Today’s highlights in sports history:
In 1958, Pelé’s Brazil became the first team outside of the continent to win the World Cup, beating Sweden 5-2 in Stockholm. After scoring a hat-trick in Brazil’s 5-2 semi-final win over France, the 17-year-old Pelé also scored two goals in the final. Pelé’s first, and unforgettable, goal came in the 55th minute with Brazil leading 3-1. Pelé controlled the ball with his thigh in the penalty area, flicked it over the defender’s head and slipped it past a helpless Kalle Svensson. Pelé headed the ball in added time to seal the victory.
On this date:
1906 – Alex Smith beats his brother Willie in the U.S. Open, shooting a new record of 295. Alex shoots 295 at the Onwentia Club in Illinois.
1933 – Primo Carnera knocks out Jack Sharkey in the sixth round at the Long Island City Bowl to win the world heavyweight title.
1947 – Betty Jameson wins the U.S. Women’s Open, defeating amateurs Sally Sessions and Laurie Riley by six strokes.
1952 – Louise Suggs wins the U.S. Women’s Open, defeating Betty Jameson and Marlene Bauer by seven strokes.
1956 – Charles Dumas becomes the first high jumper to break seven feet, jumping 7 feet 5-8 inches at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Los Angeles.
1957 – Jackie Pang loses the U.S. Women’s Open after submitting an incorrect scorecard. Betsy Rawls is declared the winner.
1969 – Donna Caponi wins the U.S. Women’s Open by one stroke over Peggy Wilson.
1984 – Montreal Expos infielder Pete Rose plays in his MLB-record 3,309th game, surpassing the record held by Boston Red Sox player Carl Yastrzemski.
1986 – Argentina survived a comeback by West Germany to win the World Cup, 3-2, at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Jorge Valdano’s goal 10 minutes into the second half gave Argentina a 2-0 lead. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Rudi Völler scored seven minutes apart to tie the game in the 81st minute. Four minutes later, Jorge Burruchaga scored the winner after a superb pass from Diego Maradona.
1990 – Oakland Athletics pitcher Dave Stewart threw his second no-hitter on this day, beating the Toronto Blue Jays 5-0. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela repeated Stewart’s record with a 6-0 no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals. This was the first time in major league history that two no-hitters were thrown by both leagues on the same day.
1991 – Britain’s Nick Brown caused a major upset at Wimbledon, beating 10th seed Goran Ivanisevic 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 in the second round. Brown, ranked 591st, the lowest in men’s singles, caused the biggest upset based on comparative rankings since 1973, when the ATP began compiling world rankings.
1994 – Martina Navratilova sets a new Wimbledon record with 266 career matches. She and Manon Boregraf defeat Ingerisa Drievs and Maja Mulic 6-4, 6-2 in the doubles quarterfinals, breaking Billie Jean King’s record of 265 matches.
1994 — NBA Draft: Purdue small forward Glenn Robinson is selected first overall by the Milwaukee Bucks.
1995 – George Foreman loses his IBF boxing title after refusing to fight Axel Schultz in a rematch.
2001 – Russian swimmer Roman Surdunov becomes the first man to swim the 100 meters breaststroke in under one minute at the Russian National Championships in Moscow, breaking his second world record in two days. Surdunov finished in 00:59.97.
2004 – Arizona Diamondbacks’ Randy Johnson became the fourth pitcher to record 4,000 strikeouts when he struck out Jeff Cirillo in the eighth inning of a 3–2 win over the San Diego Padres.
2007 – After 16 years in Europe, the NFL closes its development leagues.
2008 — Two weeks shy of her 20th birthday, Inbee Park finishes with a final round of 2-under 71 to become the youngest winner of the U.S. Women’s Open. She wins by four strokes over Helen Alfredson, who shot 75, for the biggest U.S. Women’s Open victory since Carrie Webb won by eight strokes at Pine Needles in 2001.
2008 — UEFA European Championship Final, Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna, Austria: Fernando Torres scores as Spain beats Germany 1-0.
2009 – Indoor tennis at Wimbledon. Centre Court’s new retractable roof is closed after rain halts play during a fourth-round match with Amelie Mauresmo leading top-ranked Dinara Safina 6-4, 1-4.
2012 – The United States Anti-Doping Agency formally charges seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong with using performance-enhancing drugs throughout the height of his career.
2014 – Bernard Langer beats Jeff Sluman with a birdie on the second hole of a playoff to win the Senior Players Championship at Fox Chapel Golf Club.
