ON THIS DATE
1905: The Red Sox and Athletics play 20 innings and pitchers Rube Waddell and Cy Young both go the distance. (That’s why they aren’t with us today.)
1912: George Mullin, born on this day in 1880, pitches a no-hitter for the Detroit Tigers.
1925: The Yankees and the Athletics play 15 innings and pitchers Herb Pennock and Lefty Grove both go the distance. (Rube Waddell and Cy Young scoffed, called them soft.)
1929: Al Davis is born in Brockton, Mass. (Independence Day; God has a sense of humor.)
1930: George Steinbrenner is born in Rocky River, Ohio. (For the second time in 365 days!) 1930: Helen Wills Moody wins her fourth straight singles title at Wimbledon.
1938: Suzanne Lenglen, winner of eight majors, including Wimbledon five times in a row, dies of anemia at 39.
1942: Hal Lanier, for you old Giants fans, turns 78 today.
1947: Morganna Roberts, the kissing bandit, turns 73 today. (There’s no kissing in baseball — especially not this season.)
1963: José Oquendo is born in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico. (Grows up to fight Will Clark.)
1975: Billie Jean King beats Evonne Goolagong, 6-0, 6-1 for her sixth and final singles title at Wimbledon. 1982: Jimmy Connors beats John McEnroe 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 in a Wimbledon final that lasts 4 hours, 16 minutes. (You cannot be serious!)
1983: Dave Righetti, San Jose native and the pride of Pioneer High School. pitches a 4-0 no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. (A Yankee Doodle Dandy!)
1984: Phil Niekro becomes the ninth pitcher with 3,000 strikeouts.
1985: The New York Mets beat the Braves 16-13 in 19 innings at Atlanta. The game went until just before 4 a.m. on July 5, and was followed by a fireworks display for the 10,000 still in attendance.
1987: Martina Navratilova wins her eighth Wimbledon singles title and sixth straight, beating Steffi Graf 7-5, 6-3.
1999: David Beckham and Victoria “Posh Spice” Adams get married — and they’re still together, so take that, haters!
1999: Pete Sampras overwhelms Andre Agassi in three sets to capture his sixth Wimbledon title and tie Roy Emerson’s record with his 12th Grand Slam championship.
2004: Meg Mallon wins the U.S. Open with a 6-under 65, the lowest final round by a champion in the 59-year history of the tournament.
2005: Hall of Fame football coach Hank Stram matriculates up to heaven at 82. 2009: Steve McNair is shot to death by his mistress in a murder-suicide.
2009: Serena Williams beats her big sister Venus 7-6 (3), 6-2 for her third Wimbledon title and 11th Grand Slam championship.