1988: Four days after setting a world record of 10.49 seconds in the 100 meters at the Seoul Olympics, Florence Griffith Joyner of the United States set a world mark of 21.34 seconds in the 200. The first mark broke the 1984 record of 10.76 seconds by Evelyn Ashford of the United States; the second shattered the joint standard of 21.71 by Marita Koch and Heike Drechsler of East Germany in the 70’s and 80’s.

1991: The United States regained the Ryder Cup with a 141/2‚131/2 victory over Europe on the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, S.C. Bernhard Langer of Germany missed a six-foot putt on the 18th hole in the deciding match, giving Hale Irwin a tie and the half-point the United States needed for the victory.

1996: Jeff Gordon raced to his 10th Nascar victory of the year in the farewell Winston Cup race at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina, giving him a seemingly insurmountable 111-point lead over his teammate Terry Labonte for the season’s title. But consistent finishes pay: Labonte, despite just two victories, had just enough of them to win the driver’s title.

TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

1897       Although he gives up 14 runs on 17 hits, Dave Wright of the Chicago Colts (Cubs) wins his first and only major league game. The 21 year-old Dennison, Ohio native is the beneficiary of Chicago’s 11-run fifth inning when the club beats the Pirates, 15-14.

1902       On the last day of the season, the Browns and the White Sox decide to use an assortment of seven infielders and outfielders on the mound instead of relying on their pitching staffs. Chicago’s flychaser Sam Mertes earns the victory, and the Browns’ left fielder Jesse Burkett takes the loss in the Pale Hose’s 10-4 victory at Sportsman’s Park, making it the last time the winning and losing pitchers were both position players in the same game until 2012, when Chris Davis of the Orioles and Darnell McDonald of the Red Sox also accomplished the feat in Baltimore’s 17-inning victory at Fenway Park.

1919       In the first game of a twin bill on the last day of the season, the Giants need only 51 minutes to defeat the Phillies, 6-1. The Polo Grounds contest is the shortest nine-inning game ever played in the major leagues.

1920       Eight White Sox players are indicted by the grand jury on charges of fixing last season’s World Series against the Reds. The eight members involved in the ‘Black Sox Scandal’ will be cleared of the charges by the court, but on the same day, they will be banned for life from baseball by Kenesaw Mountain Landis, baseball’s first commissioner.

1920       Jim Bagby wins his 30th game, en route to posting a 31-12 record, when the Indians beat the Browns, 9-5. The 30 year-old right-hander helps his cause by stroking two doubles and driving in two runs in the Sportsman’s Park contest.

1923       At Yankee Stadium, the Bronx Bombers beat the Red Sox, 24-4. En route to their one-sided victory, New York bangs out thirty hits in the game to set an American League record.

1924       Rogers Hornsby finishes the season with a .424 batting average to lead the National League. The Cardinal second baseman easily outdistances Zack Wheat, who finishes second in the race, batting .375 for the Dodgers.

1930       In a 13-11 season-finale victory over the Reds, Cubs outfielder Hack Wilson drives in his 189th and 190th run of the season to establish a new major league record. The total will be revised to 191 in 1999 after baseball’s historian Jerome Holtzman finds a missing RBI in a game played in July of 1930.

1930       As a Yankee, Babe Ruth returns to the mound after a nine-year absence at Fenway Park and pitches a complete game, beating the Red Sox at Fenway Park, 9-3. The last time the ‘Bambino’ took the mound, he defeated the A’s at the end of the 1921 season.

1938       In the ninth inning at Wrigley Field, Gabby Hartnett’s ‘Homer in the Gloamin’ gives the Cubs a 6-5 victory. Their ninth consecutive win proves to be significant in Chicago’s quest of the National League pennant.

1939       The Reds, ending a 20-year title drought, clinch their first pennant since 1919 when the team beats the second-place Cardinals at Crosley Field, 5-3. Right-hander Paul Derringer goes the distance, giving up 14 hits en route to his 25th victory of the season.

1941       Batting .399955, Ted Williams elects to play in a doubleheader against the A’s on the final day of the season rather than to back into the coveted .400 average because the number is rounded up. The ‘Splendor Splinter’ comes through by going 6-for-8 in the twin bill to finish the season with a .4057 mark (.406).

1947       Harry Walker hits .363 to win the National League batting title during the season he is traded to the Phillies, after appearing in just ten games with the World Champion Cardinals, a team in which he played a pivotal role. The ‘Hat’s older brother, Dixie, also won a batting crown the Senior Circuit with a .357 BA for Brooklyn in 1944.

1947       On the final day of the season in front of 23,085 fans, the Yankees stage the first Old-Timers’ Day in major league history. The team’s signature event, the brain child of general manager Larry MacPhail and public relations director Red Paterson, is held to honor an ailing Babe Ruth.

1948       A crowd of 60,405 attends Joe Early Night at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium. The 26 year-old night watchman wrote Bill Veeck asking why an average fan never gets a ‘Day’, and the Indians’ owner responded by giving the World War II veteran a spectacular day of his own.

1951       In the first game of a twin bill, Yankees right-hander Allie Reynolds no-hits the Red Sox, 8-0, setting the stage for the team to clinch their third consecutive pennant with a victory in the nightcap. ‘Superchief’, who is one-quarter Creek, accomplishes his second no-hitter of the season on American Indian Day when he gets Ted Williams to pop up for the second time to the same spot in the at-bat, after the first catchable pop fly is dropped by Yogi Berra, for the final out of the game.

1952       On the last day of the season at Ebbets Field, the Braves’ 77 years of representing Boston is extended by three innings when Eddie Mathews’ ninth-inning, two-out double ties the game. The contest is called due to darkness and ends in the 12th inning in a 5-5 tie with the Dodgers.

1953       Reversing their decision from last season, the American League owners unanimously agree on moving the Browns from St. Louis to Baltimore, where the franchise will become known as the Orioles. The 54-100 team finishes last in attendance, averaging only 3,860 fans a game at Sportsman’s Park, including yesterday’s crowd of 3,174 in the franchise finale in St. Louis.

1955       In the bottom of the second inning, Elston Howard, in his first World Series at-bat, knots the score at two to two when he homers off Dodgers’ right-hander Don Newcombe. The round-tripper to deep left field at Yankee Stadium marks the first time a black batter has hit a home run off a black pitcher in the history of the Fall Classic.

1958       On the last day of the season, Gus Triandos steals his first and only base of his 13-year major league career, swiping the bag off off rookie pitcher Zach Monroe and third-string catcher Darrell Johnson, who are playing to give the Yankees regular battery a day off before the upcoming Fall Classic. The 28 year-old Orioles backstop will play a record 1,206 games consecutive games without ever being caught stealing a base.

1958       Red Sox outfielder, going 7-for-11 to end the season, Ted Williams becomes the first 40 year-old to lead the league in hitting and wins his sixth and final batting title. The ‘Splendid Splinter’s’ .328 batting average beats out his teammate Pete Runnels, who goes 0-for-4 today and ends up the campaign with a .322 mark.

1958       On the last day of the season, Dave Philley establishes a big-league record by getting his eighth consecutive pinch hit. The seventh inning run-producing double helps the Phillies beat the Pirates at Forbes Field, 6-4.

1958       On the last day of the season at Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field, Richie Ashburn goes 3-for-4, including a tenth inning single, to capture his second batting crown. The Phillies center fielder, who also led the league in 1955, ends the season with a batting average of .350, three points higher than Giants slugger Willie Mays.

1959       The Braves, who ended the National League regular season in a first-place tie with the Dodgers, lose Game 1 of the three-game series, 3-2, in front of a sparse crowd of 18,297 at County Stadium. Milwaukee will lose tomorrow’s game in L.A., spoiling their chance for a three-peat as NL Champs.

1960       In his last major league appearance, an at-bat that will be immortalized by John Updike’s Hub fans bid Kid Adieu, Ted Williams homers off Orioles’ hurler Jack Fischer. The Boston writer’s explanation of why the 41 year-old superstar did not acknowledge the Fenway faithful’s thunderous ovation is because “Gods do not answer letters”.

1962       In front of only 595 fans at Wrigley Field, the Cubs (58-101) beat the Mets (39-118) in the first meeting in major league history between two 100-loss teams before the series begins. The New York expansion team will split the remaining two games in Chicago to finish the season 40-120, establishing the record for the most losses in baseball’s modern-era.

1965       Dave Morehead takes the loss when the Angels beat the Red Sox at Fenway Park, 4-3. The defeat is the right-hander’s tenth consecutive defeat at the hands of the Halos, establishing a new American League record.

1966       At Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Larry Jaster throws a four-hitter, blanking Don Sutton and the Dodgers, 2-0. It’s the southpaw’s fifth shutout against LA this season, equaling a post-1900 major league mark held by the Senators’ Tom Hughes (against the Indians in 1905) and Grover Cleveland Alexander of the Phillies (against the Reds in 1916).

1968       Blanked by the combined efforts of Angel hurlers Marty Pattin and Jim McGlothlin, the White Sox lose their ninth 1-0 decision of the season. The defeat ties an American League record, matching the mark established by the 1914 Yankees.

1968       Although the future Hall of Famer gives up 16 hits, Giants’ right-hander Gaylord Perry goes the distance, earning a 10-4 victory over the Reds at Crosley Field. Cincinnati’s 14 singles and two doubles cannot overcome their two errors and a three-run poke by Willie McCovey.

1974       At Anaheim Stadium, Angel Nolan Ryan strikes out 15 batters when he no-hits the Twins, 4-0. The no-no is the third of seven the Alvin, Texas native will toss during his career, and the third of the four hitless games he hurls for the Halos.

1975       In a tune-up for the ALCS against the Angels, A’s pitchers Vida Blue, Glenn Abbott, Paul Lindblad, and Rollie Fingers share a no-hitter. It is the first time four pitchers have accomplished such a feat.

1976       At Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Giants hurler John Montefusco no-hits the Braves, 9-0. The ‘Count’ is almost perfect, giving up just a leadoff walk to Jerry Royster in the fourth inning.

1979       In a twin bill at Busch Stadium, Cardinal infielder Garry Templeton collects three hits against the Mets to become the first player to get 100 hits from each side of the plate. The St. Louis shortstop bats just right-handed during the last nine games to establish the unprecedented switch-hitting mark.

1982       Although the Twins stake Terry Felton to a 3-0 lead in the nightcap of a twin bill, the Blue Jays tie the score, knocking out the hard-luck pitcher from his last major league game. The no-decision leaves the 24 year-old right hander with a lifetime mark of 0-16, a major league record for most career losses without recording a victory.

1982       At Toronto’s Exhibition Stadium, right hander Jim Clancy is perfect until he faces Randy Bush leading off the ninth inning. The Twins designated hitter ruins the bid for perfection with a broken-bat single to right field, and the Blue Jays starter has to settle for a one-hitter, beating Minnesota, 3-0.

1983       At Wrigley Field, the Phillies clinch the National League East championship with a 13-6 victory over Chicago. The clincher is the team’s 7000th win in franchise history.

1987       Royals’ Kevin Seitzer becomes the first rookie in 23 years to collect 200 hits in a season. Dick Allen and Tony Oliva both accomplished the feat in 1964.

1988       In Seoul, South Korea, Jim Abbott, born without a right hand, goes the distance en route to a 5-3 victory over Japan to win the Olympic Gold medal for the United States. After the game, the Japanese players, in a display of great respect, line up to congratulate the former University of Michigan pitcher who had just beaten them.

1988       In his last start of the regular season, Dodger Orel Hershiser tosses 10 shutout frames to extend his streak to 59, breaking Don Drysdale’s record of 58 consecutive scoreless innings.

1990       The scoreboard at Old Comiskey Park ‘explodes’ for the last time when Frank Thomas goes deep off Randy Johnson in the seventh inning of a 13-4 loss to Seattle. The Monster, which has shot off fireworks whenever a White Sox player hit a home run since 1960, was an innovation of team owner Bill Veeck, who was inspired by the design of a pinball machine.

1995       A fan takes exception when a Cub reliever gives up two-run, pinch-hit home run to James Mouton, giving the Astros an eighth inning 9-7 lead. As the Houston pinch-hitter rounds the bases, the 27 year-old spectator runs out of the stands and heads toward the mound, where he is immediately pinned by Randy Myers, who in addition to his pitching prowess, is well trained in the martial arts.

1995       Greg Harris becomes the first post-1900 major leaguer to pitch ambidextrously. The Expos reliever, in his ninth inning appearance, blanks the Reds, facing four batters, two as a right-hander, his natural side, and the other two as a southpaw.

1996       The Rockies’ Ellis Burks becomes the fourth player to hit 40 home runs and swipe 30 bases in a single season when he goes deep off Dan Carlson with an eighth-inning solo shot in the team’s 8-5 loss to the Giants at Coors Field. The 32 year-old Colorado outfielder joins Hank Aaron (1963 Braves), Jose Canseco (1988 A’s), and Barry Bonds (1996 Giants) in accomplishing the feat.

1996       The Devil Rays become the second team to sign a working agreement with a Japanese professional team. Tampa Bay signs a two-year contract with the Seibu Lions, which includes a four-year option extending the deal through 2002.

1997       With his 40th home run, catcher Mike Piazza sets a single season Los Angeles Dodger record. Duke Snider holds the franchise record, slugging 43 round-trippers for Brooklyn in 1956.

1997       Tony Gwynn equals Honus Wagner’s record by winning his eighth National League batting title when he finishes the season with a .372 batting average. The Padres outfielder becomes the first player to win four consecutive NL batting crowns since Rogers Hornsby accomplished the feat with the Cardinals, winning six straight titles between 1920 and 1925.

1997       Toronto’s Roger Clemens goes 8.1 innings against his former team, but doesn’t get a decision when the Blue Jays score two runs in the bottom of the ninth and beat Boston in a 3-2 come-from-behind victory. The right-hander will finish the season with a 21-7 record, the best winning percentage for a starting pitcher on a team that will finish last.

1998       In the first National League playoff since 1980, the Cubs beat the Giants, 5-3, in a one-game showdown to take the National League’s wild-card berth. San Francisco makes the game interesting by scoring three runs in the ninth inning in front of a very anxious crowd at Wrigley Field.

2000       Equalling the 1996 Orioles, the Blue Jays become only the second team in major league history to have seven players to hit twenty or more homers during the same season when DH Darrin Fletcher goes deep in the fifth inning for the team’s only tally in a 23-1 rout by the Orioles at Camden Yards. The other Toronto players to reach the milestone include Carlos Delgado, Tony Batista, Shannon Stewart, Jose Cruz, Raul Mondesi, and Brad Fullmer.

2000       The Brewers play the last game at Milwaukee County Stadium, bowing to the Reds, 8-1. Warren Spahn throws the ceremonial first pitch to Del Crandall, his batterymate on Opening Day 47 years ago when the Future Hall of Fame southpaw Spahn and the Braves beat the Cardinals in 10 innings, 3-2, in 1953.

2000       Troy Glaus hits his 44th, breaking the 47 year-old record for homers by an American League third baseman set in 1953 by Al Rosen, who played the hot corner for the Indians. The Angel infielder will lead in the circuit with 47 round-trippers, including one hit as a designated hitter.

2001       In the first home game at Wrigley since the terrorist attacks on America, Sammy Sosa, after hitting his 59th home run of the season, pulls out a small American flag and waves it as he circles the bases. After scoring and making a curtain call from the dugout, the Cub slugger continues to wave Old Glory.

2001       Ranger infielder Alex Rodriguez becomes the 20th player and first shortstop in major league history to hit 50 home runs season. The milestone blast is given up by Angel hurler Ismael Valdes in the first inning in at Edison Field in an 11-2 Texas win.

2001       Angels infielder David Eckstein breaks Frank Robinson’s rookie record for getting hit by a pitch. The Halos’ shortstop is struck by Rangers hurler Aaron Mayette’s fifth inning pitch, making it the 21st time he has been plunked this season.

2001       On a night he hits his 68th round-tripper of the season in quest of Mark McGwire’s single-season home run record, Barry Bonds is walked for the 163rd time, breaking ‘Big Mac’s’ 1998 National League record for bases on balls. The major league record is 170 walks held by Babe Ruth.

2003       Ron Santo, the team’s radio color commentator, joins Hall of Famers Ernie Banks and Billy Williams, becoming third player to have his number retired by the Cubs. The nine-time All-Star third baseman, who spent 14 of his 15-year career with Chicago (1960-73), will have his uniform #10 below Ernie Banks’ on the left-field foul pole.

2003       At Turner Field in Atlanta, Jose Reyes becomes the second Mets player to hit a home run from both sides of the plate in one game. Lee Mazzilli was the first when he went yard twice against the Dodgers in LA on September 3, 1978.

2003       Following an emotional closing ceremony, the Braves beat the Phillies 5-2 in the final game at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. The two hour festivities at the intersection of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue include the introduction of the All-Vet team and a eulogy given by Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Kalas, who receives a standing ovation from the 58,554 enthusiastic fans in attendance.

2005       Alex Rodriguez breaks Joe DiMaggio’s 1937 single-season club record for home runs by a right-handed batter. The third baseman’s 47th homer proves to be the difference as the Yankees edge the Orioles, 2-1.

2005       With the lowest winning percentage ever compiled by a division champion during a non-strike year, the Padres (79-79) win their fourth division flag in the 37-year history of the franchise. San Diego, which needs to win three of their last four games just to finish above .500, accomplishes the feat, surpassing the Mets, who previously possessed the dubious record by going 82-79 (.509) to win the NL East in 1973.

2006       For the third consecutive season, Kansas City will lose 100 or more games. The team’s 2-1 defeat to the Twins in the Metrodome makes the Royals the 11th franchise in big league history to accomplish this dubious feat.

2006       At Coors Field in Colorado, James Loney collects four hits, including two homers, and drives in nine runs in the Dodgers’ 19-11 victory over the Rockies. The rookie first baseman, who had one homer and eight runs batted in in 93 previous at-bats with the team, ties the franchise RBI mark set by Gil Hodges in his 1950 four-homer game for Brooklyn and breaks the Los Angeles club mark held by Ron Cey.

2008       On the last day of the season, 39 year-old Yankee right-hander Mike Mussina (20-9) becomes the oldest pitcher to win 20 games in a season for the first time. The 18-year career veteran tosses six shutout innings against the Red Sox in New York’s 6-2 Fenway Park victory.

2008       The Mets play their final game at Shea Stadium, a 4-2 loss to the Marlins, disappointing a sellout crowd by failing to qualify for the postseason on the last day of the season for the second consecutive year. After the contest, former Mets, including Hall of Famers Willie Mays, Yogi Berra, and Tom Seaver, as well as Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden and Mike Piazza, but not any of the club’s current players, take part in a ceremony to celebrate the history of the 45 year-old ballpark in front of the subdued spectators gathered to ‘Shea Goodbye’.

2008       Pitching on a day’s short rest, CC Sabathia tosses a complete game, defeating the Cubs, 3-1. The victory, along with the Mets’ 4-2 loss to Florida an hour later, makes the Brewers the NL Wild Card and puts Milwaukee in the postseason for the first time since 1982.

2008       The Astros set a new National League mark for the fewest errors committed in one season. The 67 Houston miscues are one less than the record shared by the 1999 Mets and 2007 Rockies.

2008       For the first time in team history, the Red Sox draw over three-million patrons at home. A crowd of 37,091 fans attending the first game of a day-night doubleheader on the last day of the season brings the season’s total to 3,010,801, marking the ninth straight year the attendance at Fenway Park has broken the franchise record.

2008       The Red Sox’ last regular-season game at Yankee Stadium is a fitting finale for the two rivals at the 85 year-old historic ballpark. Trailing 2-0, the Bronx Bombers rally late in the game, thanks to Jason Giambi’s seventh-inning pinch-hit two-run homer and his walk-off single in the ninth, to beat Boston, 3-2, avoiding a sweep and keeping their wild-card hopes alive.

2009       The Angels acquire left-hander Scott Kazmir (8-7, 5.92) from the Rays in exchange for two prospects, left-hander Alex Torres and infielder Matt Sweeney, as well as a highly touted minor league player to be named later. The Rays dealt the 25 year-old talented southpaw, who is in the first year of a three-year, $28.5 million contract, due to restrictions in the organization’s payroll.

2009       The Angels clinch their fifth AL West title in the last six years with their 11-0 win over Texas. Although the team has been very successful reaching the postseason, Los Angeles has won just one playoff series since winning Game 7 of the 2002 World Series for their only championship.

2010       David Wright sets the all-time Mets record for strikeouts in a season with 157. The third baseman passes the infamous mark shared by Dave Kingman (1982) and Tommie Agee (1970).

2011       With their season-finale extra-inning victory over Atlanta, the Phillies set a team record with their 102nd win of the campaign. The 4-3 victory also moves skipper Charlie Manuel (646-488) past Gene Mauch for the most wins by a manager in the history of the franchise.

2011       With a Tampa Bay loss all but assured, the Red Sox, appearing to need just a win to advance to the ALDS or to Tampa Bay for a one-game playoff if they lose, become optimistic about their chances for a playoff spot with their 3-2 lead over Baltimore, and the Rays trailing New York, 7-0. Boston will drop a 4-3 walk-off decision when the Birds score two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, and moments later will see their season come to a crushing end when Evan Longoria hits a solo homer in the bottom of the 12th inning, giving the Rays an unbelievable comeback victory and the AL Wild Card.

2011       On the last day of the season, the Braves become the first team in major league history to blow a lead of at least eight games in September when the team is eliminated from the playoffs when drop a 4-3 decision to Philadelphia in 13 innings. On August 26, Atlanta was ten games ahead of St. Louis, the eventual Wild Card team.

2011       Jose Reyes takes himself out of the season finale, after laying down a bunt single off Edinson Volquez in the first inning of the Mets’ 3-0 victory over Cincinnati at Citi Field. The infield hit, which will be his last for the Mets until returning to the club in 2016, raises the shortstop’s average to a league-leading .337, nudging Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun for the NL batting crown, the first in franchise history.

2011       Starlin Castro ( 21 years, 188 days) becomes the youngest player to lead the National League in hits, finishing the season with 207. The Cubs sophomore All-Star shortstop, who hit .307 in 158 games, reaches base for the 40th straight game with an eighth-inning double in the team’s 9-2 loss to Padres at Petro Park, extending his current hitting streak to 10 games.

2011       On the final day of the season, the Brewers beat the Pirates 7-3, for their 96th victory of the season to break the franchise record for victories, established in 1979 and tied in 1982. The National League Central Division champs finish the season 96-66, the second-best record in the circuit, trailing only Philadelphia.

2011       Eric O’Flaherty, who induces a double play from the only batter he faces in the Braves’ 4-3 loss to Philadelphia, finishes the season with a microscopic 0.98 ERA. The 26 year-old southpaw’s earned run average is the lowest ever posted by a pitcher with 75 or more appearances.

2011       The Rays, trailing 7-0 going into the eighth, complete their storybook finish on the final day of the season with a ninth-inning, two-out, two-strike, game-tying pinch-hit solo home run hit by Dan Johnson, and Evan Longoria’s walk-off round-tripper in the 12th. The victory, along with the Red Sox 4-3 loss to Baltimore minutes before, gives Tampa Bay the AL wild-card berth, after being down by nine games at the beginning of the month.

2011       Ozzie Guillen, who signed a four-year, $10 million deal with Florida, is introduced before the season’s finale as the club’s new manager, replacing 80 year-old interim Jack McKeon. The outspoken former White Sox skipper is expected, in addition to bringing a better product on the field, to help spark enthusiasm for the team as they start a new era playing in a new ballpark as the Miami Marlins.

2011       The Marlins attract 34,615 fans to their finale at Dolphin Stadium, now known as Sun Life Stadium, but will still post the poorest attendance in the National League for the sixth consecutive year. The last-place club, which has played in its current venue during the first 19 years of the franchise’s existence, will play next season’s home games in a new ballpark with a retractable roof located on approximately 17 acres of the historic 42-acre Orange Bowl site in the Little Havana section of Miami.

2020       On the same day MLB celebrated Jackie Robinson Day, Chadwick Boseman, the actor who portrayed the Brooklyn Dodgers star in the 2013 movie 42, dies of colon cancer. The 43 year-old actor, best known for the title role in Marvel’s blockbuster Black Panther, also played music legend James Brown and future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshal on the big screen.