TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

1870 All-pro Cincinnati Red Stockings suffer first loss in 130 games. 1876 Philadelphia Athletics’ George Hall becomes first major league baseball player to hit for the cycle. 1934 Max Baer knocks out Primo Carnera in 11 rounds for heavyweight boxing championship in Long Island City. 1953 New York Yankees sweep Cleveland Indians 6-2, 3-0 before 74,708; win streak at 18 straight. 1965 Cincinnati Reds’ pitcher Jim Maloney no-hits New York Mets but loses in 11, 1-0. 1987 Los Angeles Lakers win NBA title with a 106-93, victory over the Boston Celtics. 1989 Nolan Ryan becomes second pitcher to defeat all 26 teams. 1989 Detroit Pistons sweep Los Angeles Lakers for NBA title, Kareem Abdul Jabber’s final NBA game. 1990 Detroit Pistons beat Portland Trail Blazers, four games to one for NBA championship. 1991 Leroy Burrell of U.S.A. sets the 100 m record (9.90) in New York City. 1992 The Chicago Bulls win their second NBA championship by defeating the Portland Trail Blazers in the best-ofseven series four games to two. 1994 The New York Rangers defeat the Vancouver Canucks at Madison Square Garden in New York in Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals to win their first Stanley Cup Championship in 54 years. 1996 Cal Ripken sets a new consecutive games world record by playing in his 2,216th consecutive baseball game. 1998 The Chicago Bulls win their sixth NBA title in eight years when they beat the Utah Jazz, 87-86 in Game Six. This is also Michael Jordan’s last game as a Chicago Bulls player. 2005 Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners becomes the third fastest major league player to reach the 1000-hit mark, in his 696th game. Suzuki also holds the record in Japan for being quickest player to attain 1,000 hits, in his first 757 games. 2007 The San Antonio Spurs sweep the Cleveland Cavaliers to win the 2007 NBA Finals. 2009 The Los Angeles Lakers defeat the Orlando Magic 99-86 to win their 15th NBA championship in five games. Lakers coach Phil Jackson wins his record 10th title. 2009 Three-time heavyweight boxing champion Lennox Lewis is inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Lewis retired in 2003 with a record of 41-2-1, including 32 knockouts.

Kareem Abdul Jabbar and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals 30 years ago today. Two years to the day later, the Lakers lost to the Detroit Pistons in the finals as Jabbar played his final game.