This Day in Sports History: April 15
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 15 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 15 included:
- 1896: The Summer Olympics conclude in Athens, Greece, with the U.S. leading the gold medal count with 11.
- 1901: In the fifth Boston Marathon, Canadian Jim Caffrey won the race for the second straight year with a time of 2:29:23.6
- 1911: Walter Johnson pitches a record-tying four strikeouts in one inning.
- 1915: New York Giants pitcher Rube Marquard throws a no-hitter against the Brooklyn Dodgers.
- 1927: Yankees slugger Babe Ruth hits an MLB record 60 home runs in a season.
- 1937: The Detroit Red Wings defeat the New York Rangers 3-0 in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, clinching the series 3-2 and securing back-to-back Stanley Cup titles.
- 1947: Jackie Robinson becomes the first African American to play in the MLB.
- 1952: The Detroit Red Wings beat the Montreal Canadiens, 3-0, got a 4-0 series sweep, and won the Stanley Cup Final.
- 1954: The Baltimore Orioles play their first game in Baltimore, beating the White Sox 3-1.
- 1958: Major League Baseball arrives in California as the Giants play their first game in San Francisco, defeating the LA Dodgers 8-0 at Seals Stadium.
- 1961: France wins its second outright Five Nations Championship rugby tournament with a 15–3 victory over Ireland.
- 1968: The Houston Astros beat the New York Mets 1-0 in 24 innings. The game lasted over 6 hours, and Tom Seaver pitched 10 innings.
- 1979: Fuzzy Zoeller wins his only Masters with a birdie on the second hole of a playoff against Ed Sneed and Tom Watson.
- 1990: Gary Player wins his third Senior PGA Championship title by two strokes over Chi-Chi Rodriguez.
- 1991: Magic Johnson sets an NBA record for career assists with 9,898.
- 1992: New York Islander Al Arbour coaches a record 1,438 NHL games, the most in league history.
- 1997: To mark the 50th anniversary of his debut, Jackie Robinson's number 42 is retired throughout Major League Baseball.
- 2000: At the NFL draft, the Cleveland Browns selected Penn State defensive end Courtney Brown with the first overall pick.
- 2015: At the Laureus World Sports Awards, Novak Djokovic and Genzebe Dibaba win Sportsman of the Year and Sportswoman of the Year, respectively.
Three athletes who stood out on April 15 were Walter Johnson, Gary Player, and Magic Johnson.
Johnson holds the MLB record with 110 career shutouts, ranks second in wins (417), and is renowned for his blazing fastball. Player is one of only five golfers to win the career Grand Slam (all four majors) and has won 160+ professional tournaments over seven decades. Johnson is famous for leading the Los Angeles Lakers to five championships in the 1980s, his electrifying "Showtime" passing style, and a fierce rivalry with Larry Bird.
