September 20
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[edit] 1927
- Babe Ruth of the Yankees hit his 60th homerun of the season. The Babe broke his own record of 59, set in 1921. His record would stand until 1961, when Roger Maris hit 61. Maris’s benchmark stood until the late 1990s, when several players eclipsed 61 numerous times.
[edit] 1969
- Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Bob Moose pitches a no-hitter against the New York Mets in Shea Stadium. The Pirates beat the Mets 4-0 in the game which had an attendance of 38,784.
[edit] 1973
- In a tennis exhibition match at Houston’s Astrodome, Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in straight sets. Many viewed it as a milestone in women’s sports, despite King being the top-ranked women’s player and Riggs being 55 years old. Riggs defeated Margaret Court, another highly ranked player, earlier in the year.
[edit] 1987
- In a game against the New York Giants, Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears broke Jim Brown’s record with his 107th career rushing touchdown. “Sweetness” broke the record in 12 years and retired following the 1987 season. Emmitt Smith of the Cowboys now holds the record with 164. Payton was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993 and sadly died in 1999.
[edit] 1992
- J.T. Snow made his MLB debut for the New York Yankees. He was 0-5, batting 6th in the order and playing firstbase, in a 10-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals.
[edit] 1997
- Eddie Murray went 0-1 in a pinch hitting appearance. It was his final major league at bat. His 1997 season was the only one in his 21 year career where he did not reach double digits in the homerun column.
