April 26
1905 — Jack McCarthy of the Cubs became the only outfielder in major league history to throw out three runners at the plate, each of whom became the second out of a double play. The victims were the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 2-1 loss.
1912 — 1st homerun hit at Fenway Park (Hugh Bradley, Red Sox).
1931 — Lou Gehrig hits a HR but is called out for passing a runner, mistake costs him AL home run crown; he & Babe Ruth tie for season.
1950 — The University of Miami ends the longest winning streak in collegiate tennis by defeating William & Mary 8-1. William & Mary, unbeaten in five years, had won 82 consecutive meets.
1952 — Patty Berg scores 64, best competitive round of golf by a woman.
1961 — Roger Maris hits 1st of 61 homers in 1961.
1964 — The Boston Celtics capture their sixth consecutive NBA title with a 105-99 victory over the San Francisco Warriors in Game 5 of the finals.
1966 — Red Auerbach retires as Boston Celtic’s coach.
1983 — NFL Draft: Stanford quarterback John Elway first pick by Baltimore Colts.
1992 — NFL Draft: University of Washington defensive end Steve Emtman from first pick by Indianapolis Colts.
1995 — The Colorado Rockies post an 11-9 victory over the New York Mets in 14 innings, tying the NL record for innings played in a season opener.
2002 — Odalis Perez of Los Angeles faces the minimum 27 batters in his first career shutout. Perez was perfect for six innings in a 10-0 win over the Cubs at Chicago’s Wrigley Field.
2003 — NFL Draft: USC quarterback Carson Palmer first pick by Cincinnati Bengals.
2008 — NFL Draft: University of Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long first pick by Miami Dolphins.
2009 — French swimmer Frederick Bousquet sets a world record in the 50-meter freestyle, becoming the first person to break the 21-second barrier. Bousquet breaks the record at the French championships finishing in 20.94 seconds.
2012 — Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck is selected first overall in the NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts, followed by Baylor QB Robert Griffin III, who is taken by the Washington Redskins.
2012 — The Charlotte Bobcats finish with the worst winning percentage in NBA history after a 104-84 loss to the New York Knicks. The Bobcats’ 23rd consecutive loss leaves them with a winning percentage of .106 (7-59) in the lockout-shortened season. The record was set 39 years ago, when the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers finished 9-73 (.110) in a full regular season.
2014 — Wladimir Klitschko toys with Alex Leapai and knocks him out in the fifth round to retain his four heavyweight belts in Oberhausen, Germany.
2015 — FC Bayern Munich wins the 2014–15 Bundesliga for a 25th time.
2018 — NFL Draft: Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield first pick by Cleveland Browns; 4 QBs taken in top 10 selections for first time in history.
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April 27
1929 — Ryder Cup Golf, Moortown GC: Great Britain beats U.S., 7-5.
1956 — Rocky Marciano retires as the undefeated heavyweight boxing champion. He finished with a 49-0 record, including six title defenses and 43 knockouts.
1960 — The Minneapolis Lakers announce they will relocate to Los Angeles.
1961 — NFL officially recognizes Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
1968 — Jimmy Ellis wins the heavyweight boxing title with a 15-round decision over Jerry Quarry in Oakland, Calif. This is the final bout of an eight-man elimination tournament to fill Muhammad Ali’s vacated title.
1982 — NFL Draft: University of Texas defensive end Kenneth Sims first pick by New England Patriots.
1983 — Walter Johnson’s record of 3,508 career strikeouts was eclipsed by Houston’s Nolan Ryan — a record that stood for 56 years. Ryan fanned Montreal pinch-hitter Brad Mills in the eighth inning as the Astros beat the Expos 4-2.
1994 — Scott Erickson, who allowed the most hits in the majors the previous season, pitches Minnesota’s first no-hitter in 27 years and the Twins beat Milwaukee 6-0.
1996 — Barry Bonds became the fourth major leaguer with 300 homers and 300 steals when he homered in the third inning of the San Francisco Giants’ 6-3 victory over the Florida Marlins. His father, Bobby Bonds, godfather Willie Mays, and Andre Dawson are the only other players to reach 300-300.
1994 — Dave Hannan scores 5:43 into the fourth overtime to keep the Buffalo Sabres going in the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils, the sixth-longest game in NHL history.
2002 — Derek Lowe pitches a no-hitter against Tampa Bay. Brent Abernathy is the only baserunner Lowe allows in Boston’s 10-0 victory.
2003 — Kevin Millwood pitches his first career no-hitter to lead the Philadelphia Phillies over the San Francisco Giants 1-0.
2007 — Kirk Radomski, a former New York Mets clubhouse employee, pleads guilty to distributing steroids to major league players for a decade and agrees to help baseball’s steroids investigators.
2008 — Ashley Force becomes the first woman to win a national Funny Car race. The 25-year-old beats her father, drag racing icon John Force, in the final round of the 28th annual Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals to deny him his 1,000th winning round in his 500th NHRA tour event.
2009 — The Denver Nuggets match the biggest victory in playoff history with their 121-63 rout of New Orleans in Game 4 of their first-round series. The Minneapolis Lakers had the other 58-point postseason victory, beating the St. Louis Hawks 133-75 in 1956.
2011 — Nathan Horton scores 5:43 into overtime to give the Boston Bruins a 4-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series. Boston had never won a playoff series after trailing 0-2 in 26 tries.
2011 — Dwayne Roloson makes 36 saves and Tampa Bay completes a big series comeback and eliminates Pittsburgh with a 1-0 win in Game 7. Roloson becomes the second goalie to go 6-0 in elimination games. He allowed only four goals in winning the final three games as the Lightning erased a 3-1 series deficit.
2013 — The Detroit Red Wings make the playoffs for the 22nd straight season after Henrik Zetterberg had two goals and an assist in a 3-0 victory over Dallas. The Red Wings own the longest active playoff streak in major professional sports, six years longer than the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs’ stretch of postseason play.
2014 — Three-time Olympic champion Kerri Walsh wins her record 47th FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour title, teaming with April Ross to beat Brazil’s Juliana Felisberta Silva and Maria Antonelli in the Fuzhou Open final.
2014 — Lydia Ko, three days after her 17th birthday, birdies the final hole for her third LPGA Tour victory and first as a professional, holding off Stacy Lewis and Jenny Shin in the inaugural Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic.
2017 — Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett is picked first overall by the Cleveland Browns in the NFL draft. Chicago sends a third-round pick, a fourth and a 2018 third to San Francisco to switch and selects quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, who started only 13 games for North Carolina. The 49ers take defensive end Solomon Thomas from just down the road at Stanford.
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April 28
1923 — Wembley Stadium opens – Bolton Wanderers vs West Ham United (FA Cup).
1931 — Program for woman athletes approved for 1932 Olympics track & field.
1956 — Cincinnati Reds outfielder Frank Robinson hits his 1st of 586 HRs.
1957 — LPGA Western Open Women’s Golf, Montgomery CC: Patty Berg wins her 6th WO by 1 stroke from Wiffi Smith.
1961 — Milwaukee Braves’ future HOF pitcher Warren Spahn throws his second career no hitter at 41.
1966 — Boston edges the Los Angeles Lakers 95-93 in Game 7, giving the Celtics and coach Red Auerbach eight straight NBA titles. Auerbach, who announced his retirement earlier, is replaced by center Bill Russell, the first black head coach of a major U.S. sports team.
1967 — Muhammad Ali refuses induction into the U.S. Armed Forces. He is arrested and the New York State Athletic Commission suspends his boxing license and strips him of his heavyweight title.
1972 — Courts award 1968 Kentucky Derby prize money to 2nd place winner due to the winner being given drugs before the race.
1987 — The NBA awards expansion franchises to Charlotte, N.C. and Miami for 1988, and Minneapolis and Orlando, Fla., in 1989.
1987 — NFL Draft: University of Miami quarterback Vinny Testaverde first pick by Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
1990 — Boston set single-game NBA playoff records for scoring and shooting accuracy in a 157-128 rout of the New York Knicks to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round series.
1992 — Video replay is used to decide a playoff game for the first time. In game six of the Detroit-Minnesota division semifinal, Sergei Fedorov of the Red Wings appears to hit the crossbar behind Minnesota goalie Jon Casey during overtime. The Stars ice the puck immediately, but referee Rob Shick calls for a video review. The replay shows the puck enters the goal just below the crossbar and caroms off the frame at the back of the net. Fedorov is awarded the goal to give the Red Wings a series-tying 1-0 victory.
1995 — Michael Jordan, in his first playoff game since his return from retirement, scored 48 points as the Chicago Bulls beat the Charlotte Hornets 108-100.
1995 — The Orlando Magic give the Boston Celtics their worst defeat in team history, 124-77, in a playoff opener.
2001 — Colorado’s Patrick Roy sets an NHL record with his 16th career playoff shutout, making 20 saves in a 2-0 win over Los Angeles.
2003 — Andre Agassi recaptures the world no. 1 ranking to become the oldest top-ranked male in the history of the ATP rankings (33 years, 13 days).
2007 — NFL Draft: LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell first pick by Oakland Raiders.
2009 — Washington edges the New York Rangers 2-1 in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference series to cap a comeback from a 3-games-to-1 deficit. It is the franchise’s first series victory since the 1997-98 season, when Washington made it all the way to the Stanley Cup finals.
2010 — Montreal beats Washington 2-1 to complete a come-from-behind 4-3 series victory and eliminate the NHL’s best regular-season in the first round of the playoffs. The Canadiens are the ninth No. 8-seeded team to knock off a No. 1 in 32 matchups since the NHL went to its current playoff format in 1994 — and the first to come back from a 3-1 series deficit.
2011 — Canada’s Patrick Chan wins his first world figure skating title in record fashion. Chan sets world records for the free skate and total points to claim titles at the world figure skating championships in Moscow.
2011 — NFL Draft: Auburn quarterback Cam Newton first pick by Carolina Panthers.
2016 — The Los Angeles Rams select California quarterback Jared Goff with the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, and the No. 2 selection for the Philadelphia Eagles is North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz. It’s the second straight year that two QBs went 1-2 and the seventh time in the modern era of the draft since 1967.
2018 — Shaquem Griffin is the first one-handed person to be drafted into the NFL, for the Seattle Seahawks.
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April 29
1901 — His Eminence, ridden by Jimmy Winkfield, wins the Kentucky Derby by 1 1/2 lengths over Sannazarro in the only Derby ever raced in April.
1961 — ABC’s “Wide World of Sports,” debuts.
1963 — LPGA Titleholders Championship Women’s Golf, Augusta CC: Marilynn Smith beats Mickey Wright by 1 shot in 18-hole playoff.
1970 — Los Angeles Lakers guard Jerry West hits a 60-foot desperation shot at the buzzer to tie Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks. The Knicks outscore the Lakers 9-6 in the overtime for a 111-108 win.
1980 — NFL Draft: Oklahoma running back Billy Sims first pick by Detroit Lions.
1981 — MLB Philadelphia Phillies Steve Carlton is 1st lefty to strike out 3,000 batters.
1981 — NFL Draft: South Carolina running back George Rogers first pick by New Orleans Saints.
1985 — Tony Tubbs captures the WBA heavyweight title with a unanimous 15-round decision over Greg Page in Buffalo, N.Y.
1985 — New York Yankees fire manager Yogi Berra 16 games into season, despite assurance from owner George Steinbrenner that he would be kept for the whole season. Billy Martin named as replacement.
1986 — Roger Clemens set a major league record by striking out 20 batters as the Boston Red Sox defeated the Seattle Mariners 3-1.
1986 — NFL Draft: Auburn running back Bo Jackson first pick by Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
1988 — The Baltimore Orioles end their 21-game losing streak by winning their first game of the season, 9-0 over the Chicago White Sox.
1990 — Pat Riley becomes the winningest coach in NBA playoff history as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Houston Rockets 104-100. Riley’s 100th victory put him ahead of Red Auerbach.
1998 — For the first time in the 124-year history of the Kentucky Derby, a redraw is ordered during the post-position draw. Churchill Downs officials allowed ESPN to control the announcing of the draw. Commentator Chris Lincoln called the No. 15 pill twice while picking the draft order for post positions.
2000 — Lennox Lewis knocks down Michael Grant three times in the first round and knocks him out at 2:53 of the second at Madison Square Garden in New York to retain his WBC and IBF heavyweight titles. The combined weight of 497 pounds made it the heaviest title fight ever.
2003 — Indiana outscores Boston 5-0 in overtime for a 93-88 victory, cutting the Celtics’ first-round series lead to 3-2. It’s the first overtime shutout in NBA playoff history.
2006 — NFL Draft: North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams first pick from Houston Texans.
2007 — Phoenix guard Steve Nash has 23 assists, one shy of the NBA playoff record, to help Phoenix to a 113-100 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
2010 — The NCAA’s Board of Directors approve a 68-team format for the men’s basketball tournament beginning next season. It’s the first expansion since 2001 when the tourney went from 64 to 65 teams.
2013 — NBA veteran center Jason Collins becomes the first male professional athlete in the major four American sports leagues to come out as gay. Collins writes a first-person account posted on Sports Illustrated’s website. The 34-year-old free agent played for six NBA teams in 12 seasons.
2014 — Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling is banned for life by the NBA in response to racist comments he made in an audio recording. The Clippers’ owner is also fined $2.5 million, the maximum amount allowed under the NBA Constitution.
2018 — Spanish tennis great Rafael Nadal equals his Open-era record for most wins at the same event (11 Monte Carlo) with his 11th Barcelona ATP title.
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