This day in sports: Pete Richert’s record day at Dodger Stadium
Dodgers rookie left-hander Pete Richert tied three major league strikeout records on this date in 1962 when he fanned six batters in succession against the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium.
Richert, in relief of starter Stan Williams, struck out Vada Pinson to end the second inning. In the third, he became the ninth pitcher to strike out four batters in an inning (a third strike on Gordie Coleman got away from catcher Johnny Roseboro). Tommy Harper was the sixth victim leading off the fourth.
Richert also equaled the consecutive strikeout mark for a pitcher in his first major league game.
The Lakers were to host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday before the NBA season was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lakers beat Minnesota 142-125 on Dec. 8 at Staples Center. Anthony Davis led the way with 50 points.
In baseball, the Dodgers and Angels would have wrapped up three-game series with day games, the Dodgers against the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium, and the Angels as visitors in Detroit.
Here is a look at memorable games and outstanding sports performances on this date:
1953 — Ben Hogan, 40, takes his second Masters with a five-stroke win over Ed “Porky” Oliver. Hogan gets a break before he tees off when morning rains give way to afternoon sunshine. He fires a 33 on the back nine for a final-round 69 and record tournament low of 14-under-par 274.
The Dodgers and Angels are not refunding tickets at this time, following the guidance of Major League Baseball. Neither is StubHub. Fans are outraged.
1958 — Bob Pettit scores 50 points, which tied a playoff record at the time, when the St. Louis Hawks beat the Boston Celtics 110-109 in Game 6 for the NBA title. Pettit’s follow-up shot with 16 seconds left gives the Hawks the lead for good and their only NBA championship. It is the only time the Celtics fail to win the title over a 10-season span.
1987 — Larry Mize makes a 140-foot chip shot that breaks Greg Norman’s heart on the second hole of sudden death at the Masters. Mize’s birdie on the final hole in regulation put him in a playoff with Norman and Seve Ballesteros, who was eliminated after the first extra hole.
1992 — Fred Couples wins the Masters by two strokes to end a string of four consecutive victories by British golfers. Couples, who gets a huge break when his tee shot on the par-three No. 12 stops on the slope above Rae’s Creek, beats Raymond Floyd, who was attempting to become the oldest player to win a major at 49.
1997 — Philadelphia’s Allen Iverson scores a career-high 50 points, his fourth straight game with at least 40, in a 125-118 loss to Cleveland. Iverson breaks Wilt Chamberlain’s rookie record of three consecutive games of 40 or more, set during the 1959-60 season.
2000 — Karl Malone passes 2,000 points for the season during the Utah Jazz’s 102-93 win over the Clippers. It’s the 12th time in his 14-year career that Malone reaches the milestone — more than any player in NBA history.
With the MLB season postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, each team will be represented by one player in the ‘MLB The Show 20’ league.
2007 — Kobe Bryant records his ninth 50-point performance of the season in the Lakers’ 118-110 loss to the Clippers. Bryant’s 50-point efforts are the most in a season since Chamberlain’s nine during the 1964-65 season.
2008 — The United States wins the gold medal with its second women’s world hockey championship, upsetting Canada 4-3 in Harbin, China, behind Natalie Darwitz’s two goals. Finland beats Switzerland for the bronze medal.
Sources: The Times, Associated Press
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