This Day in Sports History: October 2
For sports fans, October is a month of excitement, marked by the MLB postseason, the start of the NBA and NHL seasons, some major college football games, the Xfinity 500…
For sports fans, October is a month of excitement, marked by the MLB postseason, the start of the NBA and NHL seasons, some major college football games, the Xfinity 500 NASCAR Cup Series race, track events, the UEFA Champions League, and Formula 1 racing. Over the years, Oct. 2 has witnessed numerous unforgettable sports moments and legendary stories. Here's a closer look at some of them.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Momentous events in sports history on Oct. 2 include:
- 1876: Bob Martin won the men's British Open golf tournament.
- 1904: Pitcher Doc White's streak of 45 straight scoreless innings came to an end.
- 1906: Tommy Burns knocked out Jim Flynn in 15 rounds to retain his Canadian world heavyweight boxing title.
- 1908: Addie Joss pitched a perfect game against the White Sox.
- 1914: Boston Red Sox rookie Babe Ruth recorded his first major league hit (a double) and earned a pitching win over the Yankees.
- 1916: Grover Cleveland Alexander recorded his 16th shutout of the season.
- 1926: Bert Gibb kicked nine singles as the Hamilton Tigers beat the Montreal AAA Winged Wheels.
- 1932: The Yankees won their 12th straight World Series game and swept the Fall Classic for the third time.
- 1932: The Washington Commanders franchise played its first NFL game (as the Boston Braves), losing 14-0 to the Brooklyn Dodgers.
- 1938: Bob Feller struck out 18 Detroit Tigers, but his Indians still lost the game 4-1.
- 1947: Yogi Berra hit the first pinch-hit home run in World Series history.
- 1950: Bob Shaw set an NFL record with five touchdown receptions.
- 1957: The Yankees appeared in the World Series for the 25th time.
- 1960: Mickey Wright became the first player in LPGA Tour history to average fewer than 74 strokes per round.
- 1963: Sandy Koufax struck out 15 Yankees in the first game of the World Series.
- 1964: Phillies get their third triple play of the season, tying the MLB record.
- 1968: St. Louis Cardinals ace Bob Gibson struck out a World Series-record 17 batters in Game 1 against the Detroit Tigers.
- 1974: Hank Aaron hit his final home run as a member of the Atlanta Braves.
- 1977: Driver Niki Lauda clinched his second Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship.
- 1978: New York Yankees shortstop Bucky Dent hit his legendary three-run home run at Fenway Park to defeat the Boston Red Sox in a high-stakes, one-game regular-season playoff.
- 1980: Muhammad Ali came out of a two-year retirement to take on the undefeated Larry Holmes. Ali took heavy punishment before his corner stopped the fight after the 10th round.
- 1983: Art Monk began his NFL streak of 183 straight games with a reception.
- 1988: Lennox Lewis won the super-heavyweight gold medal at the Seoul Olympics.
- 1991: Steffi Graf became the youngest woman to win 500 professional tennis matches.
- 1999: Ray Bourque scored his 386th career goal, becoming the highest goal-scoring defenseman in NHL history.
- 2004: Jeff Kent became the all-time leader in home runs as a second baseman.
- 2016: The United States regained the Ryder Cup.
- 2016: Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully signed off for the final time, ending his historic 67-year career voicing the Dodgers.
Three athletes who truly stood out on Oct. 2 were Steffi Graf, Ray Bourque, and Jeff Kent.
Graf holds the record for the most weeks ranked as world No. 1 and is the only player to have won each Grand Slam singles title at least four times. Bourque holds the NHL record for most career points by a defenseman, winning five Norris Trophies as the league's top defenseman, and finally fulfilling his career-long dream of winning the Stanley Cup in 2001 with the Colorado Avalanche. Kent was a four-time Silver Slugger Award winner with a distinguished 17-year career.
