July’s sports flash reads like a highlight reel. Baseball takes center stage with Major League action and the All-Star Game. The NBA Summer League brings fresh talent. The British Grand Prix and Tour de France thrill racing fans. NASCAR keeps the speed alive. Golf serves up several big tournaments, Wimbledon crowns champs, and track and field delivers standout moments.
Historic July 20 moments include:
– 1858: Fans paid 50 cents to see a New York All-Star team face Brooklyn at Fashion Park, Long Island.
– 1896: Harold Mahony beat three-time champ Wilfred Baddeley to win Wimbledon men’s singles.
– 1906, 1911, 1958, 1970: No-hitters from Mal Eason, Smokey Joe Wood, Jim Bunning, and Bill Singer.
– 1912: Sherry Magee stole home twice in one game.
– 1923: Yankees turned a triple play but still won 9-2.
– 1924: Ottavio Bottecchia won the Tour de France.
– 1944: Nelson Potter became the first pitcher suspended for throwing spitballs.
– 1952: Emil Zátopek set an Olympic 10K record at 29:17.
– 1956: Whitey Ford struck out six straight, tying an AL record.
– 1957 & 1969: Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx dominated the Tour de France.
– 1958: Dow Finsterwald took the PGA Championship.
– 1963 & 1975: Mary Mills and Sandra Palmer won major women’s golf titles.
– 1965: Mel Stottlemyre hit an inside-the-park grand slam.
– 1973: Wilbur Wood started and lost both games of a doubleheader.
– 1976: Hank Aaron hit his final career homer, #755.
– 1980 & 1986: Tom Watson and Greg Norman won British Opens.
– 1987: Don Mattingly tied a fielding record with 22 put-outs at first.
– 1997, 2008, 2014: Justin Leonard, Pádraig Harrington, and Rory McIlroy lifted major trophies.
– 2008: Tiger Woods and Candace Parker won top ESPY honors.
– 2020: Cristiano Ronaldo hit 50 goals in Serie A, Premier League, and La Liga.
– 2021: The Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA Finals, ending a 50-year title drought.
Big names and big nights—July delivers memories that last.
