ON THIS DATE
1925: Lou Gehrig replaces Wally Pipp at first base to start his streak of 2,130 consecutive games.
1933: Alan Ameche, the only Heisman Trophy winner from the University of Wisconsin other than Ron Dayne, is born in Kenosha, Wis.
1946: Assault becomes the seventh horse to capture the Triple Crown.
1965: Curly Lambeau, founder and first coach of the Green Bay Packers, dies of a heart attack at 67.
1970: Happy 50th to Alexi Lalas, U.S. soccer icon born in Birmingham, Mich.
1975: Nolan Ryan of the California Angels pitches his fourth no-hitter to tie Sandy Koufax’s record, beating the Baltimore Orioles 1-0.
1979: Seattle gets its first major pro sports championship when the Supersonics beat the Washington Bullets for the NBA title.
1986: Pat Bradley wins the LPGA Championship and becomes the first to win all four major women’s tournaments.
1987: Phil Niekro of the Cleveland Indians wins his 314th game, giving him and his brother, Joe, a major league-record 530 combined victories, surpassing Gaylord and Jim Perry.
1992: The Pittsburgh Penguins win the Stanley Cup for the second straight year, sweeping the Chicago Blackhawks.
2004: Detroit and Indiana combine for just 60 first-half points in the Pistons’ 6965 victory, breaking the NBA playoff record of 62, set by the Pistons and Nets in the previous round. (Common denominator: Pistons.)
2005: George Mikan, the first great big man in the NBA, dies of diabetes complications at 80.
2010: French Open upset specialist Robin Soderling strikes again, ending Roger Federer’s streak of reaching the semifinals in 23 consecutive majors. A year earlier on May 31, the Swede had ended Rafael Nadal’s 31-match winning streak at Roland Garros.
2011: Cincinnati’s Francisco Cordero becomes the 22nd pitcher with 300 saves.
2012: Johan Santana pitched the first nohitter in New York Mets history.
2017: Roberto De Vicenzo, the Argentine golfer who lost the 1968 Masters when he signed an incorrect scorecard, dies at 94.