This Day in Sports History: October 20
Oct. 20 has brought various notable sports events including the MLB playoffs, NBA and NHL preseason games, college football, the Xfinity 500 NASCAR Cup Series, track meets, the UEFA Champions…
Oct. 20 has brought various notable sports events including the MLB playoffs, NBA and NHL preseason games, college football, the Xfinity 500 NASCAR Cup Series, track meets, the UEFA Champions League, and Formula One. Legends of the game have shared incredible sports moments and stories about this day through the years. Here are some of them.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Oct. 20 featured the following memorable sporting events:
- 1912:Â Hannes Kolehmainen set a marathon world record, with a time of 2:29:39.2.
- 1924:Â In the first Negro League World Series, the Kansas City Monarchs shut out the Hilldale Club 5-0 to clinch the title.
- 1936:Â Carl Hubbell won the National League MVP.
- 1946:Â In the Cards vs. Giants game, Frank Seno returned a 105-yard kickoff for touchdown.
- 1963:Â Jim Brown set the NFL single-season rushing record with 1,863 yards.
- 1965:Â The 19th NHL All-Star game was played in Montreal, and the All-Stars beat the Montreal Canadiens 5-2.
- 1968:Â Sprinter Jim Hines anchored the United States men's 4 x 100 meter relay team and won his second gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics.
- 1979:Â John Tate beat the local favorite Gerrie Coetzee in 15 rounds and won the WBA heavyweight boxing title.
- 1982:Â The Cardinals beat the Brewers, four games to three, and won the World Series.
- 1990:Â The Reds beat the A's, 2-1, and swept the World Series. It was their fifth title in team history.
- 1991:Â Driver Ayrton Senna clinched his second straight and third overall Formula One World Drivers' Championship title.
- 1993:Â The highest scoring and longest lasting World Series game took place between the Blue Jays and Phillies. The Jays scored six runs in the eighth inning to beat the Phillies 15-14. The game took four hours and 14 minutes.
- 2007:Â In the sixth Rugby World Cup Final, South Africa beat England 15-6.
- 2023:Â Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber surpassed Reggie Jackson for the most career postseason home runs by a left-handed batter.
- 2024:Â The Dodgers beat the Mets, four games to two, and won the National League pennant. The Dodgers went on to play the Yankees in the World Series for the 12th time.
- 2024:Â New York Liberty beat the Lynx and won their first WNBA championship. Jonquel Jones was named MVP.
Outstanding athletes on Oct. 20 were Jim Brown, Kyle Schwarber, and Jonquel Jones.
Brown was a legendary NFL football player and Hall of Famer, widely considered one of the greatest of all time, and remembered for his dominance with the Cleveland Browns. Schwarber is well known for his outstanding power-hitting and home run ability. He won the World Series championship with the Chicago Cubs in 2016 and is a three-time NL All-Star. Jones is a celebrated Liberty player who's earned multiple All-Star selections, including being named WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year in 2018.
