This Day in Sports History: June 22
Featured sports in June include MLB, the NBA Finals, the Stanley Cup Final, Wimbledon, U.S. Open Golf, the Canadian Grand Prix, and track and field. There were many notable sports…
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 04: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels prepares in the dugout before the game against the Oakland Athletics at RingCentral Coliseum on October 04, 2022 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Featured sports in June include MLB, the NBA Finals, the Stanley Cup Final, Wimbledon, U.S. Open Golf, the Canadian Grand Prix, and track and field. There were many notable sports moments and stories from legends of the game on June 22 in past years, and these are some of them.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Great moments in sport that occurred on June 22 include:
- 1889: The Louisville Colonels lost their 26th consecutive game, setting an MLB record.
- 1918: Molla Bjurstedt won the women's singles title at the U.S. National Championships.
- 1921: Paavo Nurmi ran a world record 10-kilometer time of 30:40:2.
- 1930: Lou Gehrig hit three home runs to lead the New York Yankees to victory over the Philadelphia Athletics.
- 1937: Joe Louis knocked out James J. Braddock in the eighth round to secure the world heavyweight boxing title.
- 1944: The Phillies beat the Braves 1-0 in 15 innings — the longest shutout in Phillies history.
- 1949: Ezzard Charles beat Jersey Joe Walcott in 15 rounds and won the NBA heavyweight title.
- 1958: Patty Berg won the LPGA Women's Western Open, marking back-to-back victories in the event.
- 1959: The Dodgers' Sandy Koufax recorded 16 strikeouts against the Phillies.
- 1961: Ernie Banks ended his streak of 717 consecutive games played for the Chicago Cubs.
- 1979: Larry Holmes won a fight against Mike Weaver by technical knockout in the 12th round, retaining his heavyweight boxing title.
- 1980: West Germany beat Belgium 2-1 in the final of the UEFA European Championship.
- 1981: John McEnroe lost his temper during his first-round win at Wimbledon, responding with his famous rant, "You cannot be serious."
- 1982: Pete Rose got his 3,772nd career hit and moved into second place on the all-time list.
- 1986: Chi-Chi Rodriguez won the Senior Players Championship, securing his first major title.
- 1994: The Houston Rockets beat the New York Knicks 4-3 to win the NBA Championship.
- 1994: The U.S. beat Colombia 2-1 in a FIFA World Cup match, earning their first World Cup victory since 1950.
- 1996: Michael Moorer beat Axel Shultz in a 1-round split decision, winning the IBF heavyweight boxing title.
- 2009: Golfer Lucas Glover won the U.S. Open — his only major title.
- 2014: Michelle Wie won the U.S. Women's Open, securing her first major title.
- 2022: Shohei Ohtani struck out 13 Kansas City Royals batters. It was a career high for Ohtani, who retired 23 of the last 24 batters he faced.
Looking back on these June 22 statistics, the athletes that stand out are Berg, Banks, and McEnroe.
Berg was a founding member and the first president of the LPGA, and her 15 major championship wins remain a record for female golfers. Beyond his exceptional stats, Banks was admired for his positive attitude and character, making him a true icon of the sport. McEnroe is famous for being one of the greatest tennis players of all time, winning seven Grand Slam singles and nine men's doubles titles.
