Today’s highlights in sports history:
In 1961, Chicago Cubs’ Ernie Banks ended his streak of 717 consecutive games played.
On this date:
1917 – The greatest relief pitcher in baseball history, Ernie Shore of the Boston Red Sox struck out 26 batters in a 4-0 win over Washington. Shore replaced Babe Ruth with a runner on first and no outs after he was called for stealing base.
1917 – Mora Burstedt beat Marion Vanderhoff 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 to win her third consecutive U.S. Lawn Tennis Association women’s title.
1922 – Walter Hagen becomes the first American-born player to win the British Open. At Royal St. George Golf Club, Hagen shoots .300 and beat Jim Barnes and George Duncan by one stroke.
1939 – Former football standout Bronko Nagurski defeats Lou Thesz at the Houston Coliseum to win the National Wrestling Association world heavyweight title. Thesz was widely considered the greatest wrestler of all time. Houston Mayor Holcomb reportedly presented Bronco with a diamond-studded belt worth $10,000.
1963 – Julius Boros wins a three-man playoff to win the U.S. Open, beating Jackie Cupit by three strokes and Arnold Palmer by six strokes.
1969 – Joe Frazier wins the heavyweight boxing title with an eighth-round TKO of Jerry Qualley.
1972 – President Nixon signs the Higher Education Act of 1972. Title IX of this congressional act prohibits sex bias in athletics and other activities at universities that receive federal aid.
1974 – Sandra Haney wins the LPGA Championship, beating Joan Kerner by two strokes.
1980 – West Germany wins the European football title (2-1 against Belgium).
1985 – Lafitte Pincay Jr., riding Grainton, wins the Hollywood Gold Cup by 1 3/4 lengths over Precisionist, tying Willie Shoemaker as the only jockeys in history to earn over $100 million in prize money.
1988 – The NBA Expansion Draft begins with the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat.
1991 – Mazda overtakes Mercedes in the final three hours to become the first Japanese car to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Belgian Bertrand Gachot, British Johnny Herbert and German Volker Weidler all won the race for rotary-engined Mazdas.
1996 – Michael Johnson breaks the 200 metres world record in a time of 19.66 seconds at the USA Track and Field Championships in Atlanta. The previous record was 19.72 seconds, set by Italy’s Pietro Menea in 1979 in Mexico City.
1999 – The Hockey Hall of Fame announces that Wayne Gretzky will be inducted into the Class of 1999, waiving the usual three-year waiting period.
2001 – Ilya Kovalchuk is selected by the Atlanta Thrashers, becoming the first Russian-born player to be selected first overall in the NHL Draft.
2003 – Barry Bonds steals second base in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, becoming the first player in MLB history to hit 500 home runs and steal 500 bases.
2005 – Tim Duncan comes through in a big second half, is named Finals MVP, Manu Ginobili turns in another breakthrough performance, and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Detroit Pistons 81-74 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
2008 – Félix Hernández of the Seattle Mariners hits a grand slam home run against the New York Mets, becoming the first player to do so since Steve Dunning in 1971.
2011 — NBA Draft: Duke point guard Kyrie Irving is selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
2013 – Courtney Force scores Funny Car victory against her father at the AutoPlus NHRA New England Nationals. In their first final-round matchup, Courtney Force earned her second win of the year and third of her career. She went 4-2 against her father, 15-time Funny Car World Champion John Force.
2015 – The NHL Board of Governors approves proposed 3-on-3 overtime changes.
2016 – LSU point guard Ben Simmons is selected first overall in the NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.
2017 — NHL Draft: Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) centre Nico Hischier is selected first overall by the New Jersey Devils.
