May is a month marked by some of the MLB’s most notable individual achievements, including various records and remarkable matchups. Historically, May 12 has contributed to these benchmarks, with several outstanding performances across various sports.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
- 1919: The New York Yankees played the Washington Senators to a second straight tie, with the game ending 4-4 after 15 innings of play.
- 1955: Sam Jones became the first African American pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the MLB, leading the Chicago Cubs to a 4-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
- 1966: The St. Louis Cardinals played their first game in Busch Stadium, edging out the Atlanta Braves 4-3.
- 1970: Legendary shortstop Ernie Banks hit his 500th career home run, joining a club with only 27 other members in MLB history.
- 1974: The Boston Celtics won their 12th NBA championship with a 102-87 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. John Havlicek was named the Finals MVP.
- 1985: For the first time ever, the New York Knicks were awarded the first overall pick by winning the first-ever NBA Draft Lottery. They used it to select Patrick Ewing, a future Hall of Famer.
- 1998: The New York Yankees fell to an early 8-0 deficit against the Chicago White Sox but ended up completing one of the biggest comebacks in MLB history, winning the game 9-8.
- 2018: UFC 224 featured one of the greatest UFC champions of all time, Amanda Nunes, defending her belt for the third time against challenger Raquel Pennington. Nunes dominated the main event, destroying Pennington before the fight was mercifully ended in the fifth round, with Nunes winning by technical knockout.
- 2019: The Eastern Conference semifinals featured a Game 7 showdown between the Toronto Raptors and the Philadelphia 76ers. In the final seconds, Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard hit a fadeaway three-pointer that dribbled on the rim and eventually fell as the buzzer sounded, creating one of the most iconic moments in NBA history.
- 2019: Manchester City dismantled Brighton 4-1 to claim the club’s second straight Premier League title. Manchester City ended the season one point ahead of the second-place team, Liverpool.
As demonstrated by the long list of incredible sports moments, May 12 marks an entertaining, consequential day in sports history. The MLB contributed many outstanding events on this day, including an improbable tie, a no-hitter, and one of the best comebacks in league history. Elsewhere, Kawhi Leonard created one of the best buzzer-beating moments in any sport, and Manchester City claimed back-to-back Premier League titles, cementing themselves as one of the best clubs in the last decade of English soccer.
