THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY: 9/29

1880 – The first baseball game at the historic Polo Grounds in New York takes places as the New York Metropolitans defeat the Washington Nationals 4-2.

1941 – Joe Louis knocks out Lou Nova in the sixth round in their bout at the Polo Grounds in New York to retain the heavyweight championship.

1945 – The Cubs clinch the NL pennant with a record of 98-56.

1946 – After moving from Cleveland, the Rams play their first official game in Los Angeles.

1954 – Willie Mays makes his famous over the shoulder catch in the World Series, robbing Cleveland’s Vic Wertz of multiple RBIs on a ball hit 460 feet.

1963 – Stan Musial Day is held in St. Louis as the Cardinals great plays in his final career game.

1976 – Tommy Lasorda is hired as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

1984 – Western Michigan kicker Mike Prindle sets an NCAA record by kicking seven field goals in a win over Marshall.

1985 – The Dallas Cowboys tie an NFL record by recording 12 sacks in a game as they consistently get to Oilers QB Warren Moon as part of a 17-10 win.

1986 – For the first time in MLB history, brothers face each other as pitchers while both are rookies as Chicago’s Greg Maddux duels his brother Mike of the Phillies.

1995 – The NHL and NHL Players Association reach an agreement that allows the players to participate in the 1998 Winter Olympics.

1996 – The Houston Astros retire Nolan Ryan’s #34.

1996 – Baltimore Orioles outfielder Brady Anderson becomes the 14^th player in MLB history to hit 50 homers in a season.

2002 – The University of Nebraska football team falls out of the AP Top 25 Poll for the first time in 348 consecutive weeks. The last time the Cornhuskers were unranked was October 5, 1981.

2002 – Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander sets an NFL record for touchdowns in a half by finding the end zone five times in a game against the Vikings.

2005 – The White Sox clinch their first division title since 2000 and also become the 10^th team in MLB history to be in first place on every day of the season.