Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. Spring training roundup: Darvish K's 6 in Cubs win

Right-hander Yu Darvish allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and struck out six in 4 2/3 innings for a Chicago Cubs split squad in a 6-4 spring training win over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday at Mesa, Ariz. Darvish, making his return from a season-ending stress reaction in his throwing elbow to cap a disappointing first year with the Cubs, lowered his spring ERA to 2.25 through four starts. He has struck out 14 in 12 innings. Swimming: Olympic hopeful Hong Kong swimmer To dies at 26

Kenneth To, a record-breaking Hong Kong-Australian swimmer who had his sights on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, died suddenly after a training session in the United States, officials said on Tuesday. He was 26. To, who holds 17 Hong Kong records and won a silver medal as part of Australia's 4x100 meter medley relay squad at the 2013 world championships, was in the United States for a three-month training program at the University of Florida. MLB concerned at number of strikeouts, says Torre

Major League Baseball is concerned at strikeouts surpassing the number of hits and needs more balls in play to arrest the dip in popularity, the league's chief baseball officer Joe Torre said on Wednesday. Last season was the first in the league's history to feature more strikeouts than hits, leading to calls for changes to increase interest. Russians lead after pairs short program, French favorites tumble

Russian pair Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov took a commanding lead after the short program at the World Figure Skating Championships in Saitama on Wednesday after a fall left French favorites Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres in seventh. James and Cipres, undefeated this season and the first French pair to win the European Championship in over 80 years, went down when James botched the landing on their throw triple flip and fell to the ice. NHL roundup: Caps alone atop Metro

Brett Connolly had a goal and an assist, and the Washington Capitals defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-1 on Tuesday night in Newark, N.J., to move into sole possession of first place in the Metropolitan Division. Andre Burakovsky, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson also scored for Washington. Nicklas Backstrom collected his 50th assist of the season, and Pheonix Copley made 20 saves. Patriots owner Kraft can avoid prosecution in Florida prostitution sting: prosecutors

The owner of the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots could be spared prosecution on charges of soliciting prostitution in Florida if he agrees to community service and other obligations, a spokesman for prosecutors said on Tuesday. Robert Kraft, the National Football League team owner, is receiving the same offer from the Office of the State Attorney for Palm Beach County as the other first-time misdemeanor offenders caught up in the case last month, said Mike Edmondson, a spokesman for the office. Edmondson declined to say if Kraft has agreed to the offer for avoiding prosecution. NBA roundup: Russell (44 points) rallies Nets past Kings

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson scored the winning layup with 0.8 seconds remaining as the Brooklyn Nets overcame a 25-point, fourth-quarter deficit to post a stunning 123-121 victory over the host Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. D'Angelo Russell scored 27 of his career-high 44 points in the fourth quarter as the Nets outscored the Kings 45-18 to improve to 1-3 on a seven-game road trip. NBA-76ers' Simmons pays tribute to Australian 'Egg Boy'

The Philadelphia 76ers' Ben Simmons displayed a message of support for an Australian teenager who smashed an egg on a right-wing lawmaker's head, wearing shoes with the words “Egg Boy” written on them during Tuesday's game against Charlotte. Senator Fraser Anning was approached from behind at a political event on Saturday before the 17-year-old cracked the egg on the back of his head. Olympics: Japan chief Takeda to quit as corruption probe continues

Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) chief Tsunekazu Takeda, who is under investigation for suspected corruption, said on Tuesday he will step down when his term ends in June and resign from the International Olympic Committee. French prosecutors have questioned Takeda in Paris and placed him under formal investigation in December for suspected corruption in Tokyo's successful bid to host the 2020 Summer Games. Tennis: Rain delays Miami Open start at new Hard Rock home

Rain wiped out the opening day play at the Miami Open on Tuesday, delaying the start of the tournament at its new Hard Rock Stadium home. Having outgrown the cramped quarters of Key Biscayne's Crandon Park, and unable to secure the necessary approvals to renovate and expand, the Miami Open has moved to the home of the NFL's Miami Dolphins but the day-long rain spoilt the moment.