TODAY'S EVENTS IN SPORTS HISTORY 2025

MAY 16

• 1882 8th Kentucky Derby: Babe Hurd aboard Apollo wins in 2:40.00
• 1884 10th Kentucky Derby: Isaac Murphy aboard Buchanan wins in 2:40.25
• 1894 Fire in Boston destroys the South End Grounds baseball stadium and 200 other buildings

• 1914 American Horseshoe Pitchers Association organizes in Kansas City
• 1914 Ewing Field baseball park opens near Masonic Street, San Francisco. Relocated a year later.
• 1916 41st Preakness Stakes: Hall of Fame jockey Linus McAtee aboard the J.K.L. Ross owned Damrosch wins in 1:54.80
• 1921 46th Preakness: F Coltiletti aboard Broomspun wins in 1:54.2

51st Kentucky Derby

1925 51st Kentucky Derby: Earl Sande aboard Flying Ebony wins in 2:07.6


JockeyEarl Sande

• 1927 NY Yankee Bob Meusel steals 2nd, 3rd & home
• 1930 6th Walker Cup: US, 10-2
• 1931 57th Kentucky Derby: Charley Kurtsinger on Twenty Grand wins 2:01.8
• 1932 Yanks 4th straight shutout to equal record set by Cleveland & Boston
• 1936 61st Preakness: George Woolf aboard Bold Venture wins in 1:59

Bradman Scores 278
1938 Australian cricketer Donald Bradman scores 278 vs MCC in 349 mins with 35 fours and 1 six


Cricket LegendDonald Bradman

• 1941 First US radio performance of Robert Russell Bennett's "Symphony in D for the Dodgers"

Sports History
1948 First Chess World Championship since WWII, Russian player Mikhail Botvinnik wins a five-player tournament to begin 24 years of Soviet dominance


World Chess ChampionMikhail Botvinnik

• 1953 Philadelphia Phillies Curt Simmons gives up a lead-off single, then retires next 27 in a row in 3-0 win over Braves at County Stadium in Milwaukee

Baseball History
1954 Ted Williams gets 8 hits in 1st game (DH) since breaking collarbone


Baseball PlayerTed Williams

• 1955 Ray Lindwall scores his 2nd Test Cricket century 118 at Bridgetown

Marciano TKOs Cockell
1955 Rocky Marciano beats Don Cockell by TKO in the 9th round at Kezar Stadium, San Francisco to retain his world heavyweight boxing title


Heavyweight Boxing ChampionRocky Marciano

• 1956 England cricket spin bowler Jim Laker takes 10-88 for Surrey v Australia in tour match at The Oval, London

Copacabana Incident
1957 NY Yankee players including Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, and Hank Bauer are involved in a brawl at the Copacabana nightclub while watching Sammy Davis Jr. perform, leads to Billy Martin trade


Baseball Player and ManagerBilly Martin

Singer, Actor and TV HostSammy Davis Jr.

Baseball Player and ManagerHank Bauer

• 1959 84th Preakness: William Harmatz aboard Royal Orbit wins in 1:57
• 1964 89th Preakness: Bill Hartack aboard Northern Dancer wins in 1:56.8

Baseball History
1965 Baltimore Oriole Jim Palmer's pitching debut, beats Yankees 7-5 & homers


Baseball PlayerJim Palmer

• 1970 95th Preakness: Eddie Belmonte aboard Personality wins in 1:56.2
• 1972 Philadelphia Phillies slugger Greg Luzinski hits home run into the Liberty Bell monument at Philadelphia's Veteran's Stadium, an estimated 500-foot shot
• 1973 AC Milan of Italy win 13th European Cup Winner's Cup against Leeds of England 1-0 in Saloniki

Boxing Title Fight
1975 Muhammad Ali TKOs Ron Lyle in 11 for heavyweight boxing title


Heavyweight Boxing ChampionMuhammad Ali
Stanley Cup
1976 Stanley Cup Final, The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA: Guy Lafleur and Pete Mahovlich each have a goal and 2 assists as Montreal Canadiens beat Philadelphia Flyers, 5-3 for a 4 games series sweep


NHL LegendGuy Lafleur

• 1977 Muhammad Ali beats Alfredo Evangelist in 15 for heavyweight boxing title
• 1979 FC Barcelona of Spain wins 19th European Cup Winner's Cup against Fortuna Düsseldorf of West Germany 4-3 in Basel
• 1979 MLB National League approves sale of Houston Astros by Ford Motors to John J McMullen for $19M
• 1980 34th NBA Championship: LA Lakers beat Philadelphia 76ers, 4 games to 2
• 1981 106th Preakness: Jorge Velásquez aboard Pleasant Colony wins in 1:54.6
• 1981 Houston shortstop Craig Reynolds hits 3 triples as Astros beat Chicago Cubs, 6-1
• 1982 Stanley Cup Final, Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, BC: 3-peat for NY Islanders; sweep Vancouver Canucks in 4 games with a 3-1 Game 4 win
• 1984 Juventus of Italy win 24th European Cup Winner's Cup against Porto of Portugal 2-1 in Basel
• 1984 Mackay pays $218,718 for 44,166 tickets to keep Twins in Minnesota Twins sell 51,863 tickets but only 6,346 fans show up for the game

Sports History
1984 MLB Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Steve Carlton hits a grand slam homer off Fernando Valenzuela, in 7-2 win against Dodgers, in Los Angeles


Baseball PitcherSteve Carlton

Baseball Hall of Fame PitcherFernando Valenzuela
Sports History
1985 Michael Jordan is named NBA Rookie of the Year


Basketball SuperstarMichael Jordan

• 1985 NHL Clarence Campbell Conference Final: Edmonton Oilers beat Chicago Black Hawks, 4 games to 2
• 1985 NHL Prince of Wales Conference Final: Philadelphia Flyers beat Quebec Nordiques, 4 games to 2
• 1987 112th Preakness: Chris McCarron aboard Alysheba wins in 1:55.8
• 1992 117th Preakness: Chris McCarron aboard Pine Bluff wins in 1:55.6
• 1992 America's Cup: America Team USA defeats Il Moro di Venezia 4-1 to win in San Diego

Sports History
1994 Tennis star Jennifer Capriati arrested on possession of marijuana


Tennis PlayerJennifer Capriati
Baseball Record
1996 Sammy Sosa is the first Chicago Cub to hit two home runs in one inning


MLB OutfielderSammy Sosa

• 1997 Atlanta Braves beat St Louis Cardinals, 1-0 in 13 innings
• 1997 MLB Montreal Expos trailing San Francisco Giants by 9 runs comeback to win 14-13
• 1997 MLB St Louis Cardinal Gary Gaetti records his 2,000th hit

Preakness Stakes
1998 123rd Preakness: Kent Desormeaux aboard Real Quiet wins in 1:54.80


JockeyKent Desormeaux

• 2003 NHL Western Conference Final: Anaheim Ducks beat Minnesota Wild, 4 games to 0

Preakness Stakes
2009 134th Preakness: Calvin Borel aboard Rachel Alexandra wins in 1:55.08


Racing Hall of Fame JockeyCalvin Borel

• 2010 ICC Men's Cricket T20 World Cup, Bridgetown, Barbados: England beats Australia by 7 wickets with 3 overs to spare for their first title; Player of the Series: England batsman Kevin Pietersen (248 runs)
• 2010 ICC Women's Cricket T20 World Cup, Bridgetown, Barbados: Elise Perry with 3 for 18 off 4 overs leads Australia (106/8) to 3 run victory over New Zealand 103/6
• 2014 Paris Saint-Germain F.C. & Manchester City F.C. are each fined €60 million for breaching Fair Play Regulations
• 2015 140th Preakness: Victor Espinoza aboard American Pharoah wins in 1:58.46

PGA Championship
2019 Brooks Koepka fires tournament record equalling, and course record 63 (-7) to lead the PGA Championship by 1 stroke after the 1st round at Bethpage Black, NY


GolferBrooks Koepka

• 2023 Intense floods in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy causes 23 rivers to burst their banks, resulting in at least 13 deaths and cancellation of the F1 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix [1]