Featured sports in June include MLB, the NBA Finals, the Stanley Cup Final, Wimbledon, the U.S. Open Golf Championship, the Canadian Grand Prix, and track and field. June 11 has marked many memorable events and legendary achievements over the years, and these are some of them.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Great moments in sport that occurred on June 11th include:
- 1898: Willie Simms won the Preakness Stakes riding Sly Fox with a time of 1:49:75.
- 1903: Golfer Harry Vardon beat his brother Tom Vardon to score his fourth British Open.
- 1904: Bob Wicker pitched nine 1-3 hitless innings against the New York Giants.
- 1921: Earl Sande won the Belmont Stakes aboard Grey Lag in 2:16:8
- 1927: Babe Ruth hit his 19th and 20th home runs of his record-setting season of 60 homers.
- 1938: Johnny Vander Meer pitched a no-hitter against the Boston Bees – now known as the Braves.
- 1938: Tennis legend Don Budge was victorious in the French Open final, winning the second Grand Slam tournament of the year.
- 1938: Simonne Mathieu won the first of what would be consecutive French Open women’s singles titles.
- 1938: Golfer Ralph Guldahl successfully defended his U.S. Open title.
- 1955: Eddie Arcaro won the Belmont Stakes riding Nashua in 2:29.
- 1961: Roger Maris hit his 19th and 20th home runs of his eventual 61-homer season.
- 1967: A.J. Foyt and Dan Gurney won the 24 Hours of Le Mans driving a Ford.
- 1972: Kathy Ahern won the LPGA Championship — her only major golf title.
- 1974: Mel Stottlemyre made his 272nd start without ever pitching in relief out of the bullpen, setting an AL record.
- 1982: Larry Holmes defeated Gerry Cooney in a 13th-round technical knockout, securing the WBC and The Ring heavyweight boxing titles.
- 1989: In men’s golf, Orville Moody won the U.S. Senior Tournament Players Championship.
- 1990: Nolan Ryan pitched his sixth no-hitter.
- 1992: Tracy Austin became the youngest player elected into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
- 2006: Rafael Nadal won his second straight French Open men’s singles title.
- 2006: Se Ri Pak won her third LPGA Championship to claim her fifth major title.
- 2012: The Los Angeles Kings defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-2 to win the first Stanley Cup title in the franchise’s 45-year history.
- 2023: Novak Djokovic won his record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam singles title.
Looking back over these June 11 events, three athletes stand out: Larry Holmes, Nolan Ryan, and Novak Djokovic. Holmes is known for his dominant jab and 20 successful title defenses, second only to Joe Louis in heavyweight history.
Ryan holds the MLB record for most career no-hitters with a total of 7. Djokovic has scored a record 24 men’s singles Grand Slam titles and won Olympic gold at Paris 2024 to complete a career Golden Slam. The Serbian tennis great also became the third man to win 100 ATP Tour titles.
