1988: Matt Biondi of Palo Alto, Calif., won his fifth gold medal at the Seoul Olympics, falling two short of Mark Spitz’s seven in 1972 when he swam the butterfly leg on the United States 4×100-meter medley relay. A powerful 6 feet 6 inches and 200 pounds, Biondi won eight gold medals over all in three Olympics (Los Angeles 1984, Seoul ’88, Barcelona ’92).

1962: Sonny Liston of St. Louis knocked out the two-time champion Floyd Patterson at 2 minutes 6 seconds of the first round with two lefts and a devastating right to win the world heavyweight championship at Comiskey Park in Chicago. The glowering Liston got into boxing while serving time for robbery at the Missouri State Penitentiary.

1989: Wade Boggs of the Boston Red Sox collected 200 hits for a major leaguerecord seventh straight season when he went four for five in a 7‚4 victory over the Yankees at Fenway Park. He won five batting titles during those seasons, with a high of .368 in 1985.

TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

1907       Pirates third baseman Honus Wagner, in the 14-1 rout of New York at the Polo Grounds, swipes four bases, including second, third, and home in the second inning. Outfielder Fred Clarke also has four stolen bases for Pittsburgh.

1925       When Rogers Hornsby refuses to play a game against the Robins, he is fined $500 by the Cardinals and suspended for the remainder of the season. The Redbird infielder claims to be feeling ill despite the opinion of the team doctor, who believes that the infielder is well enough to take the field.

1929       During the fifth inning of the Red Sox-Yankee contest at Fenway Park, all the players are summoned to home plate and are told a telegram had just arrived announcing the death of New York manager Miller Huggins. The crowd rises and the centerfield flag lowered to half-staff when home plate umpire Bill McGowan requests a moment of silence in memory of the Bronx Bomber skipper.

1930       With four games remaining in the campaign, Cubs skipper Joe McCarthy (442-331) ‘resigns’ and is replaced by Rogers Hornsby, who was recently named by owner William Wrigley Jr. as Chicago’s player-manager for next year. McCarthy, who was not offered a contract for the upcoming season with his team still mathematically alive in the pennant race, will agree in October to manage New York, where he will win seven World Series in his 15 seasons with the Yankees.

1932       At home, the sixth-place Cardinals end the season with a split of a doubleheader against Pittsburgh, having drawn 279,219 fans during the season to Sportsman’s Park. The Columbus Red Birds, the team’s minor league affiliate in the American Association, outdraw their parent club, attracting over 310,000 patrons, thanks to a new stadium, night games, and radio broadcasts.

1941       Combined with a Cardinal defeat, the Dodgers win their first pennant in 21 years when they beat Boston at Braves Field, 6-0. Whitlow Wyatt throws a five-hitter, and Pete Reiser hits a homer in the winning cause.

1949       In front of a cheering crowd of 33,977 attending the Indians’ final home game, Charley Lupica, after spending 113 days in the air waiting for the Tribe to take first place or be eliminated from the pennant race, climbs down from his flagpole perch, which was recently shifted five miles from his confectionery store to the ballpark on a hydraulic lift. After the wobbly loyal fan kisses the Municipal Stadium’s home plate, he receives a new automobile from team owner Bill Veeck, in addition to receiving a 50-foot flagpole as a souvenir.

1954       A crowd of 14,175 Fenway faithful fans pays tribute to retiring Red Sox outfielder Ted Williams, who is playing his last game at home. The Splendid Splinter’s retirement lasts only until May when his divorce becomes finalized, keeping his contract from being part of the settlement.

1954       Early Wynn loses his bid for a no-hitter when the Tigers scratch out two ninth-inning hits, producing a meaningless run in the Indians’ 11-1 triumph at Cleveland Stadium. The victory is the Tribe’s 111th of the season, surpassing the 1927 Yankees for the wins in American League history.

1955       Al Kaline, at the age of 20, becomes the youngest player to win a batting title, finishing his sophomore season with a .340 average. Ty Cobb was one day older than the Tiger outfielder when he claimed the crown, batting .350 in 1907, also playing for Detroit.

1956       Dodger right-hander Sal Maglie no-hits the Phillies at Ebbets Field, 5-0. The ‘Barber’s’ gem helps second-place Brooklyn to keep pace in the pennant race with Milwaukee and Cincinnati.

1960       The Yankees clinched the American League flag with a 4-3 victory over Boston at Fenway Park. The title will be 70 year-old Casey Stengel’s tenth and last pennant after being dismissed and replaced by the team’s hitting coach Ralph Houk when the Bronx Bombers lose the World Series to Pirates in seven games.

1962       After appearing in 60 games over a two-year span, Dodger reliever Ed Roebuck suffers his first loss. The LA right-hander gives up a 10th inning home run to Houston’s Al Spangler, breaking the 2-2 deadlock at Chavez Ravine.

1963       Team owner August A. Busch announces the Cardinals will permanently retire Stan Musial’s uniform number 6. ‘Stan the Man’ is also appointed the Redbirds’ vice president, a duty he’ll begin at the end of this season after completing his 22-year Hall of Fame career as a player.

1965       Satchel Paige, at the alleged age of 60, becomes the oldest player ever to appear in a major league game. The future Hall of Fame right-hander blanks Boston for three innings, striking out one and giving up a lone hit to Carl Yastrzemski as the starter in the A’s 5-2 victory at KC’s Municipal Stadium.

1965       At age 34, Willie Mays becomes the oldest player to slug 50 home runs in a season. The Giants’ center fielder was also the youngest to accomplish the feat, hitting 51 homers in 1955.

1965       Mudcat Grant throws a one-hitter to beat the Senators at D.C. Stadium, 5-0, becoming the first black player in the American League to win twenty games. Don Blasingame’s third-inning double spoils the 30 year-old right-hander’s bid for a no-hitter.

1965       Willie Mays, who hit 51 round-trippers in 1955, joins Ralph Kiner as only the second National Leaguer to have more than one 50-home run season. The milestone homer, a fourth-inning two-run blast off Bob Sadowski, helps the Giants to beat Milwaukee at Candlestick Park, 7-5.

1966       The Mets, for the first time in the five-year history of the franchise, will not end their season in last place. The Amazins, who will finish ahead of the Cubs, clinch ninth place by beating Cincinnati at Crosley Field, 8-4.

1968       After going for 1-for-3, Mickey Mantle, with two outs in the ninth inning, steps up to the plate for his last Yankee Stadium at-bat. The aging superstar works out a walk against Cleveland starter Luis Tiant, who will strike out the next batter to complete a 3-0 complete-game victory at the Bronx ballpark.

1973       It’s Willie Mays Night in Flushing as the Mets honor the fan favorite in an emotional ceremony at Shea Stadium after their 2-1 victory over Montreal. The ‘Say Hey Kid’ tells the crowd, “Just to hear you cheer like this for me and not be able to do anything about it makes me a very sad man. This is my farewell.”

1974       In the first-of-its-kind operation, Dr. Frank Jobe transplants a tendon from Tommy John’s right wrist to the Dodger pitcher’s left elbow. The revolutionary ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, which will become a standard surgical procedure better known as Tommy John surgery, enables the southpaw to win an additional 164 games, more than half of his career total of 288 victories.

1975       Randy Jones, with San Diego’s 6-5 victory over Los Angeles, becomes the first 20-game winner in the seven-year history of the franchise. Two seasons ago, the southpaw led the National League in losses with 22 defeats for the Friars.

1979       Behind the solid pitching of Frank Tanana, the Angels defeat the Royals, 4-1, to win their first American League West title. Jim Fregosi’s 88-74 team, which will finish three games ahead of second-place Kansas City, will lose the best-of-five ALCS to Baltimore in four games.

1980       The Padres become the first team in baseball history to have three players to steal more than 50 bases in a season when both Jerry Mumphrey and Ozzie Smith swipe their 50th sack in a 5-3 extra-inning loss to Cincinnati. Fellow Friar Gene Richard, who will lead the club with 61 stolen bases, reached the milestone at the end of last month.

1980       Brian Kingman loses his 20th game when the A’s are defeated by the White Sox at the Oakland Coliseum, 6-4. The 26 year-old right-hander, who will win his next decision to finish the season with an 8-20 record, will become the last 20-game loser of this century, and the first to hurl for a winning team since Dolf Luque posted a 13-23 mark for the 1922 second-place Reds.

1984       New York’s pinch-hitter Rusty Staub becomes only the second player to hit a round-tripper as a teenager and one after his 40th birthday when he blasts a walk-off home run off Larry Anderson to give the Mets a 6-4 victory over Philadelphia at Shea Stadium. Ty Cobb was the first major leaguer to accomplish the feat.

1986       The Orioles suffer the 82nd of their 89 defeats this season, a 9-3 loss to Milwaukee at County Stadium, assuring the Birds will finish below .500 for the first time in 18 seasons. The last time Baltimore lost more games than it won in a campaign was in 1967 when the sixth-place team compiled a 76-85 record under Hank Bauer.

1986       The Astros win the National League West when Mike Scott doesn’t yield a hit in his 2-0 complete-game victory over the Giants. The game marks the first time a title has been clinched with a no-hitter, although Allie Reynolds’ second no-no of the season assured the Yankees a tie for the 1951 American League pennant.

1987       A’s rookie Mark McGwire sets an Oakland team record for home runs, going deep for the 48th time this season when he connects off Bobby Thigpen in the bottom ninth inning to tie the score in the team’s eventual extra-inning 2-1 loss to the White Sox. The 23 year-old first baseman’s Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum round-tripper breaks the mark Reggie Jackson established in 1969.

1987       Benito Santiago sets the modern (post-1900) major league record for rookies with a first-inning single, extending his streak to 27 consecutive games with a hit. The 22 year-old Padres catcher surpasses the previous standard by set in 1943 by White Sox outfielder Guy Curtright, and ties James Williams, who established the all-time longest hitting streak by a freshman while playing for the 1899 Pirates.

1989       The Red Sox announce the team will not exercise its option on 39 year-old Jim Rice, who will retire at the end of the season. Also, Bob Stanley, the club’s all-time save leader with 173, reports he will also call it quits when this year’s campaign is over.

1989       Wade Boggs extends his own modern major league record when he collects his 200th hit for the seventh consecutive season. The Red Sox third baseman goes 4-for-5 in Boston’s 7-4 victory over the Yankees at Fenway Park.

1996       Giants slugger Barry Bonds draws an intentional walk which gives him the National League record with 149 bases-on-balls in a season. The free pass is issued in the seventh inning by LA’s Mark Guthrie with two outs and a runner on third base in the team’s 7-5 loss at Dodger Stadium.

1997       NBC’s hit TV show “ER” airs live and uses the Cubs telecast in the background in various scenes to authenticate the telecast’s claim of not being pre-recorded. The medical drama cuts to the game just as Brad Ausmus hits a three-run homer, much to the delight of the Astros’ catcher, who is taping his favorite program to watch later, not knowing he would be part of the cast.

1997       Eleven years to the day that the club won their last title, the Astros clinch the NL Central Division by beating the Cubs, 9-1. Houston manages to capture the flag despite being only five games over .500.

1997       Joe Carter, donning uniform number 43 to honor recently fired manager Cito Gaston, becomes the Blue Jays career home run leader, hitting his 203rd round-tripper in a 4-3 victory over Baltimore. George Bell, who spent nine seasons in Toronto, had previously set the franchise mark in 1990.

1997       Pedro Martinez records his final strikeout for the Expos, fanning Dale Daulton in the Montreal’s 3-2 victory over Florida at Olympic Stadium. The 25 year-old right-hander, who will be traded to the Red Sox in the off-season for Carl Pavano and Tony Armas, establishes a franchise record with his 305th strikeout of the season.

1998       The Bronx Bombers, with a 6-1 win over the Devil Rays, set an American League record with their 112th win. The 1906 Cubs, who finished the season with a 116-36 record, are the only team to end a campaign with more victories than the 1998 Yankees.

1998       Sammy Sosa hits #66 and his final round-tripper of the season, a 462-foot blast at the Astrodome, to take the lead in the home run race. Less than an hour later, Mark McGwire will also hit his 66th, en route to his record-setting 70, in the Cardinals’ 6-5 victory over Montreal, tying the Cub outfielder in the historic home run race.

1998       Ken Griffey, Jr. hits his league-leading 56th homer of the season and 350th of his career, becoming the youngest player ever to reach the milestone. The 28 year-old outfielder drives in five runs in the Mariners’ 15-4 rout of Texas, who still manages to cop their second consecutive American League West Division title thanks to an Anaheim loss to Kansas City.

1999       For the first time in fifty years, a major leaguer drives in 159 runs when Manny Ramirez gets two RBIs in the Indians’ 9-6 victory over the Blue Jays at the SkyDome. The Cleveland right fielder, who will finish the season with 165 ribbies, matches Ted Williams’ and Vern Stephens’ output with the Red Sox in 1949.

2000       For only the second time since 1900, three teams play in the same twin bill when the Indians beat the White Sox in the opener, 9-2, and then lose the nightcap to the Twins, 4-3 at the Jake. In 1951 at Sportsman’s Park, the Cardinals played host to the Giants, winning 6-4 before bowing to the Braves, 2-0.

2001       Richie Sexson and Jeromy Burnitz both hit three home runs in the Brewers’ 9-4 victory over Arizona at Bank One Ballpark. The teammates’ accomplishment marks the first time in major league history that two players on the same team have gone deep three times in the same game.

2003       Sammy Sosa becomes the first National Leaguer to have at least 100-RBIs nine seasons in a row. The Cubs’ right fielder surpasses Mel Ott and Willie Mays, who had accomplished the feat eight straight seasons and joins Rafael Palmeiro and Jimmie Foxx as the only players in major league history to hit 35 home runs and 100 RBI for nine consecutive seasons.

2003       Carlos Delgado becomes the 15th player in big-league history and only the fifth American League player to hit four home runs in one game. The Blue Jays’ first baseman’s first homer was the 300th of his career, and his barrage gives him 41 for the season.

2003       Friends, family, associates, and former players gather at Shea Stadium on Bob Murphy Appreciation Night to honor the long-time broadcaster. Following the pregame ceremonies, the Hall of Famer, who started with the Mets in their inaugural season in 1962, will call the last of his more than 6,000 games for the team.

2007       Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder becomes the youngest major leaguer to hit 50 home runs in a season, going deep twice in the team’s 9-1 victory over the Cardinals at Miller Park. The 23 year-old cleanup hitter and his father, Cecil, who hit 51 round-trippers with the Tigers in 1990 are the first father-and-son tandem to accomplished the feat.

2008       The Diamondbacks, defending division champions, lose to St. Louis, 12-3, allowing the Dodgers to clinch the NL West. Los Angeles first-year skipper Joe Torre’s 13-year postseason streak continues, unlike the Yankees, his former team.

2008       Roy Halladay, giving up six hits and two runs in his ninth complete game of the season, posts his second 20-win season with an 8-2 victory over the Yankees at the Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays right-hander, en route to the Cy Young Award, compiled a 22-7 record in 2003.

2008       Mark Reynolds strikes out for the 200th time, breaking the major league record set last year by Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard. The Diamondbacks third baseman will extend the dubious mark to 204 by season’s end.

2009       David Wright, playing a position which the team was unable to field a reliable everyday player on a consistent basis for decades, establishes a franchise record by starting is his 836th game at third base for the Mets, surpassing his hitting coach and friend Howard Johnson. More than 120 players, beginning in 1962 with Don Zimmer, have appeared at the hot corner for the team, but only ten have appeared in as many as 200 games during the club’s 47-year history.

2009       New York clears the fence for the 127th time at the new Yankee Stadium to break the franchise record for most home runs hit by the team at home. Alex Rodriguez’s third-inning poke off Jon Lester in the Bronx Bombers’ 9-5 victory over Boston puts this year’s squad ahead of the 2004 and 2005 clubs, who both went deep 126 times in the old stadium.

2010       In the game in which he sets a team record for striking out, Brandon Inge drives in the winning run with a walk-off single in the 13th inning of the Tigers’ 11-10 victory over Minnesota. The Detroit third baseman, with the second of his three whiffs, surpasses the franchise record of 1,099, playing more than 1,000 fewer games than Lou Whitaker, who previously held the infamous mark.

2010       Bobby Cox, who will retire after the season ends, earns his 2,500th major league victory as a manager when the Braves blank Washington at Nationals Park, 5-0. The veteran skipper joins Connie Mack, John McGraw, and Tony La Russa as the fourth field boss to reach this milestone.

2010       Neftali Feliz records his 38th save of the season when he limits the A’s to one hit in an inning and a third of work in the Rangers’ 4-3 victory in Oakland. The freshman closer surpasses Mariners’ Kazuhiro Sasaki’s mark of 37 in 2000, establishing the record for the most saves by a rookie closer.

2012       With Zack Greinke fanning 13 batters during his five-inning outing and the bullpen adding another seven, the Angels’ staff combines for 20 strikeouts in the team’s 5-4 victory over Seattle, tying the record for the most ever recorded in a nine-inning game. The Anaheim starter’s performance makes him the first hurler since 1920 to whiff 13 opponents in an outing that lasts less than six innings.

2013       In the final game he plays at Coors Field, Todd Helton homers in his first at-bat, a second-inning solo shot in Colorado’s 15-5 loss to Boston. The 40 year-old first baseman, who announced his retirement last week, has spent his entire 17-year career with the Rockies.

2014       Derek Jeter makes his last game at Yankee Stadium very memorable when he drives in the winning run in the ninth inning with an opposite-field one-out single off of Evan Meek in the team’s 6-5 walk-off win over Baltimore. The Captain’s heroics help the Bronx Bombers overcome blowing a three-run lead in the top of the frame.

2015       “I owe too much to this organization for the next two years to risk getting hurt for an incentive. My outing (Sept. 12) got rained out and the last inning of my last start got rained out, so for whatever reason, it wasn’t meant to be. There’s a lot bigger problems out there. I’m proud of my season.” – PHIL HUGHES, explaining why he turned an offer to pitch for a $500,000 bonus

Phil Hughes, who finished the final start of his season one out short of reaching 210 innings to receive a $500,000 contract incentive because of yesterday’s 66-minute rain delay, is given the opportunity to make a brief relief appearance for the Twins. The right-hander turns down the club’s offer, saying he also he would not have any interest in merely being given the bonus that is worth half-a-million dollars.

2017       In the second inning of the Cubs’ 10-2 rout of the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, Addison Russell dives into the stands chasing a foul ball, spilling a fan’s nachos onto the playing field. In the following frame, the Chicago shortstop hand delivers a fresh order of tortilla covered with cheese to the grateful Redbird fan.

2018       Max Scherzer strikes out 300 batters in a single season when he whiffs Marlins rookie Austin Dean, after a ten-pitch at-bat. The Washington ace in his final appearance of the year fans ten hitters to precisely reach the plateau in the team’s 9-4 victory at Nationals Park, becoming just the third pitcher to accomplish the feat in the past 15 years.