SUNDAY SPORTS

The Ottawa Senators have the early edge in the Eastern Conference final. Bobby Ryan scored 4:59 into overtime as Ottawa slipped past the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 in Game 1. Evgeni Malkin scored late in the third for Pittsburgh to tie the game. Jean-Gabriel Pageau had a first-period goal for the Sens.

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Jose Bautista’s bat is heating up. He hit a three-run tiebreaking homer in the seventh inning to lift the Toronto Blue Jays to a 7-2 win over the Seattle Mariners. Bautista has three home runs in his last four games and Toronto has won four straight for the first time this season.

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Bryce Harper hit a game-ending home run with two outs in the ninth inning that sent the Washington Nationals over the Philadelphia Phillies 6-4. Hours before the game, the Nationals announced they had reached agreement with Harper on a $21,625,000 dollar U-S contract for the 2018 season, covering the slugging outfielder through his last year before he can become a free agent.

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Chris Sale had double-digit strikeouts for the seventh consecutive start. He finished with 12 K’s and allowed three runs and two hits over seven innings as the Boston Red Sox doubled up Tampa Bay 6-3. Mookie Betts slammed a two-run homer and added an RBI double in the Red Sox’s four-run fifth.

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The game between the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians was interrupted for several minutes when a squirrel ran on the field during the sixth inning. The squirrel raced in from right field and reached the area around the pitcher’s mound, forcing the umpires to halt play.

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Toronto FC’s win streak continues. Tosaint Ricketts headed in the go-ahead goal as TFC edged the Minnesota Union 3-2 for their sixth straight victory. And in Montreal, Justin Meram scored three times as the Columbus Crew topped the Impact 3-2. Meram completed his hat trick with a goal in stoppage time.

(Canadian Press)