September 10 has witnessed numerous historic moments across professional sports. In 1881, Roger Connor of the Troy Trojans achieved baseball’s first recognized grand slam, delivering a walk-off victory. That same date in 1933 saw Fred Perry capture his inaugural major tennis championship at the U.S. Nationals, while the Negro Leagues premiered their signature All-Star Game in Chicago.
The date has produced several Olympic and individual record-breaking performances. Ethiopian runner Abebe Bikila made history in 1960 by winning the Olympic marathon barefoot while setting a world record, becoming the first Black African to claim Olympic gold. Decades later, in 1988, tennis champion Steffi Graf completed a calendar-year Grand Slam across all three court surfaces.
Baseball has supplied many of September 10’s memorable achievements. Mickey Mantle reached 400 career home runs in 1962 as a switch-hitter, while the New York Mets clinched their first division title in 1969. More recently, Albert Pujols tied Alex Rodriguez on the all-time home run list in 2022, and Manny Machado became San Diego’s franchise home run leader in 2024.
The date has also honored sports legends and witnessed exceptional individual performances. The Super Bowl trophy was renamed for Vince Lombardi in 1970, while pitcher Pedro Martínez delivered a near-perfect game against the Yankees in 1999. Tiger Woods and Randy Johnson both achieved significant milestones on this date in 2000.
Originally reported by Sports.yahoo →
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