This day in sports: Warren Spahn pitches his second career no-hitter at age 40
On a frigid Friday night in Milwaukee, Warren Spahn, five days past his 40th birthday, pitched his second career no-hitter on this date in 1961 against the San Francisco Giants at County Stadium.
The Braves’ southpaw faced the minimum of 27 batters in a 1-0 shutout, walking Chuck Hiller to open the fourth inning. Hiller was erased when Harvey Kuenn hit into a double play.
The only other pitcher in his 40s to throw a no-hitter was Cy Young, who did it at age 42 in 1908 against the New York Highlanders (now the Yankees).
In baseball games postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic involving local teams, the Dodgers were scheduled Tuesday to play their first interleague game of the season against the Minnesota Twins at Dodger Stadium. The Angels would have traveled to Seattle for the first of two against the Mariners.
A look at some of the biggest moments in sports history that occurred on April 12.
Here is a look at memorable games and outstanding sports performances on this date:
1966 — The Boston Celtics edge the Lakers 95-93 in Game 7 for their eighth consecutive NBA title and ninth overall under coach Red Auerbach, who had announced his retirement earlier. Auerbach is replaced by center Bill Russell, who becomes the first African-American coach of a major U.S. sports team.
1967 — Heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali refuses induction into the U.S. Armed Forces on the basis of being a conscientious objector to the Vietnam war. He is arrested and the New York State Athletic Commission suspends his boxing license and strips him of his title. Ali is unable to resume his career for the next three years.
1982 — Philadelphia’s Pete Rose goes five for five to tie Max Carey for the National League record with nine career five-hit games. The Phillies score six runs in the ninth to beat the Dodgers 9-3 at Dodger Stadium.
1987 — The NBA awards expansion franchises to Charlotte, N.C., and Miami for the 1988 season, and to Minneapolis and Orlando, Fla., for1989. Each organization pays a $32.5 million entry fee.
1995 — Michael Jordan, in his first playoff game since his return from retirement, scores 48 points in the Chicago Bulls’ 108-100 win over the Charlotte Hornets. Jordan had spent the previous year playing minor league baseball for the Chicago White Sox affiliate Birmingham Barons in the Double-A Southern League.
2001 — Colorado’s Patrick Roy sets an NHL record with his 16th career Stanley Cup playoff shutout, making 20 saves in the Avalanche’s 2-0 second-round win over Kings at Denver.
2002 — The Angels beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-5 when shortstop David Eckstein hits a walk-off grand slam in the 14th inning. It is Eckstein’s second grand slam in as many games. He homered the previous day against Toronto.
Raul Mondesi powered the Dodgers to a victory on April 25, 1995, when baseball resumed after a lengthy strike that canceled the 1994 World Series.
2007 — JaMarcus Russell, the 6-foot-6 big-play quarterback from Louisiana State, is the No. 1 overall pick by the Oakland Raiders in the NFL draft.
2010 — Montreal beats Washington 2-1 to complete a come-from-behind 4-3 series victory and eliminate the NHL’s best regular-season team in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Canadiens are the ninth No. 8-seeded team to knock off a No. 1 in 32 matchups since the NHL went to its current playoff format in 1994 — and the first to come back from a 3-1 series deficit.
2011 — Canada’s Patrick Chan wins his first world figure skating title in record fashion. He sets world marks for the free skate and total points at the championships in Moscow. Later, he is named the recipient of the Lou Marsh Award as Canada’s top athlete.
SOURCES: The Times, Associated Press
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