May 17
1875 — Aristides wins the first Kentucky Derby by one-quarter length over Volcano. The day marks the opening of Churchill Downs with an estimated 10,000 spectators witnessing the first Derby. Aristides is ridden and trained by African Americans Oliver Lewis and Ansel Williamson, respectively.
1915 — Rhine Maiden wins the Preakness Stakes, to produce the only Kentucky Derby-Preakness wins by fillies in the same year. The 1915 Derby was won by Regret, who did not compete in the Preakness.
1925 — Tris Speaker of the Cleveland Indians collects his 3,000th career hit off Tom Zachry in a 2-1 loss to the Washington Senators.
1930 — Gallant Fox wins the Kentucky Derby by two lengths over Gallant Knight to give Earl Sande his third Derby win.
1959 — Sam Snead sets PGA record for 36 holes at 122.
1969 — Baltimore, Cleveland & Pittsburgh agree to go from NFC to AFC in NFL.
1970 — Hank Aaron gets an infield single off Cincinnati’s Wayne Simpson for his 3,000th hit.
1974 — 18th European Cup: Bayern Munich beats Atletico Madrid 4-0 at Brussels.
1975 — 23-1 long shot Master Derby, ridden by Darrel McHargue, beats favored Foolish Pleasure by a length in the Preakness Stakes.
1979 — Dave Kingman of the Cubs hits three home runs and Mike Schmidt of the Phillies hits two, as Philadelphia beats Chicago 23-22 in 10 innings at Wrigley Field. The game includes 11 home runs, 50 hits and 109 at-bats.
1983 — The New York Islanders beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-2 to win their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup.
1992 — Betsy King captures her first LPGA Championship by a record 11 strokes over JoAnne Carner, Liselotte Neumann and Karen Noble. King’s margin of victory breaks the LGPA championship mark of 10 set by Patty Sheehan in 1984.
1998 — David Wells pitches the 13th perfect game in modern major league history as the New York Yankees beat the Minnesota Twins 4-0.
1998 — LPGA Championship Women’s Golf, DuPont CC: 20-year-old rookie Se Ri Pak leads wire-to-wire to win the first of her 5 majors, 3 strokes ahead of runners-up Donna Andrews and Lisa Hackney.
2000 — Australia’s Susie O’Neill breaks the oldest record in international swimming, winning the 200-meter butterfly and beating the 1981 mark by Mary T. Meagher. O’Neill is timed in 2 minutes, 5.81 seconds, topping the record by 0.15 seconds. Meagher’s time of 2:05.96 was set in Brown Deer, Wis.
2003 — Funny Cide runs away from the field on the turn for home and finishes with a near-record 9¾-length victory in the Preakness. The gelding’s victory is second to Survivor’s 10-length victory in the first Preakness, in 1873.
2003 — English FA Cup Final, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (73,726): Arsenal beats Southampton, 1-0; Robert Pires scores 38′ winner for Gunners’ 9th title.
2008 — Big Brown, ridden by Kent Desormeaux, charges to the lead turning for home and then cruises down the stretch to win the Preakness Stakes. The colt, named for UPS, wins by 5 1/4 lengths over Macho Again.
2008 — English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London (82,752): Portsmouth beats Cardiff City, 1-0; Nwankwo Kanu scores 37′ winner.
2012 — Hall of Famer Johnny Petraglia becomes the first player in Professional Bowlers Association history to win a national or senior tour title in six decades, beating Ron Mohr 220-204 in the PBA Senior Dayton Classic. The 65-year-old Petraglia won the first of his 14 PBA national tour titles in 1966 in Fort Smith, Ark., at the age of 19. Dick Weber also won PBA titles in six decades, but his mark includes a PBA regional title.
2014 — The Houston Rockets advance to the Western Conference finals for the first time in 18 years after overcoming a 3-1 series deficit to eliminate the Los Angeles Clippers with a 113-100 victory. It’s the ninth time in NBA history that a team has overcome a 3-1 series deficit to win a playoff series.
2014 — Bayern Munich defeats Borussia Dortmund to win the 2013–14 DFB-Pokal.
2014 — English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London (89,345): Arsenal beats Hull City, 3–2 (a.e.t.); Aaron Ramsey scores 109′ winner.
2018 — Michigan State University will pay $500 million in claims to 300 survivors of sexual abuse involving Larry Nassar. Largest sexual abuse case in sports history.
2019 — Brooks Koepka fires a 65 (-5) to set new record for lowest 36-hole score in a golf major at the PGA Championship at Bethpage State Park; 7 stroke lead is a 36-hole tournament record.
2020 — Michael Jordan’s autographed Air Nike 1s trainers from 1985 sell for a record $560,000 in an online auction.
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May 18
1920 — Man o’ War, ridden by Clarence Kummer, wins the Preakness Stakes by 1½ lengths over Upset.
1931 — Fifteen-year-old Eddie Arcaro rides his first race, finishing sixth, at Bainbridge Park, Ohio.
1933 — First MLB All-Star Game announced for July 6 at Comiskey Park; to be played as part of the Chicago World’s Fair; fans to pick players.
1956 — Mickey Mantle hits HR from both sides of plate for record 3rd time.
1957 — Bold Ruler, ridden by Eddie Arcaro, wins the Preakness Stakes by two lengths over Iron Liege. It’s the sixth and last time Arcaro wins the Preakness.
1960 — European Cup Final, Glasgow: Ferenc Puskás scores 4, Alfredo Di Stéfano 3 as Real Madrid routs Eintracht Frankfurt, 7-3; 5th consecutive title for Los Blancos.
1968 — Forward Pass wins the Preakness Stakes by six lengths to give Calumet Farm a record seven wins in by an owner in the race. Judy Johnson becomes the first female trainer to saddle a horse for the Preakness. Her horse, Sir Beau, finishes seventh in the field of 10.
1971 — The Montreal Canadiens beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in the seventh game to win the Stanley Cup.
1971 — 4th ABA Championship: Utah Stars beat Kentucky Colonels, 4 games to 3.
1985 — Patricia Cooksey becomes the first female jockey to compete in the Preakness Stakes. Tank’s Prospect wins the race and Cooksey’s mount, Tajawa, finishes sixth in the field of 11.
1990 — Edmonton’s Jari Kurri becomes the leading goal scorer in Stanley Cup history when he scores his 90th postseason goal in the first period of Game 2 of the finals against Boston. Kurri adds two more goals as the Oilers beat the Bruins 7-2.
1990 — Cubs Ryne Sandberg ends 2nd baseman record 123 errorless game streak.
1994 — 2nd UEFA Champions League Final: Milan beats Barcelona 4-0 at Athens.
1996 — Louis Quatorze carries Pat Day to the jockey’s third straight Preakness Stakes victory. Louis Quatorze, 16th in the Kentucky Derby, runs 1 3-16 miles in 1:53 2-5 to equal the race record set by Tank’s Prospect in 1985.
1997 — Chris Johnson makes an 8-foot par putt on the second playoff hole to win the LPGA championship over Leta Lindley. It’s the third playoff in the championship since the tournament began in 1955, and the first since 1970.
2004 — Randy Johnson becomes the oldest pitcher in major league history to throw a perfect game, retiring all 27 hitters to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Atlanta Braves 2-0.
2008 — Rafael Nadal beats defending champion Roger Federer 7-5, 6-7 (3), 6-3 to win the Hamburg Masters, adding the only major clay-court title missing from his impressive collection.
2008 — Boston’s Paul Pierce and Cleveland’s LeBron James combine for 86 points in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. James outscores Pierce 45-41 in the shootout, but Boston advances with a 97-92 win.
2013 — Oxbow, ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, leads from start to finish at the Preakness. It’s the sixth Preakness victory for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas and 14th Triple Crown victory, the most in horse racing history.
2014 — The Tradition Senior Men’s Golf, Shoal Creek G&CC: Kenny Perry wins his third of 4 Champions Tour majors by 1 stroke from Mark Calcavecchia.
2019 — English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London (85,854): Gabriel Jesus & Raheem Sterling each score twice as Manchester City thrash Watford, 6-0, completing an unprecedented domestic treble.
2021— Spencer Turnbull, Detroit Tigers, no-hits the Seattle Mariners, 5-0, at Comerica Park, Detroit.
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May 19
1909 — In his first title defense Jack Johnson fights ‘Philadelphia’ Jack O’Brien to a no decision in 6 rounds in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to retain his world heavyweight crown.
1910 — Cy Young, the career leader in major league victories, wins No. 500 as the Cleveland Indians defeat Washington 5-4 in 11 innings.
1923 — Zev, a 19-1 long shot ridden by Earl Sande, wins the Kentucky Derby by 1½ lengths over Martingale.
1935 — NFL adopts an annual college draft to begin in 1936.
1962 — Stan Musial breaks Honus Wagner’s NL hit record with 3,431.
1965 — West Ham United of England win 5th European Cup Winner’s Cup against 1860 München of West Germany 2-0 in London.
1973 — Secretariat, ridden by Ron Turcotte, rallies from last with a powerful move on the clubhouse turn to win the Preakness Stakes by 2½ lengths over Sham. There is controversy over the timing of the race as original teletimer time was 1:55 for the 1 3/16-mile race. Pimlico amends it to 1:54 2/5, two days later.
1974 — The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Boston Bruins 1-0 to win the Stanley Cup in six games.
1979 — Spectacular Bid, ridden by Ron Franklin, wins the Preakness Stakes by an easy 5½ lengths over Golden Act.
1984 — Stanley Cup Final, Northlands Coliseum, Edmonton, AL: Wayne Gretzky scores twice as Edmonton Oilers beat NY Islanders, 5-2 for a 4-1 series win; Oilers first SC title.
1990 — Hobart wins its 11th straight NCAA Division III lacrosse championship, beating Washington College of Maryland 18-6. The Statesmen, winners of every final since the tournament’s inception in 1980, are 100-3 in Division III in that time.
1991 — Willy T. Ribbs becomes the first black driver to make the lineup for the Indianapolis 500.
2001 — Manchester United lose 3-1 to Tottenham at White Hart Lane but win English Premier League title for the 3rd consecutive season.
2004 — NHL Western Conference Final: Calgary Flames beat San Jose Sharks, 4 games to 2.
2007 — Curlin, ridden by Robby Albarado, nips Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense by putting his head in front on the final stride, winning the Preakness Stakes in a riveting finish. The winning time was a blazing 1:53.46, equaling the stakes record of 1:53 2/5.
2007 — English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London (89,826): Chelsea beats Manchester United, 1 – 0 (a.e.t.); Didier Drogba scores 116′ winner for Blues’ 4th title.
2007 — NHL Eastern Conference Final: Ottawa Senators beat Buffalo Sabres, 4 games to 1.
2008 — NHL Western Conference Final: Detroit Red Wings beat Dallas Stars, 4 games to 2.
2012 — I’ll Have Another overtakes Bodemeister down the stretch to win the Preakness. Like the Kentucky Derby, I’ll Have Another races from behind to beat pacesetter Bodemeister, who also finished second in the Derby. I’ll Have Another, ridden by Mario Gutierrez, covers the 1 3/16 miles in 1:55.94.
2012 — UEFA Champions League Final, Munich: Chelsea beats Bayern Munich, 4-3 on penalties after a 1–1 draw at the end of extra time; Blues’ first title.
2014 — Lucy Li becomes the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open by winning the sectional qualifier at Half Moon Bay in California. The 11-year-old Li shoots rounds of 74 and 68 on the par-72 Old Course and surpasses Lexi Thompson as the youngest competitor in a U.S. Women’s Open when she tees off at Pinehurst on June 19. Thompson was 12 when she qualified for the 2007 Open.
2015 — The NFL announces it is moving back extra-point kicks and allowing defenses to score on conversion turnovers. The owners approve the proposal to snap the ball from the 15-yard line on PATs to make them more challenging.
2017 — LeBron James scores 30 points, Kevin Love had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and the Cleveland Cavaliers steamroll the Boston Celtics 130-86 to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals and tie an NBA record with their 13th straight playoff victory.
2018 — Justify holds off several hard-charging challengers and win the Preakness Stakes on a sloppy, slippery track. Ridden by Mike Smith, the 2-5 favorite wins by a half-length after completing the race in 1:55.93. Bravazo edges Tenfold for second. Trainer Bob Baffert ties D. Wayne Lukas’ record with his 14th Triple Crown victory and matches 19th-century trainer R.W. Walden with his seventh Preakness title.
2018 — English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London: Chelsea beats Manchester United, 1-0; Belgian international Eden Hazard scores 22′ penalty.
2019 — PGA Championship Men’s Golf, Bethpage State Park: Defending champion Brooks Koepka leads wire-to-wire; wins despite 5 bogeys on last 8 holes by 2 strokes from world #1 Dustin Johnson.
2021 — Cory Kluber, New York Yankees, no-hits the Texas Rangers, 2-0, at Globe Life Field, Arlington, Texas.
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May 20
1897 — British Open Men’s Golf, Royal Liverpool GC: English amateur Harold Hilton wins 2nd Open title by 1 stroke from Scot James Braid.
1900 — The second modern Olympic games open in Paris.
1919 — Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox wins a game on the mound and at the plate as he hits his first career grand slam to beat the St. Louis Browns 6-4.
1941 — Ten days after his Preakness victory, Whirlaway races against older horses for the first time and defeats four rivals in the Henry of Navarre Purse at Belmont Park in New York.
1950 — Heavily favored Hill Prince, ridden by Bill Boland, wins the Preakness Stakes by five lengths over Middleground.
1964 — Buster Mathis beats future world heavyweight champion Joe Frazer on points at trials in Flushing, NY to qualify for US Olympic boxing team; Mathis injures thumb, replaced by Frazier who wins gold medal.
1967 — Damascus, ridden by Willie Shoemaker, wins the Preakness Stakes by 2¼ lengths over In Reality.
1972 — Bee Bee Bee, a 19-1 long shot ridden by Eldon Nelson, wins the Preakness Stakes by 1½ lengths over No Le Hace.
1972 — Indiana’s Roger Brown scores 32 points to lead the Pacers to 108-105 to win over the New York Nets and the ABA championship.
1978 — Affirmed, ridden by Steve Cauthen, continues the battle with Alydar and wins the Preakness Stakes by a neck.
1983 — American heavyweight boxer Larry Holmes beats countryman Tim Witherspoon by split decision to retain his WBC title at the Dunes Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas.
1985 — Larry Holmes beats Carl Williams in 15 for heavyweight boxing title.
1990 — Monica Seles ends Steffi Graf’s 66-match winning streak and takes the German Open with a 6-4, 6-3 victory. Graf’s streak is the second longest in the modern era of tennis. Martina Navratilova won 74 straight matches in 1984.
1990 — The 18th triple dead heat in modern thoroughbred history takes place in the ninth race at Arlington International Racecourse. All Worked Up, Marshua’s Affair and Survival are timed in 1:24 4-5 over seven furlongs.
1991 — Chicago Bull Michael Jordan, named NBA’s MVP.
1992 — 36th European Cup: Barcelona beats Sampdoria 1-0 at London.
1998 — 6th UEFA Champions League Final: Real Madrid beats Juventus 1-0 at Amsterdam.
2000 — English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London (78,217): Chelsea beats Aston Villa, 1-0; Roberto Di Matteo scores 73′ winner.
2005 — Nextel Cup rookie Kyle Busch becomes the youngest winner in Craftsman Truck Series history, holding off Terry Cook and Ted Musgrave in a three-lap closing sprint at the Quaker Steak & Lube 200.
2006 — Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro breaks down at the start of the Preakness, galloping a few hundred yards while his eight rivals pass him. Bernardini wins the $1 million race, beating Sweetnorthernsaint by 5 1-4 lengths.
2007 — Roger Federer ends Rafael Nadal’s 81-match winning streak on clay with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-0 win in the final of the Hamburg Masters. It’s Federer’s first clay-court title in two years.
2015 — NASCAR 2016 Hall of Fame inductees: Bobby Isaac, Terry Labonte and Jerry Cook.
2017 — Cloud Computing, ridden by Javier Castellano, runs down Classic Empire in the final strides to win the Preakness by a head. The 13-1 long shot runs 1 3/16 miles in 1:55.98 and pays $28.80 to win. Derby winner Always Dreaming and Classic Empire duel throughout most of the race before Classic Empire jumps in front midway on the far turn.
2018 — Sweden beats Switzerland 3-2 in a shootout for the gold medal at the world ice hockey championship in Copenhagen, Denmark.
2018 — The Tradition Senior Men’s Golf, Greystone G &CC: Spaniard Miguel Ángel Jiménez wins by 3 from American trio Joe Durant, Steve Stricker & Gene Sauers.
2018 — The Vegas Golden Knights punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final beating the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 on the road to win the Western Conference finals 4-1. The Golden Knights become the second expansion team in the NHL, NBA, NFL or MLB since 1960 to reach a championship series in their first season. The other team was the 1967-68 St. Louis Blues.
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