Today In Sports History 4/9

Our past has shaped present by many things in history including sports, here is how sports marked our history.

Baseball

• 1912 – First exhibition baseball game at Fenway Park (Boston Red Sox versus Harvard).
• 1913 – Brooklyn Dodgers’ Ebbets Field opens, Philadelphia Phillies win 1-0.
• 1947 – Baseball suspends Brooklyn Dodgers’ Leo Durocher for one year.
• 1959 – Baltimore Orioles pull their second triple play (3-6-3 versus Washington Senators).
• 1962 – US President John Kennedy throws out first ball at Washington DC’s new Stadium.
• 1965 – First baseball game at Houston Astro dome, Houston Astros beat New York Yankees 2-1 in exhibition as Mickey Mantle hits first indoor home run.
• 1966 – Anaheim Stadium for the California Angels opens.
• 1969 – Chicago Cubs’ Billy Williams hits four consecutive doubles, beat Philadelphia Phillies 11-3.
• 1974 – San Diego Padres’ owner Ray Kroc addresses fans “Ladies and gentlemen, I suffer with you. I’ve never seen such stupid baseball playing in my life”.
• 1978 – Milwaukee Brewers sweep Baltimore Orioles 11-3, 16-3, and 13-5 (each with a grand slam).
• 1981 – Los Angeles Dodgers’ Fernando Valenzuela’s first start, beats Houston Astros 2-0.
• 1985 – Chicago White Sox pitcher Tom Seaver starts a record 15th opening day game.
• 1989 – Rickey Henderson steals his 800th career base in New York Yankees’ 4-3 loss to Cleveland Indians.
• 1990 – Don Mattingly signs a $19.7 million 5-year contract with the New York Yankees.
• 1990 – Houston Astros’ Glen Davis is hit by a pitch three times, tying a major league record, in a 8-4 Opening Day loss to the Cincinnati Reds.
• 1993 – Colorado Rockies first home game and first victory, 11-4 over Montreal Expos.
• 2001 – The Cincinnati Reds defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-2 in the first game at PNC Park, the first two-deck stadium built in the U.S. since Milwaukee County Stadium opened in 1953.

Basketball

• 1959 – 13th NBA Championship: Boston Celtics sweep Minnesota Lakers in four games; this is Celtics’ 8th consecutive title.
• 1959 – Bill Sharman hits an NBA record 56 consecutive foul shots.
• 1960 – 14th NBA Championship: Boston Celtics beat Saint Louis Hawks, 4 games to 3; this is Celtics’ 9th consecutive title.
• 1978 – Denver Nuggets’ David Thompson scores 73 points and San Antonio Spurs’ George Gervin scores 63 points in separate NBA games (33 in one quarter).
• 1982 – Los Angeles Lakers block 21 Denver Nuggets’ shots setting NBA regulation game record.

Football

• 1945 – NFL requires players to wear long stockings.
• 1997 – NFL announces it will give $3 million to Canadian Football League and possible “World Classic Bowl”.

Golf

• 1941 – PGA establishes Golf Hall of Fame.
• 1950 – 14th Golf Masters Championship: Jimmy Demaret wins, shooting a 283.
• 1962 – 26th Golf Masters Championship: Arnold Palmer wins, shooting a 280.
• 1962 – Arnold Palmer wins his third Masters golf tournament.
• 1967 – 31st Golf Masters Championship: Gay Brewer Junior wins, shooting a 280.
• 1972 – 36th Golf Masters Championship: Jack Nicklaus wins, shooting a 286.
• 1973 – 37th Golf Masters Championship: Tommy Aaron wins, shooting a 283.
• 1978 – 42nd Golf Masters Championship: Gary Player wins, shooting a 277.
• 1989 – 53rd Golf Masters Championship: Nick Faldo wins, shooting a 283.
• 1989 – Patti Rizzo wins LPGA Red Robin Kyocera Inamori Golf Classic.
• 1989 – Scott Hoch chokes on 18-inch putt and loses Masters golf tournament.
• 1992 – Record 18 golfers shoot in the 60s in Masters round one (old record 12).
• 1994 – BPAA US Open won by Justin Hromek.
• 1995 – 59th Golf Masters Championship: Ben Crenshaw wins, shooting a 274.

Hockey 

• 1931 – Chicago Blackhawks’ Cy Wentworth beats Montreal Canadians at 13:50 of the 6th period.
• 1932 – NHL Stanley Cup: Toronto Maple Leafs sweep New York Rangers in three games.
• 1935 – NHL Stanley Cup: Montréal Maroons sweep Toronto Maple Leafs in three games.
• 1946 – NHL Stanley Cup: Montreal Canadians beat Boston Bruins, 4 games to 1.
• 1968 – Minnesota North Stars’ Wayne Connelly is first to score on a Stanley Cup penalty shot.
• 1980 – Los Angeles Kings tie NHL record with two shorthanded playoff goals in a period versus New York Islanders.
• 1987 – For third time, Wayne Gretzky scores 7 goals in a Stanley Cup game.
• 1987 – Wayne Gretzky passes Jean Beliveau as all time playoff scoring champion.
• 1988 – New Jersey Devils 3-0 over New York Islanders-Devils lead 2-1 in first round.
• 1990 – New York Islanders beat New York Rangers 4-3 in double overtime-Rangers lead 2-1.

Soccer

• 1997 – Major League Soccer announces Miami and Chicago expansion.