This Day in Sports History: October 11

Notable sports events in October include the MLB playoffs, NBA and NHL preseason games, college football, the Xfinity 500 NASCAR Cup Series race, track meets, the UEFA Champions League, and Formula 1. In past years, Oct. 11 has seen many momentous sports moments and stories from legends of the game. These are some of them.

Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records

Oct. 11 featured the following memorable sporting events:

• 1902: Laurie Auchterlonie won the men’s U.S. Open golf championship, claiming his only major title. He also set a new 72-hole event scoring record.
• 1906: Pitcher Ed Walsh set a record with 12 strikeouts in a World Series game.
• 1911: Ty Cobb and Frank Schulte were named the first MVP winners in MLB.
• 1913: The Philadelphia A’s beat the New York Giants 3-1 at the Polo Grounds to clinch the World Series, four games to one. 
• 1927: Lou Gehrig was named the American League MVP.
• 1943: The Yankees beat the Cardinals 2-0 to secure their 10th World Series title.
• 1948: The Indians defeated the Braves 4-2, claiming their second World Series championship.
• 1967: Carl Yastrzemski, Reggie Smith, and Rico Petrocelli hit three consecutive home runs as the Red Sox beat the Cardinals 8-4 in Game 6 of the World Series. 
• 1971: The United States beat Romania to clinch the Davis Cup.
• 1971: Brooks Robinson set a World Series record by reaching base five consecutive times.
• 1975: The Islanders’ Bryan Trottier got his first career hat trick.
• 1978: Dodgers pitcher Bob Welch dramatically struck out Reggie Jackson in the ninth.
• 1980: The Dallas Mavericks played their first NBA game and beat the San Antonio Spurs 103-92.
• 1991: Chip Beck shot a 59 in the third round of the Las Vegas Invitational, tying the PGA record for the lowest 18-hole score.
• 1992: Deion Sanders tried to play in an NFL game and an MLB game on the same day, but the Braves manager Bobby Cox didn’t let him play.
• 1997: Dennis Rodman returned from the second-longest suspension in NBA history at the time, an 11-game ban. 
• 1999: Pedro Martinez threw six no-hit innings in relief, helping the Red Sox win the American League Division Series.
• 2009: The U.S. beat the International team and got their second straight Presidents Cup.
• 2015: The United States won the Presidents Cup for the sixth time in a row.
• 2018: Thierry Henry became the new head coach of the AS Monaco football club.
• 2020: British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won the Eifel Grand Prix at Germany’s Nürburgring to equal Michael Schumacher’s record of 91 Formula 1 victories.
• 2020: Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 to win his 20th Grand Slam singles title and record-extending 13th French Open title. 
• 2020: LA Lakers beat Miami Heat 106-93 in Game 6 to win a record-equalling 17th title; MVP: LeBron James; first to win the award with three different teams.
• 2020: Sei Young Kim won the Women’s PGA Championship. It was her first major title and she shot a tournament record total of 266.

The outstanding athletes on Oct. 11 were Bryan Trottier, Deion Sanders, and Pedro Martinez.

Trottier earned multiple individual awards, including the Hart, Art Ross, Calder, and Conn Smythe Trophies, and was a key part of the Islanders’ 1980s dynasty. Sanders’ fame stems from being the only person to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series, his charismatic personality, nicknames such as “Prime Time,” his flashy style, and his electrifying touchdowns. Martinez was an eight-time All-Star and a three-time Cy Young Award winner who pitched for the Boston Red Sox and won a World Series title in 2004.