, and it was the Kings over Edmonton 6-4.
The Washington Capitals inched closer to nailing down the National Hockey League's best regular season record and winning the President's Trophy with their 4-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Lars Eller and Kevin Shattenkirk gave Washington a two-goal lead halfway through the game and the Capitals cruised as goalie Philip Grubauer stopped 27 shots. Washington would have clinched the best-record mantra if Pittsburgh had lost to the Columbus Blue jackets, but the Penguins won 4-1.
NFL:
Tony Romo is retiring from the Dallas Cowboys to replace another former quarterback in Phil Simms as lead analyst for CBS. The network announced Tuesday that Romo will be paired with Jim Nantz on Thursday night and Sunday games next season. The former 10-year starter considered multiple network offers while also deciding whether to keep playing after losing the Dallas job to rookie Dak Prescott last season. The departure of the all-time passing leader has been expected since November, when Romo conceded the job after missing 10 weeks with a back injury. The Cowboys were in the middle of a franchise-record 11-game winning streak when Romo returned. The Cowboys released Romo on Tuesday after delaying the decision to see they could generate interest in a trade, which also gave the married father of two with another child on the way more time to consider his future.
The Philadelphia Eagles have acquired defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan from the Baltimore Ravens. The Eagles and Ravens also swapped third-round picks in the trade announced yesterday. Baltimore gets the 77th overall pick while Philadelphia moves down to No. 99.
NCAA:
Backup quarterback Tylin Oden has been dismissed from Rutgers football program for an undisclosed violation of team rules. Coach Chris Ash announced the move late Tuesday afternoon, saying the Scarlet Knights wished him well. Oden practiced on Saturday but did not attend the workout Tuesday. He was not immediately available for comment.
Sports Media:
Michelle Beadle will host the NBA pregame and halftime studio shows for ABC and ESPN through the NBA Finals. Beadle, who has been handling that role during ESPN's Wednesday and Friday regular-season games, will lead the network's coverage throughout the playoffs, including ESPN's telecasts of the Western Conference finals. She replaces former host Sage Steele, who will be leading ESPN's "SportsCenter on the Road" coverage that includes the finals. ESPN says Tuesday that Beadle will continue to serve as a co-host for "SportsNation."
Skiing:
Vermont's Killington ski resort has signed a deal to host the Ski World Cup for the next two years. Killington officials signed the agreement with the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association on Monday to host both four-day events over Thanksgiving weekend 2017 and 2018.
PGA:
Play in the Master’s Tournament officially begins tomorrow morning when the gates open at 8 a.m. But later today the Par 3 Contest gets underway at noon. You can watch live on the Masters website.
Tennis:
How's this for a doubles team? Roger Federer and Bill Gates. The 18-time Grand Slam champion and the billionaire Microsoft co-founder will pair up in a one-set exhibition match in Seattle on April 29 to support children's education in Africa. Federer and Gates will play against John Isner — the American who won the longest match in tennis history — and an as-yet-unannounced celebrity partner. Then Federer and Isner will square off in a best-of-three-sets singles exhibition. Proceeds from the Match for Africa 4 will benefit the Roger Federer Charitable Fund and Roger Federer Foundation. Federer added to his record total of major championships by winning the Australian Open in January. He is 19-1 this season, including a title at Key Biscayne, Florida, on Sunday.
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