NEW YORK -- Aaron Judge finally looked the part in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series. Five postseason games of struggles gave way to one giant swing Tuesday night, when Judge's two-run homer capped a 6-3 win that gave the New York Yankees a 2-0 series lead against the Cleveland Guardians.

While the Yankees scored three early runs to capitalize on sloppy play from the typically tidy Guardians, Judge's home run -- a 414-foot blast to center field off Cleveland reliever Hunter Gaddis in the seventh inning -- energized the crowd of 47,054 at Yankee Stadium and served as a reminder that the future AL MVP is more than capable of providing memorable October moments.

"You never know on these windy, chilly nights what that ball is going to do when you hit the center here," Judge said, "but the ghosts were pulling out there to Monument Park, that's for sure."

The Yankees had won four of their first five playoff games with little production from their captain. While Judge did walk five times, he had managed only two hits in 15 at-bats this postseason before Tuesday. In one night, he tripled his previous RBI output, and a three-hit night from Gleyber Torres and five hits from the bottom three in the lineup made up for a substandard outing from Gerrit Cole.

In a game that featured a pair of errors from Cleveland, two awful baserunning mistakes in the same inning from New York and a combined 2-for-17 effort with runners in scoring position, the Yankees cobbled together enough offense and made pitches at opportune times.

They scored in the first after shortstop Brayan Rocchio dropped a sky-high popup from Judge that allowed Torres to score and added a pair of runs in the second off Guardians starter Tanner Bibee, who lasted only 1 innings and allowed five hits. Cleveland fireman Cade Smith inherited a bases-loaded jam in the second after manager Stephen Vogt intentionally walked Juan Soto to load the bases and face Judge, whose sacrifice fly extended New York's lead to 3-0.

Cole, the Yankees' ace who clinched a division-series win against the Kansas City Royals in his last start, struggled with his control, allowing 10 baserunners over 4 innings. He left with the bases loaded in the fifth inning, and reliever Clay Holmes allowed one run to score via a forceout before striking out Austin Hedges to end the threat.

"We had traffic all night tonight," Vogt said. "We do what we do. We get on base and make things happen. We just didn't get a big hit with runners in scoring position tonight. We're one swing of the bat away from taking the lead in that game. We're one swing of the bat from being right back in it. That is who we are. We don't quit. We just need to keep being us."

As the series heads to Cleveland for at least two and potentially three games, who the Guardians have been isn't enough. New York tacked on another run in the sixth, when Anthony Rizzo -- in his second game back after he broke two fingers Sept. 28 -- doubled in shortstop Anthony Volpe. Both finished the game with a pair of hits ahead of No. 9 hitter Alex Verdugo, who drove in a run with double.

"Our bottom of the order could be the top of our order," Rizzo said. "Our top of the order is so potent and so good. We know our role down at the bottom. We just want to get it to the next guy, get it to the next guy, and that's been our mentality."

Torres' third hit of the night helped get it to Judge in the seventh, when he ambushed a high, 95 mph fastball from Gaddis. Only once this season has Gaddis allowed a home run on a top-of-the-zone fastball, but then no hitter in the game is capable of doing damage like Judge, who finished the season hitting .322/.458/.701 with 58 home runs and 144 RBIs.

"I've been booed here plenty of times. There's been a lot of legends that played here that have been booed. It's just part of it. You can't focus on that. You've got to go out there. They want to see you win. They want to see you do well. You've just got to focus on what you can control. What I can control is what I do in the box and what I do on the field."

Aaron Judge

"The preparation he does, who he is as a person, who he is as a teammate, it's so easy to root for him," Rizzo said. "In these games, it really doesn't matter who it is, how excited we are for everyone, but when Aaron does stuff, it's extra special just because he's such a special human being."

Judge's postseason issues had been minimized because his teammates had played so well in the previous five games. He never wavered from his approach, which sounds simple and clichéd -- take things one at-bat at a time -- but has led to historic results. Though his career postseason numbers pale to those in the regular season, Judge continued to tune out any naysayers.

"I've been booed here plenty of times," he said. "There's been a lot of legends that played here that have been booed. It's just part of it. You can't focus on that. You've got to go out there. They want to see you win. They want to see you do well. You've just got to focus on what you can control. What I can control is what I do in the box and what I do on the field."

What he did on the field Tuesday was far more in line with what Judge expects of himself. And when closer Luke Weaver finished the game after allowing a ninth-inning home run to Jose Ramirez, it reinforced that these Yankees might be cut from a different cloth than those of recent vintage.

"This is a really good baseball team we're playing," Vogt said. "We've known that all year. We know we have our work cut out for us, but that's who we are. We thrive under this, and we're going to be ready to go."

Britain's Jacob Fearnley extended his winning streak to 13 matches as he beat Corentin Moutet at the Stockholm Open.

The Scot was unranked just over a year ago but has risen inside the top 100 on the back of winning four Challenger titles in a row.

The 23-year-old, having taken a few weeks off, won two qualifying matches to reach the main draw of the ATP 250 event in Sweden.

He beat France's Moutet 6-2 7-6 (7-5) to set up a second-round meeting with Dutch seventh seed Tallon Griekspoor.

It is Fearnley's second ATP Tour-level victory, having won in the Wimbledon first round in July after being given a wildcard.

Fearnley's climb to 98th in the world - from 1,893rd in September 2023 and 646th at the start of this year - is the fourth biggest into the top 100 since 2000, according to ATP statistics.

As Diamond works to try and make Newcastle competitive, he knows "hawks" are trying to recruit his players for next season.

But he admits that he would be doing the same if the Falcons were in a stronger position.

As it is, the north east club are already four points adrift at the bottom of the table and facing a fight to avoid a relegation play-off at the end of the campaign.

"The hawks are picking on us at the moment," he said.

"I am getting several calls this week about 'can I buy X player off you'. Once I tell them how much I want, they seem to go very quiet on the phone.

"It's business. We would do the same if we had the resource to do that. But I am amazed where some of the clubs who have approached me get their money from. You think they would be capped up."

Jenkins has enjoyed a meteoric rise after becoming the youngest captain in Gallagher Premiership history in 2022, when he led Exeter to victory against London Irish aged just 19 years 342 days.

He is hoping this reset will prove beneficial for his career.

"This is probably just getting my body right," said Jenkins.

"It's probably the first time I've actually felt fresh in four years.

"Making my Exeter debut when I was 18, and then my Wales debut at 19, it's the first time I've had a bit of time to recover.

"The jump from under-20s level to seniors is huge and I probably underestimated that.

"It's given me time to gym a lot more than I would have and I'm looking to put a few extra kgs of muscle on.

"I am not running yet, but when I get to that block, I'm going to push myself and be hitting personal bests."

In Jenkins' absence, Exeter have lost their first four games of the season for the first time since being promoted to the Premiership in 2010.

It is also the first time the club has lost four successive league games for 10 years after Exeter blew a 20-point lead in the final 15 minutes to lose to Bristol Bears on Saturday.

Jenkins has been joined on the Exeter injury list by England centre Henry Slade and flanker Jacques Vermeulen who are also key players for the club.

"It is definitely not the start we wanted," added Jenkins.

"We've got a few players injured. Sladey and Jacques haven't been too good. Having them back in a few games' time will be huge for us.

"I think similar to the Wales results in the Six Nations and summer, just a few small changes and the results would have gone elsewhere.

"We're disappointed with how we're seeing out games. We've been in a few of them and that's the most disappointing aspect."

The Professional Women's Hockey League's second season is opening on Saturday, Nov. 30, a month earlier than last year, and features an expanded schedule, the league announced Tuesday.

Each of the league's six teams will play 30 games, up from 24 in the inaugural season. The season will begin with the Boston Fleet playing at the Toronto Sceptres, followed by the Ottawa Charge traveling to play the Montreal Victoire. The New York Sirens travel to play the Minnesota Frost to open their respective schedules the following day.

The regular season runs through May 3, with three extended international breaks worked in to account for players' national team commitments. There are weeklong breaks in December and March, and a 22-day break in April, coinciding with the world championships being held in the Czech Republic.

The PWHL included 14 matchups with the venue not listed, and to be announced in the coming weeks. These games will be played at either neutral site locations or at larger venues in the teams' home markets.

The PWHL previously announced a plan to add more neutral site games into its schedule after playing games at Detroit and Pittsburgh last season. The league also partnered with NHL teams to have games played at the Toronto Maple Leafs' home and the Montreal Canadiens' Bell Centre, where a game between Toronto and Montreal attracted a pro women's hockey-record crowd of 21,105.

The Frost already play out of the Minnesota Wild's home, while the Sirens are now based at the New Jersey Devils' arena after splitting games among three venues last season.

"Our teams and players are so eager to bring their new identities to life, and the schedule announcement elevates that sense of anticipation," PWHL senior VP of hockey operations Jayna Hefford said, referring to the league unveiling team names and logos last month.

Highlights on the schedule include:

• The Frost traveling to play the Fleet on Dec. 4 in their first meeting since Minnesota won the inaugural Walter Cup in a decisive Game 5 in May.

• The Sirens have the latest home-opening date, on Dec. 18, after beginning the season with three road games.

• All six teams will be in action on April 26.

The 90-game schedule is balanced with teams meeting six times: three at home and three on the road.

If recent history tells us anything, the Edmonton Oilers are about to catch some wind and sail out of the doldrums.

The Philadelphia Flyers play their third consecutive game in western Canada when they visit the Oilers at Rogers Place on Tuesday evening. They eked out a 3-2 shootout win to open the season on Friday in Vancouver and then dropped a 6-3 decision to the Calgary Flames on Saturday.

This western Canada road swing is a trip that comes up somewhat frequently for NHL teams, as the league looks for efficiencies in travel. In the previous three seasons, there have been 27 such road trips in which a team, in no particular order, will play the Vancouver Canucks, Flames and Oilers in consecutive road games.

This season, the trip amplifies in frequency, as the journey will be made 17 times by teams not including the Canucks, Flames and Oilers. Furthermore, 12 of the teams making the trip this season are, like the Flyers, coming over from the Eastern Conference.

As road trips go, it's a particularly distant one that takes most teams out of their home country for a few days. Given how often this particular western Canada trip will come up this season, it's worth going over some of the recent history to look for any trends.

In only the third game of the 27 three-game series' in the past three seasons, the Canucks, Flames and Oilers have combined for a record of 15-12. The Canucks are 5-9, the Flames are 6-2 and the Oilers are 4-1 heading into Tuesday's tilt. Tuesday's game is made particularly interesting because, for the second consecutive season, the Oilers have started poorly. In fact, this season's 0-3 outscored by a 15-3 start is even worse than last season's 1-2 outscored by 13-10 after three games margin.

But in those five games in recent seasons in which the Oilers are the final leg of the trip, they have outscored opponents 26-11 and easily covered the spread in the four out of five games they won. Overall, Eastern Conference teams doing the trip are 7-8, but against the spread the result is 5-10. Overall, the Flames, Canucks and Oilers have combined to go 17-10 against the spread in these third games.

So, if there is one trend to watch here, it's the Oilers taking care of business against the -1.5 spread, which, likely because of their poor performance so far, actually opened at a positive +110.

When it comes to the over/under on these road trips, ESPN's historical data shows 13 unders, 12 overs and two pushes. For just the games with a 6.5 total, the over has hit four times and the under seven. Tuesday's tilt opened at 6.5 with -105 on the over and -115 on the under. This decently reflects the recent history in these games, but it will be worth checking back closer to game time to see if the over starts getting tempting, given the Oilers' history of experiencing 7.40 average goals in these third games (the overall average is 5.96).

The lines

Minnesota Wild at St. Louis Blues

7:30 p.m., Enterprise Center, Watch live on ESPN

• Blues (-1.5, +210), -115 money line.

• Wild (+1.5,-300), -105 money line.

• Total 5.5: (Over -125, Under +105)

The picks

This opened with the Wild as a road favorite on Monday, but, probably because of little info about the injury statuses of Joel Eriksson Ek and Jared Spurgeon, the odds have flipped, with the Blues as the favorite as of 9 a.m. on Tuesday. We could see more flip-flopping in this coin-toss game if news about Eriksson Ek or Spurgeon emerges.

If you are looking for props, Ryan Hartman for a point (over 0.5 points, +135) is promising, since he might be playing up in Eriksson Ek's role on the second line and top power-play unit. Maybe combine that with Jake Neighbours (over 0.5 points, +115) for a +381 parlay, as Neighbours remains a top-liner with top power-play minutes, but he still doesn't get the requisite love.

The lines

Philadelphia Flyers at Edmonton Oilers

10 p.m., Rogers Place, Watch live on ESPN

• Oilers (-1.5, +105), -240 money line.

• Flyers (+1.5, -125), +200 money line.

• Total 6.5: (Over -110, Under -110)

The picks

The under odds have moved from -115 to -110 overnight into Tuesday, and they are tempting given the Oilers' struggles to score so far. But, as outlined above, there is reason to believe the Oilers can snap out of their current funk.

The Flyers will almost certainly go back to goalie Samuel Ersson, not only because he was solid and Ivan Fedotov struggled, but because the team is likely going close to 50-50 this season. Connor McDavid had five points the last time the Flyers visited, on Jan. 3 last season.

All things considered, the play might be to back the Oilers offense. A cheap way in would be Jeff Skinner (over 0.5 points, +115), who isn't quite out of chances to find chemistry with McDavid on the top line. If you do like the Oilers side, a parlay option might be to back Skinner and fade Travis Konecny (under 0.5 points, +115) to combine for a +325 parlay.

Betting trends

The plan for this article, every other week, will be to have a look at some of the recent trends in the NHL when it comes to odds versus results.

It may go through a few iterations until we find what is the most useful information for me to share, but for now, I'll explain a little bit of what kind of data we will have. To start, I'm capturing the spreads, over/under and money lines from ESPN BET four times per day to start building a database of odds. The idea is to compare how they stack up to the actual results as the season progresses and we can look to identify areas to tackle together.

As a bit of an introduction this week, let's do a Sports Betting 101 with the basics on the spread:

The spread is when you are betting either that the favored team will outscore their opponents by the determined spread, or that the underdog team will either win or at least keep the game within a margin of defeat that is less than the spread. Typically, the spread will be set at 1.5. On rare occasion in a pregame scenario we might see a 2.5, but unless the game is underway, we should see a 1.5 spread the vast majority of the time.

For the favorite, or the team expected to win, the spread will get a minus sign in front of it, like -1.5, to indicate the number of points they must win by for a bet on them to be successful. Conversely, the underdog will have a plus sign, such as +1.5, indicating that they can either win the game outright or lose by fewer points than the spread.

Each of these spreads, for both the favorite or the underdog, will be accompanied by odds. In the spread scenario, the underdog has the advantage, and this is borne out in the odds and the results. Of the 42 games of collected data I have as of Monday evening, the favorites are 15-27 against the spread, while 20 of the games have had odds of +150 or greater for the favorite (generally speaking, the higher the odds, the less expected the result by the sportsbooks).

The underdogs, conversely, are 27-15 against the spread with all but two of the 42 games offering minus odds on the underdog spread; in fact, 17 of the games offered -200 or lower.

Using the odds data collected as of Tuesday morning, have a look at how the spread would have played out for someone placing a $1 wager on every game:

• Putting $1 on every favorite for the spread would have netted $26.17 on 17 wins and lost $28 for a net result of -$1.83.

• Putting $1 on every underdog for the spread would have netted $16.71 on 28 wins and lost $17 for a net result of -$0.29.

That's not a great strategy, of course, which is why we'll be looking for deeper trends as the season progresses.

As a starting point, consider the scenario of a favorite on the road.

When the favorite is at home this season, they have only covered the spread 11 out of 32 times (34%). But when the favorite is on the road, they've covered six out of 13 (46%). It's not a huge improvement, but it's something to note this early in the season.

Aside from the Blues, mentioned above, we have another road favorite, as the Vegas Golden Knights (-1.5 spread, +175) roll into face the Washington Capitals (+1.5 spread, -225). The Capitals will be without stalwart defender Matt Roy, who is expected to be out into next week. Just watch out for those intangibles, as Logan Thompson will make his debut in the Capitals' crease against his former team. That's the kind of personal storyline that can make the odds go out the window.

Sir Alex Ferguson is set to step back from his ambassadorial role at Manchester United at the end of the season, a source told ESPN.

The decision has been taken as part of a cost-cutting drive at the club put in place following Sir Jim Ratcliffe's purchase of a minority stake in February.

It comes after United finalised the redundancies of 250 members of staff in a bid to save around 45 million ($58.8m).

Ferguson has been a club ambassador since 2013 following his decision to retire as manager after more than 25 years at the helm.

The role has earned the legendary former boss more than 2m annually and a source has told ESPN that the agreement has been ended as part of "cost-saving measures across the board."

A club source told ESPN that the 82-year-old "will always be welcome at Old Trafford" with the decision described as "amicable" and "suiting both parties."

However, Eric Cantona, who played a leading role in Man United's first four Premier League titles under Ferguson, called the decision "totally scandalous."

"Sir Alex Ferguson should be able to do anything he wants at the club until the day he dies," Cantona, who played for United between 1992 and 1997, posted on Instagram. "Such a lack of respect. It's totally scandalous. Sir Alex Ferguson will be my boss forever! And I throw them all in a big bag of s---!"

Ferguson won 13 English league titles during his time as manager between 1986 and 2013. He also won the Champions League in 1999 and 2008 along with another nine domestic cup successes. He remains the last United manager to lead the club to the Premier League title.

He has been a regular visitor to Old Trafford in the 11 years since his retirement while also holding a seat on the club's ceremonial football board.

A source told ESPN that Ferguson, who turns 83 in December, will also step back from other roles over the course of the next year, some of which are not related to United.

Allegations of rape against France national team captain and Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé are "totally false" and "a slanderous rumour," his representatives said Tuesday, following media reports that he was the subject of an investigation over an incident in a Stockholm hotel on Thursday.

Swedish prosecutors confirmed in a statement in response to the media coverage that a probe into an alleged rape at a hotel in central Stockholm had been opened, but they did not identify a suspect.

Swedish public broadcaster SVT and dailies Expressen and Aftonbladet, citing unnamed sources, reported that Mbappe, 25, was a suspect in the case.

"A new slanderous rumour is starting to ignite the web," a statement sent to Reuters by Mbappe's representatives at public relations firm Patricia Goldman said. "These accusations are totally false and irresponsible, and their propagation is unacceptable.

"Kylian Mbappé will under no circumstances tolerate his integrity, reputation and honour being sullied by unfounded insinuations."

"We do not know who the complaint is against, I do not know if the complaint is targeting him," Mbappé's lawyer, Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard, told French TV channel TF1 on Tuesday.

"He is never alone, he is never exposed to a risk-taking situation. It totally excludes that there could have been any reprehensible behaviour on his part. It is an absolute certainty. He is serene but flabbergasted by the media frenzy. He does not understand what can be reproached to him.

"He has done nothing wrong," Canu-Bernard said, adding that Mbappé would cooperate with the Swedish justice system if he was to be directly targeted by an investigation.

Mbappé posted a link to a French media story on the matter on X and wrote: "Fake News!!!!"

Mbappé had been on a private trip to the Nordic country's capital last week with a group of friends, Swedish media reported.

Mbappé and his friends left Sweden on Friday. A report of the allegation against Mbappé was made to police by an unidentified victim the following day, Expressen and Aftonbladet reported.

"In response to media reports about a suspected rape in Stockholm, the prosecutor can confirm that a criminal report has been submitted to the police," the Swedish Prosecution Authority said in a statement Tuesday.

Reuters could not independently confirm the identity of the victim nor the circumstances surrounding the alleged assault.

Senior prosecutor Marina Chirakova declined to comment further when reached by Reuters.

SVT and Expressen, citing unnamed sources, reported that the level of suspicion directed at Mbappé by investigators was "reasonable" -- the lower of the two levels in the Swedish legal system. The higher level, "probable suspicion," is usually required to have a suspect remanded in custody.

Mbappé trained with his Real Madrid teammates Tuesday. The club did not immediately respond when asked if they were aware of the investigation and whether they had been contacted by the Swedish authorities.

Thomas Tuchel is set to become England's new men's head coach after talks accelerated with the Football Association at a rapid pace in the past 48 hours, sources told ESPN.

The FA are set to hold a news conference at Wembley on Wednesday with Tuchel likely to be confirmed as Gareth Southgate's successor.

Southgate stepped down after eight years after England's Euro 2024 defeat to Spain.

The FA initially appointed under-21s boss Lee Carsley on an interim basis for England's autumn UEFA Nations League fixtures as they stepped up their search for possible candidates, who included Tuchel and Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.

Carsley repeatedly refused to rule himself in or out of the running for the role on a permanent basis and while speculation grew that the FA were hopeful he would prove himself able to succeed Southgate, sources told ESPN that English football's governing body were in fact making contact with high-profile alternatives.

Tuchel has been out of work since leaving Bayern Munich at the end of last season, but he won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021.

In January during an exclusive interview with ESPN, Tuchel was asked whether he felt more appreciated in England rather than his native Germany.

"Yes," he replied. "I feel that we are very critical with each other in Germany and especially with players or coaches and not only with me. "Pretty simple question. ... I felt more appreciation in England, yes."

Tuchel will become the third foreign-born manager and first German to take charge of England.

Sources told ESPN that Guardiola was approached several weeks ago but the 53-year-old was uncertain over his future after entering the final year of his contract at Etihad Stadium.

The FA also considered English candidates including Graham Porter and Eddie Howe but their job specification -- published in July -- stated that the successful candidate would need "significant experience of English football" and "a strong track record delivering results in the Premier League and/or leading international competitions."

Tuchel has won 11 major trophies including the Bundesliga with Bayern, two Ligue 1 titles with Paris Saint-Germain and the DFB-Pokal with Borussia Dortmund.

England reached back-to-back Euros finals under Southgate and are targeting a first trophy in 60 years at the 2026 World Cup.