With MLB, the NBA and NHL playoffs, lacrosse, the PGA Championship, and the French Open, May is an exciting month in sports. May 5 has witnessed notable achievements and legendary performances over the years. Read on to discover some of them.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Great moments in sport that occurred on May 5 include:
- 1904: Cy Young pitched the first perfect game in MLB history under the current rules as the Boston Americans beat Philadelphia Athletics 3-0.
- 1908: Arthur Pickens won the Kentucky Derby riding the 66-1 long shot Stone Street in muddy conditions, finishing in 2:15.20 — the slowest in Derby history at the time.
- 1925: Ty Cobb went six for six at the plate, with three homers and 16 total bases as the Tigers beat the Browns 14-8, setting a new American League record.
- 1938: Phillies pitcher Harold Kelleher faced 16 batters in the sixth inning, and the Cubs scored 12 runs — both National League records for a single pitcher in one inning.
- 1949: The Detroit Tigers’ second baseman Charlie Gehringer was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
- 1966: The Montreal Canadiens won back-to-back titles, defeating the Detroit Red Wings 4-2 in the Stanley Cup Final series.
- 1969: The Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers 4-3 and won the NBA Championship.
- 1969: The Milwaukee Bucks signed star UCLA center Lew Alcindor, also known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
- 1973: Ron Turcotte won the Kentucky Derby riding Secretariat with a time of 1:59.4, the fastest time to date.
- 1978: The Cincinnati Reds’ Pete Rose became the 14th player in MLB history to get 3,000 hits.
- 1981: The final MLB preseason Mayor’s Trophy Game before Interleague play began was played.
- 1984: The Kentucky Derby was won by Laffit Pincay Jr. riding Swale in a time of 2:02.4
- 2007: Calvin Borel won the Kentucky Derby aboard 9-2 favorite Street Sense. Borel won on his home track in front of Queen Elizabeth II.
- 2012: Chelsea beat Liverpool 2-1 and won the English FA Cup.
- 2014: Briton Mark Selby defeated Ronnie O’Sullivan 18-14, earning the first of his three world titles in snooker.
- 2018: Mike Smith won his second Kentucky Derby at the age of 52 riding Justify with a time of 2:04.20 on a sloppy track.
Looking back on these May 5 milestones, the standout moments include the Bucks signing Kareem, Cy Young pitching the first perfect game of the modern era, and Secretariat’s record-breaking time at the Kentucky Derby.
Kareem was selected to play in his first All-Star Game in his rookie year and won the Rookie of the Year award. There have been 24 perfect games in MLB history, and the Cy Young Award is now given annually to the best pitcher in the American and National Leagues. Secretariat’s Kentucky Derby time remains the fastest of all time.
