As sports fans might expect, May 29 is chock-full of history from various professional leagues. Most notable among them is the MLB, which has provided most of the extraordinary sporting moments on this date, with record-breaking and incredible individual efforts from some of baseball’s most recognizable names.
Individual Records and Awards
- 1965: Philadelphia Phillies infielder Dick Allen smashed a 529-foot home run against the Chicago Cubs, one of the longest home runs in MLB history.
- 1976: Brothers Joe and Phil Niekro faced off as starting pitchers, the former representing the Houston Astros and the latter starting for the Atlanta Braves. Joe Niekro hit the only home run of his career off his brother in a classic showing of the power of sibling rivalry.
- 1980: Boston Celtics forward Larry Bird won the NBA Rookie of the Year award, narrowly beating his rival, Los Angeles Lakers point guard Magic Johnson.
- 1989: Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt retired, leaving a larger-than-life legacy in the history of the Philadelphia Phillies.
- 1990: Oakland Athletics outfielder Rickey Henderson, famous for his burning speed, stole his 893rd base. With that steal, he passed the legendary Ty Cobb on the all-time stolen base list.
- 2010: Another Phillies legend, starting pitcher Roy Halladay, helped shape his legacy on this date. The right-handed pitcher became the 20th pitcher in MLB history to toss a perfect game, shutting out the Miami Marlins in a 1-0 win.
Playoff Heroics, Championship Soccer, and Legends Remembered
- 1968: Manchester United defeated Benfica 4-1 in the European Cup Final. United was the first English club to take home the title.
- 1984: The Boston Red Sox honored two of its legendary players, Ted Williams and Joe Cronin, by retiring numbers 9 and 4.
- 1985: Juventus, a club frequently seen in the European Cup Final, played Liverpool for the title, winning by a score of 1-0.
- 1997: The Utah Jazz, lifted by a late three-pointer from John Stockton, defeated the Houston Rockets in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, sending the Jazz to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.
- 2023: The Miami Heat destroyed the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, winning 103-84. The landmark victory sent the eighth-seeded Heat into the NBA Finals, the first time that a play-in team had made the championship series and a first since 1999 for an eighth seed to make the series.
The most entertaining event from May 29, and the one that likely sticks in most memories, is not a captured championship or a record-breaking moment. Instead, it’s the rivalry of the Niekro brothers and Joe’s home run that stands out as a truly unique occasion in baseball history. That, combined with several fantastic performances throughout the NBA postseason and soccer championship games, makes May 29 a great day in sports history.
