April is an exciting month for sports, featuring NBA and NHL playoffs, the start of MLB, The Masters, the NCAA Basketball title game, the NFL Draft, and various Grand Prix events. Over the years, April 27 has seen many memorable moments in sports history.
In 1903, the Highlanders (now Yankees) achieved their first shutout, defeating the Philadelphia A’s 6-0. The IV Summer Olympic Games kicked off in London in 1908 after being moved from Rome due to Mount Vesuvius’s eruption. In 1920, Sweden’s Gillis Grafström won his first of three consecutive gold medals in figure skating at the Antwerp Olympics.
April 27 also marked Mel Ott’s debut with the Giants in 1926 and Great Britain’s victory over the U.S. in the Ryder Cup in 1929. In 1944, Jim Tobin of the Boston Braves pitched a no-hitter against the Brooklyn Dodgers. Babe Ruth was honored on “Babe Ruth Day” in 1947 at Yankee Stadium.
Fast forward to 1968, when Tom Phoebus of the Baltimore Orioles pitched a no-hitter against Boston. The NFL Draft in 1982 saw the New England Patriots select Kenneth Sims first overall. Nolan Ryan became the strikeout king in 1983, and in 1990, Villanova’s women set a world record in the 6,000-meter relay.
In 2008, Ashley Force made history as the first woman to win an NHRA Funny Car event. The NFL Draft in 2017 featured the Cleveland Browns picking Myles Garrett first, and in 2023, the Carolina Panthers selected Bryce Young.
Three standout athletes from April 27 are Rocky Marciano, known for retiring undefeated, Nolan Ryan, the all-time strikeout leader, and Ashley Force, a trailblazer in motorsports.
