This Day in Sports History: October 16

October sports revolve around the MLB postseason, the start of the NBA and NHL seasons, college football games, NASCAR’s Xfinity 500 race, track events, UEFA Champions League matches, and Formula 1 races. Oct. 16 has witnessed many notable moments and stories involving sporting legends. Here’s a closer look at some of them.

Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records

Many great moments in sports history happened on Oct. 16, including:

• 1909: The Pirates beat the Tigers, four games to three, becoming Detroit’s third straight World Series loss.
• 1909: Jack Johnson defended his heavyweight boxing title for the fourth time.
• 1912: The Red Sox beat the Giants, four games to three, with an extra game ending in a tie.
• 1928: Mickey Cochrane won the American League MVP.
• 1936: Lou Gehrig received the American League MVP.
• 1946: Eighteen-year-old Gordie Howe scored his first career NHL goal in his league debut for the Detroit Red Wings.
• 1949: Red Byron claimed the NASCAR Strictly Stock championship.
• 1962: The New York Yankees won their 20th World Series title.
• 1964: New York Yankees fire manager Yogi Berra, one day after losing the World Series
• 1964: Swimmer Sharon Stouder swam a time of 1:04.7, setting a world record in the women’s 100-meter butterfly.
• 1968: Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos gave their famous Black Power salute on the medal podium at the Mexico City Olympics, protesting racism and injustice against African Americans.
• 1968:The Milwaukee Bucks played and lost their first basketball game against the Chicago Bulls 89-84.
• 1968: Jim Dorey set the Toronto Maple Leafs penalty record with 48 minutes on nine penalties in a game and 44 minutes on seven penalties in a period
• 1969: The “Miracle Mets” completed their rise from expansion team to champions, beating the Baltimore Orioles 5-3 in Game 5.
• 1974: Oakland A’s pitcher Ken Holtzman, in his first at-bat of the season, belted a third-inning home run in Game 4 of the World Series and got the win, 5-2.
• 1976: Maple Leafs player Lanny McDonald scored a hat trick in two minutes and 54 seconds. It set the franchise record for the fastest three goals by a single player.
• 1987: Mike Tyson beat Tyrell Biggs by a seventh-round technical knockout, retaining his unified heavyweight boxing title.
• 1988: Orel Hershiser pitched a shutout in the World Series.
• 1990: Eric Davis was the 22nd player in MLB history to hit a home run in his first World Series at-bat.
• 2000: The Mets beat the Cardinals, four games to one, and won the National League Pennant.
• 2003: The Yankees beat the Red Sox, four games to three, and won the American League Pennant.
• 2004: Lionel Messi made his league debut for FC Barcelona, achieving a 1-0 win over rival Espanyol.
• 2016: At the age of 85, Ed Whitlock became the oldest person to finish a marathon in under four hours, with a time of 3:56:38.

There were many notable athletes from Oct. 16, including Orel Hershiser, Lionel Messi, and Ed Whitlock.

Hershiser was famous for his legendary 1988 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, setting a record for 59 consecutive scoreless innings pitched, winning the Cy Young Award, and being named MVP of the NLCS and World Series. Messi is considered one of the greatest of all time, known for his impressive dribbling, vision, and goal-scoring abilities. Whitlock was an inspiration to the running community, demonstrating that age is not a barrier to achieving greatness.