National Sports

TORONTO — Whit Merrifield has been a starter at every level of baseball until he was traded to Toronto. But he's learning to have an impact as a pinch-hitter at the exact right time for the Blue Jays.

MONTREAL — CF Montreal is just one point away from clinching home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs after securing a 3-2 win over the Chicago Fire at Stade Saputo on Tuesday.

FORT ERIE, Ont. — Justin Stein has his first Prince of Wales Stakes win. The veteran jockey rode Duke of Love to victory in the $400,000 race, the second jewel of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown, at Fort Erie Racetrack on Tuesday afternoon.

VALENCIA, Spain — Vasek Pospisil won his opening singles match, then teamed with Felix Auger-Aliassime to take the deciding doubles match as Canada won its opening tie at the Davis Cup Finals tennis tournament 2-1 over South Korea on Tuesday.

VANCOUVER — This isn't how the Vancouver Whitecaps wanted to enter their final homestand of the season. With just four games left on the schedule, the 'Caps (9-14-7) are on a three-game losing skid and their playoff hopes have all but evaporated.

MONTREAL — The Montreal Force has named Peter Smith the team's head coach for its expansion season in the Premier Hockey League. Smith, of Lachine, Que.

Toronto FC has signed teenage forward Hugo Mbongue to a homegrown contract through 2025 with an option for 2026.

Hockey Canada asked the federal government in 2019 if it could self-govern its safe-sport cases, despite facing a "significant potential claim.

CALGARY — Decorated Canadian women's hockey team forward Rebecca Johnston joined a recent wave of women entering NHL teams' hockey operations departments when the Calgary Flames took her aboard. The 32-year-old from Sudbury, Ont.

TORONTO — The Toronto Arrows have signed Australian centre/wing Fabian Goodall for the 2023 Major League Rugby season. The 27-year-old played most recently for Eastwood in Australia's Shute Shield competition.