This Day in Sports History: August 18
August is an exciting month for sports fans with MLB action, the U.S. Open Tennis Championships, the start of the English Premier League season, WWE events, NASCAR Cup Series races,…
August is an exciting month for sports fans with MLB action, the U.S. Open Tennis Championships, the start of the English Premier League season, WWE events, NASCAR Cup Series races, track and field events, and the first week of college football. Aug. 18 has witnessed notable sports moments and legendary achievements over the years. Here, we'll take a closer look at some examples.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Here are some of the greatest moments in sports history that occurred on Aug. 18:
- 1922: Gene Sarazen won the men's PGA Championship.
- 1923: Margaret Molesworth successfully defended her Australasian Championships women's singles title.
- 1923: Helen Wills Moody won the U.S. National Women's Championship in tennis, securing the first of her seven U.S. singles titles.
- 1931: Lou Gehrig played in his 1,000th consecutive MLB game.
- 1934: Helen Jacobs won the U.S. National Championships, earning her third consecutive U.S. women's singles title.
- 1941: The Philadelphia Phillies made eight errors in an MLB game.
- 1943: Carl Hubbell won his 253rd and final career MLB game.
- 1957: Amelia Wershoven set a women's baseball throwing world record, achieving a distance of 252 feet, 4½ inches.
- 1958: Floyd Patterson knocked out Roy Harris in the 13th round to retain the world heavyweight title.
- 1960: Lew Burdette pitched a no-hitter against the Phillies.
- 1965: Brooks Robinson hit into his third career triple play.
- 1973: Hank Aaron achieved his 1,378th extra-base hit.
- 1977: Don Sutton pitched his fifth one-hitter in the National League.
- 1982: The longest baseball game ever played at Wrigley Field ended after 22 innings. The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs 2-1.
- 1982: Pete Rose set an MLB record with his 13,941st plate appearance.
- 1996: Emilee Klein won the Women's British Open by seven strokes.
- 2002: Meg Mallon claimed a three-stroke victory at the Canadian Women's Open.
- 2002: Rich Beem won the PGA Championship by one stroke, earning his first major title.
- 2004: The U.S. Women's 4x200-meter freestyle relay swim team won the gold medal at the Summer Olympics and set a new world record of 7:53:42.
- 2008: Pole-vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva set a world record of 5.05 meters and won the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics. It was her 24th world record.
- 2016: Usain Bolt won the gold medal in the 200-meter race at the Rio Olympics, marking his third consecutive Olympic gold in that event.
- 2021: Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani became the fastest player in team history to reach 40 homers in a season.
Looking back on these Aug. 18 events, three athletes stand out: Helen Wills Moody, Yelena Isinbayeva, and Shohei Ohtani.
Moody was known for her exceptional skill, intense focus, and dominance in major tournaments during the 1920s and 1930s. Isinbayeva is widely considered one of the greatest in the sport's history. She's renowned for her dominant performances, multiple world records, and charismatic personality. Ohtani gained global fame for his unprecedented achievements in MLB, including being the first player to be named an All-Star as both a pitcher and position player.
