THIS WEEKEND IN SPORTS HISTORY
Saturday 1887 - The first game of softball is played in Chicago. 1890 - News writer George Whitney Calhoun names the Green Bay team the Packers. 1924 - St. Louis Cardinals’ Jim Bottomley records 12 RBIs in one game. 1927 - Rene Lacoste beats Bill Tilden for U.S. Lawn Tennis Association title. 1930 - Philadelphia Phillies, trailing 10-5, score 5 in 9th inning, then Pittsburgh Pirates score four in top of 10th, so Philadelphia Phillies score 5 in bottom of 10th to win 15-14. 1939 - New York Yankees clinch pennant No. 11. 1950 - Cleveland Rams (formerly AAFC) play first NFL game, beat Philadelphia Eagles 35-10. 1951 - Betsy Rawls wins the U.S. Women’s Open Golf title. 1953 - American League approves St. Louis Browns’ move to become the Baltimore Orioles. 1955 - The New York Yankees’ Hank Bauer and Yogi Berra homer in the 9th inning, beating Boston Red Sox 5-4 to take over first place in the league. 1955 - U.S. Auto Club forms to oversee four major auto racing categories. 1960 - Amos Alonzo Stagg retires as a football coach at age 98. 1960 - Milwaukee Braves’ player Warren Spahn no-hits Philadelphia Phillies, 4-0. 1973 - Buffalo Bills’ OJ Simpson rushes 250 yards (two touchdowns), beating New England Patriots 31-13. 1975 - Pittsburgh Pirates beat Chicago Cubs 22-0, Rennie Stennett is third to go 7 for 7. 1978 - New York Yankees beat Boston Red Sox for 6th time in two weeks, 3-2. 1988 - Tom Browning of the Cincinnati Reds pitches a perfect game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, in his 1-0 victory. Over three starts he retires 40 consecutive batters — one shy of a major league record. Sunday 1920 - The American Pro Football Association is organized in Canton, Ohio, USA. 1937 - First NFL game in Washington, DC; Washington Redskins beat New York Giants, 13-3. 1954 - Heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano knocks out Ezzard Charles in eight rounds. 1956 - New York Yankees clinch pennant No. 22 on Mickey Mantle’s 50th homer of the year. 1961 - Minnesota Vikings’ first NFL game (beat Chicago Bears 37-13). 1964 - Mickey Mantle gets hits No. 1,999, 2,000 and 2,001. 1967 - New Orleans Saints’ first NFL game, they lose to Los Angeles Rams, 27-13. 1968 - Gaylord Perry (San Francisco Giants) no-hits Saint Louis Cardinals, 1-0. 1974 - Courageous (US) beats Southern Cross (Australia) in 23rd America’s Cup. 1984 - On the 17th anniversary of his first major league home-run, Reggie Jackson hits his 500th career home run. 1984 - New York Mets’ Dwight Gooden becomes second to strikeout 32 over two consecutive games. 1986 - Marina Stepanova of USSR sets the 400m hurdle woman’s record (52.94). 1988 - Jeff Reardon becomes first to record 40 or more saves in both American League and National League. 1988 - The Games of the XXIV Olympiad open in Seoul, South Korea. 2004 - The 2004 Summer Paralympics begins in Athens, Greece. 2004 - Barry Bonds hits his 700th career home run, third player in major league baseball to reach the milestone.