Sports in May are typically all about Major League Baseball, the NBA and NHL playoffs, the crowning of soccer champions, and golfing. Turning to May 6, here are some notable moments and stories from sports legends that took place on that day.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Great sporting moments that occurred on May 6 include:
- 1733: The first international boxing match occurred in Marylebone, London, between Bob Whittaker and Tito di Carni. Whittaker defeated Carni.
- 1954: Roger Bannister became the first person to run a sub-four-minute mile, finishing with a time of 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds, on the Iffley Road Track in Oxford, England.
- 1965: With the fourth pick in the NBA draft, Jerry Sloan was selected by the Baltimore Bullets
- 1970: Feyenoord of the Netherlands beat Celtic of Scotland 2-1 to win the European Cup Final.
- 1979: Fred Markham sets a bicycle speed record of 50.8 mph on a 200-meter course.
- 1982: The Vancouver Canucks beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 to win the Clarence Campbell Conference Finals.
- 1987: Mario Andretti set an impressive one-lap speed record of 218.204 mph at the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race.
- 1994: Lennox Lewis won the heavyweight boxing title in round eight against Phil Jackson with a technical knockout.
- 2009: Marco van Basten resigned as manager of the Dutch football club Ajax.
MLB History
May 6 featured some fantastic plays from the diamond:
- 1915: Babe Ruth hit his first big league home run and pitched 12 innings in a 4-3 loss to the New York Yankees.
- 1925: Ty Cobb hit his fifth home run in two games, tying Cap Anson’s record, set back in 1884.
- 1934: The Boston Red Sox scored 12 runs during the fourth inning of a game against the Detroit Tigers, which included a record-breaking four consecutive triples.
- 1953: Alva “Bobo” Holloman threw a no-hitter against the Philadelphia Athletics in his first game as a pitcher.
- 1984: The Baltimore Orioles’ Cal Ripken Jr. hit for the cycle, helping the Orioles defeat the Texas Rangers 6-1.
- 1998: In only his fifth career start, Kerry Wood struck out 20 batters, tying Roger Clemens for the MLB record for most strikeouts in a single game.
- 2019: Pablo Sandoval became the second player since 1900 to throw a scoreless outing, hit a home run, and steal a base in the same game.
Kentucky Derby
Some of the biggest names in the field came up on May 6:
- 1907: In challenging muddy conditions, Andy Minder won the Derby riding the horse Pink Star, albeit in a slow time of 2:12.6.
- 1978: Steve Cauthen won on Affirmed. It was his first and only Derby victory and the first leg of his Triple Crown win.
- 2000: Kent Desormeaux won riding Fusaichi Pegasus with a time of 2:1.12
To finish off, here are a few fun facts about three standout sports stars from these May 6 statistics: Roger Bannister later became a distinguished neurologist and academic, Jerry Sloan became a two-time All-Star and six-time All-Defensive Team member, earning the nickname “The Original Bull,” and Kerry Wood is one of only five pitchers who have struck out 20 batters in a single nine-inning game — the others are Roger Clemens (twice), Randy Johnson, and Max Scherzer.
