Sports in May are all about Major League Baseball, the NBA and NHL playoffs, lacrosse, the PGA Championship, and the French Open. Over the years, there have been some other notable sports moments and stories from legends of the game. Let’s take a closer look at these and more.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Great moments in sport that occurred on May 8th include:
- 1907: Tommy Burns defeated Philadelphia Jack O’Brien on points in 20 rounds to retain his heavyweight boxing title.
- 1923: English cricketer Jack Hobbs scored his 100th first-class century (100 or more runs in a single inning).
- 1967: Boxer Muhammad Ali was indicted by a federal grand jury for refusing to enlist in the U.S. Army.
- 1970: The New York Knicks defeated the Los Angeles Lakers four games to three to win their first NBA championship.
- 1974: East Germany’s FC Magdeburg beat Italy’s AC Milan 2-0 to win the European Cup Winner’s Cup.
- 1993: Lennox Lewis beat Tony Tucker in 12 rounds to retain the heavyweight boxing title.
- 2011: Tom Lehman won the Regions Tradition golf tournament on the way to his second of three Champions Tour major titles.
- 2014: With the first pick in the NFL Draft, the Houston Texans selected Jadeveon Clowney, a linebacker from the University of South Carolina.
MLB History
May 8th featured some great plays on the diamond:
- 1907: Big Jeff Pfeffer pitched a no-hitter for the Boston Doves against the Cincinnati Reds.
- 1929: New York Giants pitcher Carl Hubbell threw a no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
- 1946: Boston Red Sox shortstop Johnny Pesky scored six times in one game.
- 1966: Orioles outfielder Frank Robinson hit the only home run ever to leave Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium.
- 1984: Kirby Puckett made his MLB debut with the Minnesota Twins and hit four singles.
- 1996: New York Yankees pitcher Dwight Gooden won his first American League game, beating the Detroit Tigers 10-3.
- 2018: Seattle Mariners pitcher James Paxton pitched a no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Horse Racing
Some of the biggest names in the field came up on May 8th:
- 1915: Regret became the first filly to win the Kentucky Derby, finishing with a time of 2:05.40. Joe Notter was the jockey.
- 1920: Paul Jones won the Kentucky Derby with jockey Ted Rice, finishing with a time of 2:09.
- 1925: Coventry won the Preakness Stakes with Clarence Kummer aboard, finishing with a time of 1:59.
- 1937: War Admiral won the Kentucky Derby with jockey Charley Kurtsinger, finishing with a time of 2:03.2.
- 1943: Count Fleet won the Preakness Stakes with Johnny Longden aboard, with a time of 1:57.4.
Looking back on these May 8th statistics, the moments that stand out are Tommy Burns winning the heavyweight boxing title, the Knicks’ first championship, and Pesky’s six runs in one game. Burns was a well-known Canadian boxer, and he was the first Canadian to win the heavyweight championship. The New York Knicks are one of basketball’s most storied franchises, possessing an unmatched aura and a history of legendary players. Pesky’s record of six runs scored by a single player in a Major League Baseball game has been tied but not beaten in the modern era.
