June is an exciting month for sports fans, featuring the Stanley Cup Finals, NBA Finals, the middle of the MLB season, the NBA Draft, the US Open, Wimbledon, the Belmont Stakes, and various Grand Prix events. Over the years, June 22 has seen many memorable moments in sports history.
In 1889, the Louisville Colonels set an MLB record by losing their 26th consecutive game. Fast forward to 1918, when Molla Bjurstedt claimed the women’s singles title at the U.S. National Championships. In 1921, Paavo Nurmi set a world record with a 10-kilometer time of 30:40.2. Lou Gehrig hit three home runs in 1930, leading the Yankees to victory over the Athletics.
Joe Louis made headlines in 1937 by knocking out James J. Braddock to win the world heavyweight boxing title. The following year, he defeated Max Schmeling in just 2 minutes and 4 seconds at Yankee Stadium. In 1944, the Phillies triumphed over the Braves 1-0 in 15 innings, marking the longest shutout in their history.
Ezzard Charles won the heavyweight title in 1949, while Patty Berg secured back-to-back victories at the LPGA Women’s Western Open in 1958. Sandy Koufax struck out 16 batters in 1959, and in 1961, Ernie Banks ended his streak of 717 consecutive games played.
In 1980, West Germany won the UEFA European Championship, and John McEnroe famously lost his temper at Wimbledon in 1981. The NHL introduced a 5-minute sudden-death overtime in 1983.
More recent highlights include the Houston Rockets winning the NBA Championship in 1994 and Patrick Kane being selected first overall in the NHL Entry Draft in 2007. In 2009, Lucas Glover won the U.S. Open, and in 2014, Michelle Wie claimed her first major title at the U.S. Women’s Open. Most recently, in 2022, Shohei Ohtani struck out 13 batters, marking a career high.
