LOS ANGELES (AP) — After spending the first seven years of his big league career back East, Jack Flaherty came home. He joined a winning team in the Los Angeles Dodgers and helped make a bit of playoff history. Flaherty combined on a three-hitter and Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers tied the postseason record of 33 consecutive scoreless innings by routing the New York Mets 9-0 Sunday night in the NL Championship Series opener. Los Angeles knocked out a wild Kodai Senga in the second inning, built a six-run lead by the fourth and matched the scoreless record set by Baltimore Orioles pitchers over the first four games of the 1966 World Series against the Dodgers.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Joe Burrow made just enough plays and the maligned Bengals defense stepped up and delivered a much-needed victory that gave Cincinnati some hope after a dismal start. Burrow scored on a career-long 47-yard run on the opening possession, and Chase Brown added a game-clinching 30-yard touchdown run one play after his fumble luckily rolled out of bounds in a 17-7 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday night. Evan McPherson made a go-ahead 37-yard field goal in the third quarter after a botched snap and hold contributed to him missing a potential game-winning kick a week earlier.
Oregon and Penn State each moved up a spot in The Associated Press college football poll on Sunday following thrilling wins in high-profile games, and Top 25 newcomers Navy and Army are in the rankings together for the first time since 1960. Texas strengthened its hold on No. 1 with its 31-point victory over Oklahoma. The Longhorns received 56 of 62 first-place votes, four more than last week and their most since they were a unanimous No. 1 in October 2008. This weekend wasn’t as crazy as the week before, when four of the top 11 teams were upset and only two teams held their spots in the ensuing rankings shuffle. That’s not to say Week 7 was devoid of excitement. Oregon’s 32-31 home win over Ohio State featured seven lead changes and moved the Ducks to No. 2 with the other six first-place votes. It’s their highest ranking since they ended the 2014 season at No. 2 after losing to the Buckeyes in the inaugural College Football Playoff championship game.
CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — When rain disrupted Kyle Larson’s bid to complete both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day — leaving him unable to turn a single lap at Charlotte Motor Speedway — he returned to the track determined to put on a show. Larson raced to his Cup Series-high sixth victory of the season Sunday to easily advance to the third round of NASCAR’s playoffs, winning on The Roval — the hybrid road course/oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Larson led a race-high 62 laps in the No. 5 Chevrolet to win in a runaway. He beat longtime rival and title contender Christopher Bell by 1.511 seconds.
SUNDAY'S SCORES
Major League Baseball Playoffs
LA Dodgers 9, NY Mets 0 (Dodgers lead best-of-seven series 1-0)
National Football League
Chicago 35, Jacksonville 16
Tampa Bay 51, New Orleans 27
Baltimore 30, Washington 23
Indianapolis 20, Tennessee 17
Green Bay 34, Arizona 13
Houston 41, New England 21
Philadelphia 20, Cleveland 16
Pittsburgh 32, Las Vegas 13
LA Chargers 23, Denver 16
Detroit 47, Dallas 9
Atlanta 38, Carolina 20
Cincinnati 17, NY Giants 7