1919 – Cleveland pitcher Ray Caldwell is knocked unconscious after being struck by lightning in the ninth inning in a game against the Athletics. Caldwell refuses to leave the game after awakening and records the final out. 1940 – “The Splendid Splinter” Ted Williams...
1923 – Paavo Nurmi of Finland sets the 1 mile world record at 4:10.4, it stands for 8 years. 1933 – Boxing is televised for the first time, as an exhibition bout between Archie Sexton and Laurie Raiteri is aired from the Broadcasting House in London. 1936 – Future...
1917 – Pirates outfielder Carson Bigbee sets an MLB record with 11 at-bats in a 22-inning game. 1950 – Althea Gibson becomes the first African-American player in a US national tennis competition. 1959 – The AFL officially forms. 1965 – Giants pitcher Juan Marichal...
1901 – Orioles pitcher Joe McGinnity is suspended for punching and spitting on an umpire. The suspension, initially a lifetime ban, is eventually reduced to 12 days. 1926 – White Sox pitcher Ted Lyons throws a no-hitter against the Red Sox. 1931 – Babe Ruth becomes...
1915 – The White Sox acquire “Shoeless” Joe Jackson from Cleveland in exchange for three players and $31,500. 1920 – The American Professional Football Association is formed with Jim Thorpe as president. The league would later become the NFL. 1922 – The first track...
1903 – The Philadelphia Phillies have their 9th straight game postponed, a record. 1909 – The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indy 500, opens as 12,000 spectators watch a five mile race with an average speed of 57.4 miles per hour. The track had a surface of...
1931 – Lou Gehrig plays in his 1,000th consecutive game. 1964 – South Africa is banned from the Olympic Games due to apartheid policies. 1965 – Hank Aaron hits a home run, but it is disallowed due to the fact that he was out of the batter’s box. 1965 – Brooks Robinson...
1920 – Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians dies after being hit in the head by a pitch thrown by Carl Mays of the Yankees a day earlier. He’s the only MLB player ever to be killed by a pitched ball. 1933 – Lou Gehrig sets an MLB record by playing in his 1,308th...
