This Day in Sports History: April 28
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 28 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 28 included:
- 1887: French toymaker and engineer Georges Bouton won "the world's first motor race" in the steam-powered quadricycle he produced with the Marquis de Dion.
- 1901: Cleveland's Bock Baker gave up a record 23 singles as the White Sox defeated the Blues 13-1.
- 1921: José Raúl Capablanca became the world's third chess champion.
- 1923: Wembley Stadium opens - Bolton Wanderers vs West Ham United (FA Cup)
- 1930: The first official night game in organized baseball was held in Kansas.
- 1956: Cincinnati Reds outfielder Frank Robinson hit his first of 586 career home runs.
- 1957: Patty Berg won her sixth LPGA Western Golf Open by one stroke from Wiffi Smith.
- 1961: Milwaukee Braves' future Hall of Fame pitcher Warren Spahn threw a no-hitter against the San Francisco Giants — the second of his career.
- 1966: The Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 4-3 to win the NBA Championship.
- 1967: Muhammad Ali refused to be inducted into the U.S. Army and was stripped of his heavyweight boxing title.
- 1985: Billy Martin was named the New York Yankees manager for the fourth time.
- 1985: Fernando Valenzuela set a record of 41 scoreless innings to start a season.
- 1987: The NBA announced expansion to Charlotte and Miami in 1988 and Minneapolis and Orlando in 1989.
- 1988: The Baltimore Orioles lost an American League record 21 games in a row.
- 1988: In the NHL, the New Jersey Devils set the all-time playoff record for penalty minutes in a single game.
- 1990: Boston Celtics scored the most points in a playoff, beating the NY Knicks 157-128.
- 1993: The New York Islanders beat the Washington Capitals 4-1 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Capitals' Dale Hunter attacked Pierre Turgeon after he scored, committing what is regarded as one of hockey's worst cheap shots.
- 2002: Jim Thorpe won the Tradition Senior Men's Golf at Superstition Mountain and it was his lone career major title.
- 2003: Andre Agassi recaptured the world No. 1 ranking, becoming the oldest top-ranked male in the history of the ATP rankings.
- 2016: With the first pick in the NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams selected California Golden Bears quarterback Jared Goff.
- 2019: American diver Victor Vescovo achieved the deepest dive ever, descending 10,927 meters into the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench.
Three athletes who stood out on April 28 were Patty Berg, Fernando Valenzuela, and Andre Agassi.
Berg was a three-time Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year and the first woman to earn $100,000 in career earnings. Valenzuela is best known for "Fernandomania," a massive surge in popularity that began during his historic 1981 rookie season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Agassi is one of the few men to achieve a Career Grand Slam and is often cited as the greatest service returner in history.
