Harper’s heroics | Sports Daily Newsletter
The Phillies slugger continues to cement himself as one of the city’s sports legends.
The Phillies, especially Bryce Harper, made Game 3 worth waiting for. The day after Halloween, the star homered early to set the tone for the team.
Harper’s been setting the tone for a while now, his MVP-caliber slugging as key to the team’s success as his lobbying to sign some of his now-teammates and as important as his camaraderie with the Phanatic.
It’s all about buying in, committing to the mission with the club and having the guts to seize the moment. If it sounds easy, it’s certainly not, explains Marcus Hayes, but that’s how Philadelphia legends are made.
— Andrea Canales, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.
❓ Do you think playing Game 3 Tuesday instead of Monday played a major role in the Phillies’ dominant win? Why or why not? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.
The Phillies made the 4,747-night wait worth it and did what they do best to bash their way to a 2-1 series lead over the Astros.
Tuesday night’s win was the Phillies’ sixth playoff victory in a row at Citizens Bank Park. David Murphy examines all of the variables that have led the Phillies to this point.
Ty Kuhner, a 10-year-old Phillies fan, got a moment he will never forget when a ball hit by Brandon Marsh slipped through his glove in the first row of the outfield seats. It was ruled a home run and young Ty received national attention.
Next: It’s Game 4 of the World Series at 8:03 p.m. Wednesday (Fox 29). Aaron Nola takes the mound for the Phillies against Houston’s Cristian Javier.
In the midst of a 1-4 start to their season, the 76ers huddled together in Toronto determined to pick up the pieces. They turned on the film, which elicited a reaction Tyrese Maxey described as “embarrassed” and “disgusted.”
They emerged from the room with a new resolve and went on to win three straight games, with Maxey, Joel Embiid, and James Harden sitting in the driver’s seat on different nights. The bench also performed, and the defense improved. All told, they put together a stretch that helped temporarily reset what had been a tough start.
Next: The Sixers play against the Washington Wizards at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the second half of their home-and-home series (NBCSP).
While the Eagles didn’t make any moves on the day of the NFL trade deadline, they’ve already added plenty to their roster. They traded for Pro Bowl edge rusher Robert Quinn last week. They acquired C.J. Gardner-Johnson just before the start of the season. And, of course, there was the draft-day deal that brought A.J. Brown to Philly. While the Eagles were in search of another running back on this day, Howie Roseman has already been active.
The Flyers managed to steal a point on Tuesday against the New York Rangers, but for the second game in a row, they lost in overtime, 1-0.
After a goalless 64 minutes, Rangers forward Chris Kreider scored the only goal of the game, spoiling a 35-save effort by Carter Hart.
Next: The Flyers are right back at it at 7 p.m. Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. (NBCSP+).
Phillies fans have done their best to head out to Houston for World Series games, but at least some games in the series are in Philadelphia. Union fans must trek out to Los Angeles if they want to see their club claim the MLS Cup in person.
The team set off Tuesday on that mission, waved farewell by a contingent of their most loyal supporters.
After all, it’s not every day a team gets to compete for that honor. Both LAFC and the Union are doing so for the first time, so the MLS Cup is guaranteed to go to a new champion. Union manager Jim Curtin played in only one MLS Cup final during his entire decade as a defender in the league. It was 19 years ago, the last time the top seeds in the league met in the final.
Next: The Union will play the MLS Cup final against LAFC at 4 p.m. Saturday in Los Angeles.
Worth a look
Drexel’s leader: Dragons captain Coletrane Washington was raised on basketball.
“I’m a fighter:” Lincoln receiver Hanif Gates battled Hodgkin’s lymphoma and now is cancer-free. He recently was a guest of Jill Biden’s at an Eagles game.
Trivia Tuesday answer
Who is the last Phillie to win the Cy Young Award?
Answer: D.) Roy Halladay won the Cy Young Award in 2010.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Marcus Hayes, Scott Lauber, Alex Coffey, David Murphy, Mike Sielski, Keith Pompey, Josh Tolentino, Giana Han, Jonathan Tannenwald, Matt Ryan, and Aaron Carter.