National Sports

TORONTO — Derek Slywka is paid to break up passes and prevent touchdowns. He also knows what to do when the football is in his hands.

TORONTO — George Springer smacked a pair of two-run homers to lift the Toronto Blue Jays to an 8-5 win and a four-game series sweep over the New York Yankees on Thursday.

NEW YORK — Toronto FC, in its first outing since buying out the contacts of Italian designated players Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi, was beaten 3-1 by New York City FC in the lone MLS game Thursday.

MONTREAL — The Canadian men's national soccer team will host Australia in its first match in Montreal since 2017 on Oct. 10 at Stade Saputo.

SILVIS, Ill. (AP) — Doug Ghim holed out for eagle on the par-4 sixth hole and kept bogeys off his card on a day of low scoring Thursday. He opened with a 9-under 62 in a bid to become the latest first-time PGA Tour winner at the John Deere Classic.

SIBIU — Canadian cyclist Riley Pickrell won the first stage of the Sibiu Cycling Tour on Thursday. Riding for the Israel-Premier Tech team, the 23-year-old from Victoria covered the 215.

Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz is the subject of a Major League Baseball gambling investigation and was placed on non-disciplinary leave Thursday, two people with knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Famed Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. has been arrested for overstaying his visa and lying on a green card application and will be deported to Mexico, where he faces organized crime charges, U.S.

MADRID (AP) — Liverpool player Diogo Jota and his brother were killed in a car accident in Spain when the Lamborghini they were in veered off a road and burst into flames, police said Thursday.

RALEIGH — Nikolaj Ehlers is waving goodbye to the Winnipeg Jets. The winger signed a six-year, US$51-million contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, the third day of NHL free agency.