ON THIS DATE

1945: Byron Nelson wins his 11th consecutive PGA Tour event. (Byron Nelson, classic.)

1945: Tom McBride leads the Red Sox to a 15-4 victory with six RBI — in one inning! (He batted twice in the fourth inning, both times with the bases loaded, and hit a double and a triple.)

1949: John Riggins, born on Mars, turns 71 today. Loosen up, Johnny baby.

1956: Gerry Cooney is born in Manhattan, New York, and grows up to be a fighter nicknamed the Great White Hope/Hype/Dope.

1962: Roger Clemens, born in Dayton, Ohio, turns 58 today and might still be pitching if the “Fountain of Youth” hadn’t been shut down.

1963: Mickey Mantle, batting for the first time in two months after breaking his left foot, delivers a pinch-hit homer.

1967: Final score from the NFL/College All-Star Game at Soldier Field in Chicago: Green Bay 27, All-Stars 0. (I saw this one on a 16-inch black-and-white TV.)

1980: Maury Wills becomes the third Black manager in MLB history, joining Frank Robinson and Larry Doby.

1982: Joel Youngblood singles in the winning run for the Mets, then is traded to Philadelphia, where he plays that night and becomes the first player in MLB history to get a hit for two teams in two cities in the same day.

1984: Carl Lewis wins the 100-meter dash in 9.99 seconds at the Los Angeles Summer Games.

1985: Tom Seaver wins his 300th game and Rod Carew gets his 3,000th hit. (No, different games.)

1989: Dave Stieb of the Toronto Blue Jays (and San Jose City College), comes within one out of a perfect game, the third time in 11 months he lost a no-hitter with two outs in the ninth inning.

1996: The Atlanta Olympic Games end, and the first name that comes to mind is...? (Richard Jewell here.)

2006: Chase Utley’s hitting streak ends at 35 games, matching the 10th longest in MLB history and the fourth-longest in National League history.

2007: Barry Bonds hits his 755th home run, pulling even with Hank Aaron, the Home Run King.

2012: Serena Williams joins Steffi Graf as the only women to complete the Golden Slam — winning the Olympics and the four majors.

2012: Michael Phelps wins another gold in his Olympic swan song, ending his career with a record 18 golds and 22 medals overall.