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CLEVELAND -- Taking no chances in Tuesday nights World Series Game 6, Cubs manager Joe Maddon again went to closer Aroldis Chapman?in the seventh inning, only this time with Chicago holding a 7-2 lead.?Maddon did the same two days earlier, in Sundays Game 5, asking Chapman to get the final eight outs with the Cubs nursing a one-run lead. But his decision to do so on Tuesday with a five-run advantage raised some eyebrows and prompted a response from the Cubs Twitter account:Chapman relieved?Mike Montgomery?and threw two pitches in the seventh inning before getting?Cleveland Indians?shortstop?Francisco Lindor to ground out with two men on base to end the inning. Chapman came up limping a bit after racing Lindor to first base on the bang-bang play but said it was nothing bad, no issues at all.?Chapman then pitched a clean eighth inning, before the Cubs extended their lead to 9-2 on an Anthony Rizzo?home run in the ninth inning. At that point, Maddon scrambled to get his bullpen ready as Chapman came out for the bottom of the ninth.After Chapman gave up a leadoff walk to Rajai Davis, Maddon finally pulled him after 20 pitches in favor of Pedro Strop, who had to be pulled, as well, after giving up a hit and a walk. Travis Wood got the final out in the Cubs 9-3 win?that forced a Game 7 with the Indians.In his postgame news conference, Maddon defended the decision to bring in his closer.It was just the middle of their batting order. There was just no other way to look at that and feel good, man, he said.?That could have been the ballgame right there.I thought the game could have been lost right there if we did not take care of it properly.Maddon added that he talked to Chapman before the game and the four-time All-Star was aware of the scenario.So he went out there and he was outstanding again, said Maddon, who told Fox in an on-field interview that he expects more of the same from Chapman in Wednesdays deciding Game 7.Cubs catcher Willson Contreras agreed.Aroldis will be ready to go,?Contreras said. Im already thinking about [Game 7], and hell be ready.Chapman echoed his manager and his batterymate.?I dont worry about a few extra pitches, Chapman said. I have all the strength and mentality to pitch in this scenario. Im ready for [Game 7] 100 percent. Its the last game of the season. You cannot save anything. Time to leave it all on the field.Chapman threw 62 pitches combined between Games 5 and 6 but with a day off in between.I feel blessed that Im just healthy to pitch in this situation, he said. This is [why] the Cubs brought me over.Maddon has already indicated that?Jon Lester would be available in relief for Game 7.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.? Cheap Jerseys From China . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91. China Jerseys Stitched .C. -- Glenn Howard needed an extra end to move into the Masters Grand Slam of Curling final. https://www.chinajerseyscheap.us/ . -- Lou Brocks shoulder-to-shoulder collision with Bill Freehan during the 1968 World Series and Pete Roses bruising hit on Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star game could become relics of baseball history, like the dead-ball era. China Jerseys Wholesale . Andrew Luck lost his favourite target and the Indianapolis locker room lost one of its most revered leaders when Reggie Wayne was diagnosed Monday with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee that will cost him the rest of the season. Fake China Jerseys . Just as Montreal was settling into the first full working week of a new year, the Impact announced the appointment of their new head coach. BASEBALLCHICAGO -- November blazed like dazzling springtime in Chicago during a massive parade and rally to honor the Cubs first World Series title in 108 years and fulfill more than a century of pent-up dreams.A new generation of Cubs fans -- riding in strollers or on their parents shoulders -- joined their elders to cheer the baseball champions. For the youngest, the day would be their first bright memory of following a club once known as lovable losers.Their parents marveled at how their children will know the confident, young team as winners.A crowd, estimated by city officials at 5 million, lined Michigan Avenue and Lake Shore Drive to cheer the motorcade of open-roofed buses carrying the players along a 7-mile parade route from the north side ballpark to sprawling Grant Park.CLEVELAND -- Two days later, the pain has diminished -- a little.The cruel sting of losing Game 7 hasnt completely left the Cleveland Indians.At the same time the Chicago Cubs were parading down Michigan Avenue after winning their first title in 108 years, the Indians -- who pushed the NL champions into extra innings in an unforgettable season finale before losing 8-7 -- took the first steps toward getting back to the Series in 2017.With deadlines approaching and no time for pity, the Indians locked up manager Terry Francona through 2020, exercising contract options for 2019 and 2020 on the 57-year-old manager, who steered the club around numerous obstacles to get it to its first Series since 1997.Cleveland exercised its $12 million option on slugger Carlos Santana for next season and declined a $13 million option on outfielder Coco Crisp, who gets a $750,000 buyout.PHOENIX -- Boston Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo was hired as manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks.Lovullo will be introduced at a news conference Mionday. He had been considered a leading candidate for the job after Red Sox assistant general manager Mike Hazen was hired as Diamondbacks GM.Lovullo replaces Chip Hale, who was fired after two seasons. Hazen took over from Dave Stewart, who also was dismissed after two years.PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired right-handed reliever Pat Neshek from Houston for a player to be named later or cash.Neshek was 2-2 with a 3.06 ERA in 60 relief appearances with Houston. He held right-handed hitters to a .172 average and had 43 strikeouts in 47 innings.The Phillies also announced Friday they exercised Nesheks club option for $6.5 million in 2017.HOUSTON -- The Astros exercised catcher/designated hitter Evan Gattis $5.2 million option for 2017.Gattis gets a $2 million raise. Houston could have paid a $100,000 buyout, which would have made Gattis eligible for salary arbitration.Gattis hit .251 with a career-high and team-leading 32 homers with 72 RBI in his second season in Houston after spending the first two years of his career with the Atlanta Braves.NBALOS ANGELES -- Lou Williams scored 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, and the Los Angeles Lakers snapped Stephen Currys NBA-record streak of 157 games with a 3-pointer in a 117-97 victory over the Golden State Warriors.Julius Randle had 20 points and 14 rebounds for the rebuilding Lakers, who pulled off their second straight shocking home upset of the mighty Warriors with an impressive effort from their exciting young roster.ddddddddddddLakers coach Luke Walton also won his first meeting with his former team and his coaching mentor, Steve Kerr.Curry scored 13 points while going 0 for 10 from 3-point range, ending several incredible long-distance streaks. He had hit a 3-pointer in every regular-season game since Nov. 11, 2014.DALLAS -- Damian Lillard scored 27 of his season-high 42 points in the second half to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 105-95 victory over Dallas, sending the Mavericks to their first 0-5 start in franchise history.Mason Plumlee had 19 points and Al-Farouq Aminu added 12 points and 10 rebounds for Portland.HORSE RACINGARCADIA, Calif. -- For the last quarter of a mile, Songbird and Beholder refused to yield. They ran neck-and-neck, with their Hall of Fame jockeys looking for the tiniest edge.Gary Stevens, aboard Beholder, called it just a street fight.The 6-year-old mare landed the final blow, with Beholder edging Songbird by a nose in the $2 million Distaff on opening day of the Breeders Cup at Santa Anita.Even jockey Mike Smith had to agree it was an amazing, amazing race after his 3-year-old filly Songbird lost for the first time in 12 races.It was a thrilling finish to the four Cup races, three of which involved New York-based long shots winning on an 80-degree day.AUTO RACINGFORT WORTH, Texas -- Austin Dillon is on the pole for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Texas two weeks after a heartbreaking finish knocked him out of the championship chase.Dillon had a fast lap of 192.301 mph in the final round of qualifying to earn his third career pole. Joey Logano qualified second, and will be the highest starter Sunday in the AAA Texas 500 of the eight drivers still eligible for the season championship. His best lap in the final session was 192.269 mph.The other Chase contenders to qualify in the top 10 were Kevin Harvick (third), Matt Kenseth (seventh), Carl Edwards (ninth) and Kurt Busch (10th). Denny Hamlin starts 17th.FORT WORTH, Texas -- Johnny Sauter won his second consecutive Chase race in the NASCAR Truck Series, making a late pass that prevented anyone else from clinching a spot in the title-clinching race like he already had.Sauter went high around Chase contender Matt Crafton just before the line with two laps remaining at Texas Motor Speedway.It was Sauters third win this season. He won the opener at Daytona and last week at Martinsville to earn the first of four spots available for a chance to win the trucks inaugural Chase championship at Homestead.With only next weeks race at Phoenix before the finale, there are still three spots up for grab.HOCKEYCOLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Montreal Canadiens were the last team in the NHL to lose a game in regulation this season -- and they did it in historic fashion.And the Columbus Blue Jackets made a little history of their own.Cam Atkinson, Nick Foligno, Scott Hartnell and Josh Anderson each scored two goals as Columbus swamped Montreal 10-0, matching the biggest loss in the Canadiens storied history and breaking the Blue Jackets franchise record.Montreal lost by 10 goals for the fifth time and the first since an 11-1 loss to Detroit in February 1995. The Canadiens dropped to 9-1-1. ' ' '