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Frances Tiafoe rolled up his white shirt’s right sleeve, flexed his biceps and slapped the muscle five times. Then he pounded his chest and yelled, “Yeah! Let’s go! Let’s go! Come on!” Forgive the young American’s exuberance. This was, after all, the biggest victory of his nascent career. Down a set and 3-0 in the second, the 20-year-old Tiafoe came back to stun two-time Grand Slam finalist and No. 5 seed Kevin Anderson of South Africa 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 on Wednesday in the Australian Open’s second round. “I went to a different place. I dug insanely deep,” the 39th-ranked […]

The Cincinnati Reds avoided arbitration with Yasiel Puig, agreeing with the newly acquired outfielder on a $9.7 million contract for 2019. The Reds also reached deals Friday with right-handers Tanner Roark ($10 million), Anthony DeSclafani ($2,125,000) and Michael Lorenzen ($1.95 million), second baseman Scooter Gennett ($9,775,000) and shortstop Jose Peraza ($2,775,000). The Reds acquired Puig and Wood last month in a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Cincinnati got Roark in a deal with Washington. Puig hit .267 with 23 home runs and 63 RBI last season. The club plans to go to an arbitration hearing next month with pitcher Alex Wood. Major League Baseball imposed a 1 p.m. deadline for teams and players […]

Guard Patrick McCaw plans to sign with the Toronto Raptors, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, three days after he was waived by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reports the one-year deal will be for the veteran’s minimum of $786,000. McCaw, 23, played three games with the Cavaliers after signing a two-year, nonguaranteed contract in December. Cleveland waived him before the guarantee date of Jan. 7, making him an unrestricted free agent. Per Marc Stein of the New York Times, the Golden State Warriors have asked the league to look into McCaw’s signing and near-immediate release with the Cavs. Stein notes that Cleveland could face “serious penalties” if found guilty […]

David Wright will continue to significantly influence the Mets, who look to continue benefiting from the knowledge, leadership and energy he provided as one of the organization’s most beloved players. Late Monday afternoon, the Mets announced Wright will serve as a special advisor to chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon and general manager Brodie Van Wagenen. The role will allow the retired third baseman a chance to be directly involved in front-office discussions regarding player personnel and development. “Playing in [New York] and for this team was a dream come true,” Wright said via the Mets. “I look forward to contributing […]

We’ve all had that feeling before. Golden State can’t miss, their defense is working its special slappy magic. They’re charging ahead, and even their deep bench guys are rolling. It’s looks to be a long night. The Rockets came out flat, Golden State came out fired up, and firing. The Rockets missed bunnies and open looks, while Golden State shot 64% overall, and 47% from three for the first half. Add to that James Harden took a nasty shot to the chops from Kevon Looney’s elbow and shoulder and looked a bit confused, confounded, or something starting with “con” anyway. The full Warrior front-runner show […]