This Day in Sports History: October 9

Featured sports throughout October include MLB, NBA, and NHL preseason games, college football games, the Xfinity 500 NASCAR Cup Series race, track and field, the UEFA Champions League, and Formula 1. Oct. 9 has seen many momentous sports events and legendary stories over the years. Here are some of them.

Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records

Oct. 9 has seen these significant sports events:

• 1909: Ty Cobb stole home in a World Series game.
• 1916: Before he became a legendary slugger, Babe Ruth was a dominant pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. On this day, he pitched all 14 innings of a 2-1 victory over the Brooklyn Robins, throwing 13 consecutive scoreless frames in the longest game in World Series history.
• 1919: The Reds beat the White Sox to win the World Series 5-3.
• 1921: Babe Ruth hit his first World Series home run.
• 1934: The Cardinals beat the Tigers in Game 7 of the World Series and won their third championship.
• 1938: The Rams and Bears played one of only four penalty-free games in NFL history.
• 1943: No. 1 Notre Dame faced off against No. 2 Michigan in the first college football game to feature the top two teams in the national media poll. Notre Dame dominated the historic meeting, winning 35-12.
• 1949: The Yankees beat the Dodgers 4-1 to claim the first of their five straight World Series titles.
• 1951: Gil McDougald hit a World Series grand slam for the Yankees.
• 1961: The Yankees won their 19th World Series title.
• 1965: The United States defeated Great Britain in the Ryder Cup.
• 1966: The Baltimore Orioles completed a stunning four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 1-0 win in Game 4, securing the first World Series championship in franchise history.
• 1974: The Washington Capitals played in their first NHL game, losing 6-3 to the New York Rangers.
• 1983: Buffalo Bills quarterback Joe Ferguson threw for 419 yards and scored five touchdowns, leading his team to a 38-35 overtime victory over the Dolphins.
• 1988: In the ninth Rugby League World Cup, Australia beat New Zealand 25-12.
• 1988: Pitcher Dennis Eckersley became the first pitcher to save all four games in a championship series.
• 1989: Art Shell became the first African American to coach an NFL game in the league’s modern era. Shell’s Raiders defeated the Jets 14-7.
• 1991: The San Jose Sharks beat Calgary 4-3 to score their first NHL win.
• 1997: University of North Carolina’s Dean Smith, the winningest coach in college basketball, retired.
• 1997: The New York Rangers became the first NHL team to open with four consecutive ties.
• 2011: Sebastian Vettel clinched his second consecutive Formula 1 drivers’ championship.
• 2022: Emily Sisson ran a U.S. women’s record of 2:18.29 at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon.
• 2022: Max Verstappen won his second straight Formula 1 drivers’ championship.

Among these events on Oct. 9, three athletes stood out: Dennis Eckersley, Art Shell, and Emily Sisson.

Eckersley, known for his unique career as both a successful starting pitcher and a Hall of Fame-level closer, is the only pitcher in history to achieve 100 wins and 100 saves. Before becoming a coach, Shell was a dominant blocker who helped lead the Raiders to three Super Bowl victories. Sisson is a professional American long-distance runner who set U.S. records in both the marathon and half-marathon during her career.