This Day in Sports History: 4/4

by | Apr 4, 2026 | This Day in Sports History

NBA Playoff Schedule – 4/20

Raptors at Cavaliers – 6:00 (CLE leads 1-0)
Hawks at Knicks – 7:00 (NYK leads 1-0)
Timberwolves at Nuggets – 9:30 (DEN leads 1-0)

MLB Schedule – 4/20

Tigers at Red Sox – 10:10
Astros at Guardians – 5:10
Reds at Rays – 5:40
Cardinals at Marlins – 5:40
Braves at Nationals – 5:45
Orioles at Royals – 6:40
Dodgers at Rockies – 7:40
Blue Jays at Angels – 8:38
Athletics at Mariners – 8:40

NHL Schedule – 4/20

Flyers at Penguins – 6:00 (PHI leads 1-0)
Senators at Hurricanes – 6:30 (CAR leads 1-0)
Wild at Stars – 8:30 (MIN leads 1-0)
Ducks at Oilers – 9:00

1937 – Byron Nelson wins the Masters by two strokes over Ralph Guldahl.

1974 – Hank Aaron ties Babe Ruth’s career home run record by hitting his 714th homer in a game against Cincinnati.

1983 – Lorenzo Charles dunks in Derek Whittenburg’s desperation 3-point attempt to give North Carolina State a 54-52 over Houston to win the NCAA men’s basketball championship.

1986 – Wayne Gretzky breaks his record for points in a season by totaling 214.

1988 – Behind Danny Manning’s 31 points and 18 rebounds, Kansas defeats Oklahoma 83-79 to win the NCAA men’s basketball title.

1993 – Texas Tech’s Sheryl Swoopes sets the NCAA women’s basketball championship game record by scoring 47 points in a victory over Ohio State.

1994 – Arkansas wins its first NCAA men’s hoops title, beating Duke 76-72.

1994 – Cubs outfielder Tuffy Rhodes gets the season off to a great start by hitting three homers on opening day. He’s the first MLB player to hit home runs in each of his first three at-bats of a season. He would finish the season with eight home runs total.

2001 – Boston Red Sox pitcher Hideo Nomo becomes the fourth pitcher in MLB history to throw a no-hitter in both the AL and NL during his career as Nomo shuts down the Orioles.

2003 – Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa becomes the 18th player in MLB history to hit 500 career home runs.

2004 – The Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers finish a game tied at six. Due to a rule change in the off-season, it is the final tie game in NHL history.

2005 – North Carolina beats Illinois 75-70 to win the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

2011 – UCONN wins the NCAA men’s basketball national championship with a 53-41 win over Butler.

2016 – Villanova’s Kris Jenkins hits a three at the buzzer to give the Wildcats a 77-74 win over North Carolina in the NCAA men’s basketball national championship game.