This Day in Sports History: April 20
Sports in April include playoffs for the NBA and NHL seasons, the first month of the MLB, The Masters, the NCAA Basketball title game, the NFL Draft, and some Grand…
Sports in April include playoffs for the NBA and NHL seasons, the first month of the MLB, The Masters, the NCAA Basketball title game, the NFL Draft, and some Grand Prix events. Over the years, April 20 has witnessed many notable moments and stories involving sporting legends. Here are some of them.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Great moments in sports history from April 20 included:
- 1903: In the seventh Boston Marathon, Irishman John Lorden won the race with a time of 2:41:29.8.
- 1910: Pitcher Addie Joss threw his second career no-hitter.
- 1912: Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, officially opened. The Red Sox beat the visiting New York Highlanders, 7-6 in 11 innings.
- 1916: The Chicago Cubs played their first game at Weeghman Park (now Wrigley Field) and beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-6.
- 1925: In the 29th Boston Marathon, Charles Mellor won the race with a time of 2:33.00.6
- 1939: Ted Williams' first MLB hit comes off of New York Yankees fellow future Hall of Famer Red Ruffing.
- 1949: American jockey Bill Shoemaker won his first race in Albany, California.
- 1958: The Montreal Canadiens beat the Boston Bruins 5-3 and got a 4-2 series win. Montreal 3-peated as Stanley Cup champions.
- 1967: New York Mets pitcher Tom Seaver won his first game, as the Mets beat the Cubs 6-1.
- 1982: The Atlanta Braves became the first team to win the first 12 games of the season.
- 1985: Carlos Lopes ran a world record marathon time of 2:07:12.
- 1986: The Chicago Bulls Michael Jordan set an NBA playoff record with 63 points in a game.
- 1988: The Baltimore Orioles set the worst record to start a season by going 0-14. They eventually started 0-21.
- 1990: Pitcher Brian Holman of the Oakland A's almost pitched a perfect game. He went 8 2/3 innings and then gave up a home run to Ken Phelps.
- 1992: In the 96th Boston Marathon, Ibrahim Hussein of Kenya was declared as the champion of the race again. It was his third title.
- 1996: The Chicago Bulls won a record 72 games in a season.
- 1997: Golfer Hale Irwin won the second of three straight Senior PGA Championships.
- 2002: At the NFL Draft, Fresno State quarterback David Carr was picked first by the Houston Texans.
- 2008: Danica Patrick, driving for Andretti Green Racing, won the Indy Japan 300.
- 2018: Arsène Wenger announced he would leave the London EPL club Arsenal after 22 years as manager.
- 2021: All six EPL clubs withdrew from the controversial European Super League just three days after it was announced.
Three athletes who stood out on April 20 were Tom Seaver, Ibrahim Hussein, and Hale Irwin.
Seaver won three Cy Young Awards, three ERA titles, and led the "Miracle Mets" to the 1969 World Series, finishing his career with 311 wins and 3,640 strikeouts. Hussein broke barriers for Kenyan dominance in marathon running and set a record in the 1988 Boston Marathon race. Irwin is known for his precision on difficult courses and became the oldest U.S. Open champion at age 45.
