Sports in October are all about the MLB postseason, the start of the NBA and NHL seasons, some big college football games, the Xfinity 500 for NASCAR, track events, the UEFA Champions League, and Formula 1. Over the years, Oct. 17 has witnessed many notable moments and stories involving sporting legends. Here’s a closer look at some of them.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Great moments in sports history on Oct. 17 included:
- 1860: Willie Park Sr. won the British Golf Open by two strokes.
- 1927: Ban Johnson retired as the president of the MLB’s American League.
- 1956: Bobby Fischer defeated the 1953 U.S. Champion, Donald Byrne, in the Rosenwald Memorial Chess Tournament.
- 1964: Betty Cuthbert won her fourth career Olympic gold medal with victory in the 400 meters at the Tokyo Games.
- 1968: The U.S. 4 x 100-meter freestyle relay team set a world record time of 3:31.7 to win the gold medal at the Mexico City Olympic Games.
- 1971: The Pirates beat the Orioles 4-3 to win the World Series. Roberto Clemente was the Most Valuable Player.
- 1974: The New Orleans Jazz began a 28-game road losing streak.
- 1974: The Washington Capitals got their first home victory in franchise history.
- 1974: The Oakland Athletics beat the Los Angeles Dodgers to clinch their third consecutive World Series title, a feat only otherwise accomplished by the New York Yankees.
- 1976: In the coldest World Series game (39°F; 3.89°C), the Reds beat the NY Yankees 4-3 in Game 2 at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati.
- 1978: The Yankees won their 22nd World Series title.
- 1978: The New York Islanders started a streak of 23 undefeated games at home. (15-0-8)
- 1981: Nelson Piquet clinched his first Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship.
- 1982: Robin Yount became the first player in MLB history to have two four-hit games in a World Series.
- 1983: The Green Bay Packers beat the Washington Redskins 48-47 in a wild matchup that set the record for the highest-scoring game in Monday Night Football history.
- 1989: A 6.9 earthquake occurred during a World Series game between the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants.
- 1991: Angel Cordero Jr. became the third jockey to win 7,000 horse races.
- 1991: Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Paul Coffey set the NHL defenseman scoring record with 1,053 career points.
- 1992: The Toronto Blue Jays lost 3-1 to the Atlanta Braves in the first baseball World Series that featured a non-American team.
- 1995: The Cleveland Indians defeated the Seattle Mariners 4-2 to win the American League Pennant.
- 1996: The Atlanta Braves beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-3 to win the National League Pennant.
- 2004: Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz hit a walk-off home run in the 12th inning of Game 4 of the ALCS, sparking the greatest postseason comeback in baseball history against the New York Yankees.
- 2005: Thierry Henry became Arsenal’s all-time leading scorer with two goals against Sparta Prague.
- 2012: Lance Armstrong lost major endorsements due to a doping scandal.
- 2015: Cristiano Ronaldo became Real Madrid’s all-time leading scorer across all competitions.
- 2022: Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema won the Ballon d’Or.
- 2025: Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani broke out of a 3-for-29 postseason slump with three home runs, and he pitched six shutout innings, striking out ten, in a 5-1 win to sweep the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS.
Three athletes who stood out on Oct. 17 were Betty Cuthbert, Robin Yount, and Paul Coffey.
Cuthbert set world records in a celebrated career before retiring in 1964, while Yount’s accolades included two American League MVP awards and three All-Star selections. Coffey won four Stanley Cups and was a three-time Norris Trophy winner as the league’s best defenseman.
