BASEBALL
Rangers to start Darvish
Texas right-hander Yu Darvish has been activated from the disabled list to make his first major league start in nearly 22 months. The Rangers reinstated Darvish before Saturday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Third baseman/outfielder Joey Gallo was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock to make room on the active roster for Darvish, who last pitched in a major league game on Aug. 9, 2014, and had Tommy John surgery in March last year. Darvish made five rehab starts this month split between Triple-A Round Rock and Double-A Frisco. The Japanese pitcher struck out 21 in 20 innings, while allowing only two earned runs. In his first three seasons with the Rangers, Darvish was 39-25 with a 3.27 earned run average in 83 starts from 2012-2014.
BOXING
Burns defeats Di Rocco
Ricky Burns has become Scotland’s first three-weight world champion after beating Michele Di Rocco for the vacant WBA super lightweight title. In front of a parochial crowd on Saturday night at Glasgow’s SSE Hydro, Burns floored the 34-year-old Italian in the eighth round, leaving him in no state to continue, according to the referee. It was the first time 33-year-old Burns, a former WBO super featherweight and lightweight champion, had fought in the city since losing to Dejan Zlaticanin in June 2014. Burns had lost three of his past six bouts. After an absorbing contest, with both boxers swapping punches, Burns regained control in round eight, flooring his opponent with a right-hander, with Di Rocco unable to go on.
CYCLING
Kimmann wins at worlds
Niek Kimmann of the Netherlands on Saturday won the men’s time trial and Caroline Buchanan of Australia took the women’s race at the BMX World Championships. Kimmann covered the course in 36.858 seconds, edging Sam Willoughby of Australia by 0.037 seconds. Maris Strombergs of Latvia, the two-time Olympic gold medalist, finished third. Buchanan finished in 41.641 seconds, 0.301 seconds better than Laura Smulders of the Netherlands. Mariana Pajon of Colombia, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist, was third at the course named in her honor. The world championships were to conclude yesterday with the men’s and women’s elite races.
SWIMMING
Russia sweep Speedo 50m
Vladimir Morozov on Saturday night led a Russian sweep of the 50m freestyle at the Speedo Grand Challenge. Morozov, who trains in Los Angeles, touched first in 21.92 seconds. Alexander Sukhorukov was second in 22.29, and Nikita Lobintsev third in 22.40. Chelsea Chenault won the 200m freestyle in 1 minute, 59.92 seconds. Kirsten Vose, who won the 200m individual medley on Friday, was second. Haley Anderson, the 2012 Olympic silver medalist in the 10km open-water race, finished third in the tune-up meet for next month’s US Olympic swimming trials. National team member Kendyl Stewart won the 100m butterfly in 58.66 to go with the 50m free she won on Friday. Jordan Wilimovsky, who already qualified for the US team for Rio, won the 400m free in 3 minutes, 52.34 seconds. He was the first swimmer to qualify by virtue of his victory in the 10km open-water race at last year’s world championships in Kazan, Russia. Cristian Quintero of Venezuela, who won the 200m free on Friday, finished second. Two-time Danish Olympian Mads Glaesner was third.
BOUNCE BACK: Curry scored 46 points in the Warriors’ victory over the Spurs, after ‘everybody stepped up’ following Tuesday’s blowout loss to Oklahoma City Nikola Jokic scoring 50 or more points had never been enough for the Denver Nuggets to win — until now. Jokic on Wednesday night tied the highest-scoring performance in the NBA this season with 55 points, as the Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Clippers 130-116 for their sixth straight victory. The Nuggets were 0-4 in his previous 50-point outbursts. “It’s a good feeling,” the three-time NBA Most Valuable Player said. He equaled Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 55 in a double-overtime game at the Indiana Pacers on Oct. 23. Jokic has been on a roll during Denver’s winning streak. He is the
The tri-nation Twenty20 international series featuring hosts Pakistan, as well as Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, is to be played entirely in Rawalpindi from Tuesday next week, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said yesterday, after this week’s suicide bombing in the capital, Islamabad. The change came after at least eight Sri Lankan players asked to leave over security fears following Tuesday’s bombing that killed 12 people and wounded 27. Their country’s cricket board issued a stern directive to the team to stay put or face consequences. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said the decision to stay was taken after “close consultations” with hosts Pakistan who
TIGHT GAME: The Detroit Pistons, the NBA’s second-best team, barely outlasted the Washington Wizards, who fell to an NBA-worst 1-10 with their ninth consecutive loss Cade Cunningham’s triple double, Daniss Jenkins’ three-pointer at the buzzer and Javonte Green’s overtime dunk lifted Detroit past Washington 137-135 on Monday, stretching the Pistons’ win streak to seven games. In an unexpected thriller, the NBA’s second-best team barely outlasted a Wizards club that fell to an NBA-worst 1-10 with their ninth consecutive loss. “We knew how big this game was for us,” Jenkins said. “We wasn’t going to let nothing stop us from getting this W.” Cunningham made 14-of-45 shots and 16-of-18 free throws for a career-high 46 points, and added 12 rebounds, 11 assists, five steals and two
Australian restaurant chain Grill’d has made a cheeky apology for putting a “curse” on Oscar Piastri’s Formula One title hopes with their offer of a free burger for every time the McLaren driver gets on the podium. The Melbourne native has not finished in the top three since the promotion relaunched five races ago, losing the championship lead to teammate Lando Norris and now 24 points behind. Online conspiracy theorists have been quick to put two and two together. The chain’s Piastri 81 Burger debuted ahead of the Australian Grand Prix in March, with his endorsement, and was relaunched in September after he
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