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This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

April 20

1912 — Fenway Park opens in Boston with the Red Sox beating the New York Yankees 7-6 in 11 innings. Tiger Stadium in Detroit also opens its doors as the Tigers defeat the Cleveland Indians 6-5.

1958 — The Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup for the third straight year with a 5-3 victory over the Boston Bruins in the sixth game.

1986 — Chicago's Michael Jordan sets an NBA single-game playoff scoring record with 63 points in a 135-131 double overtime loss to the Boston Celtics, in Game 2 of the first round in the Eastern Conference.

1987 — Toshihiko Seko of Japan wins the Boston Marathon in 2:11:50, and Rosa Mota of Portugal wins the women's division in 2:25:21.

1990 — Brian Holman of the Seattle Mariners pitches 8 2-3 innings of perfect baseball before pinch-hitter Ken Phelps hits a home run for the Oakland Athletics.

1991 — Mark Lenzi becomes the first person to score 100 points on a single dive. On his last dive, Lenzi scores 101.85 points on a reverse 3½ somersault from the tuck position to win the 3-meter springboard title at the U.S. Indoor Diving Championships.

1992 — Kenya's Ibrahim Hussein wins his third Boston Marathon with a time of 2:08:14. Russia's Olga Markova wins the women's division in 2:23:43.

1997 — Chicago's Michael Jordan wins an unprecedented ninth scoring title with an average of 29.6 points, the first time in those nine seasons that he fails to average at least 30 points.

2003 — Allen Iverson scores 55 points, making 21-of-32 shots while eclipsing his previous playoff high of 54, as Philadelphia beats New Orleans 98-90.

2006 — Julio Franco becomes the oldest player in major league history to hit a home run, helping the New York Mets rally for a 7-2 win over San Diego. Franco, 47, replaces Athletics pitcher Jack Quinn in the record book who was 46 years, 357 days old when he homered in June of 1930.

2007 — Roger Federer wins his 500th career match, defeating David Ferrer 6-4, 6-0 in the quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Masters.

2008 — Danica Patrick becomes the first female winner in IndyCar history, capturing the Indy Japan 300 in her 50th career start. Patrick takes the lead from pole-sitter Helio Castroneves on the 198th lap in the 200-lap race and finishes 5.8594 seconds ahead of Castroneves.

2008 — Lorena Ochoa becomes the first LPGA Tour player in 45 years to win four tournaments in consecutive weeks. Ochoa shoots a 3-under 69 in the final round of the Ginn Open and beats rookie Yani Tseng by three strokes for her fifth victory in six starts this year.

2009 — Ethiopia's Deriba Merga pulls away before Heartbreak Hill and wins the Boston Marathon in 2:08.42, almost a full minute ahead of Kenya's Daniel Rono. Kenya's Salina Kosgei outsprints defending champion Dire Tune of Ethiopia to win the women's title.

April 21

1951 — Bob Davies' two foul shots and Jack Coleman's layup give the Rochester Royals a 79-75 triumph over the New York Knicks in the seventh game of the NBA championship series.

1951 — The Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup for the fourth time in five years as they beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in the fifth game.

1975 — Bill Rodgers breaks the Boston Marathon record with a time of 2:09:55.

1980 — Bill Rodgers wins his third straight Boston Marathon. Rosie Ruiz is disqualified eight days later as women's champion when it's discovered she did not run the entire distance.

1994 — Eddie Murray sets a major league record with his 11th switch-hit home run game as the Cleveland Indians beat the Minnesota Twins 10-6.

1995 — Defending champion Utah continues its domination of the NCAA women's gymnastics championships, capturing its ninth national title since the event began in 1982 with a score of 196.650.

1996 — The Chicago Bulls wrap up the most successful regular season in NBA history with their 72nd victory, getting 26 points from Michael Jordan in a 103-93 decision over Washington. Jordan sets an NBA record by winning his eighth NBA scoring title, breaking Wilt Chamberlain's record of seven.

2001 — Hasim Rahman flattens Lennox Lewis with a stunning right hand near the end of the fifth round to capture the WBC and IBF heavyweight titles in one of the biggest upsets in boxing history in Brakpan, South Africa.

2002 — Iva Majoli, ranked 58th in the world, becomes the lowest ranked player to win a top-tier tournament when she beats Patty Schnyder 7-6 (5), 6-4 for the championship of the Family Circle Cup, her first singles title since the 1997 French Open. It was the first top-tier tournament final between unseeded players.

2008 — Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya wins the Boston Marathon in 2:07:46 to become the fourth man to win the race four times. Ethiopia's Dire Tune outkicks Alevtina Biktimirova after a back-and-forth last mile to win by 2 seconds in the closest finish in the history of the women's race.

2012 — The NHL suspends Phoenix Coyotes winger Raffi Torres 25 games for a hit that injured Chicago's Marian Hossa. Torres left his feet to hit an unsuspecting Hossa during Game 3 on April 17, sending the Blackhawks winger smashing to the ice. Hossa is taken off on a stretcher.

2012 — Phil Humber throws the first perfect game in the majors in almost two years, leading the Chicago White Sox to a 4-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners.

2013 — Raphael Jacquelin of France wins a record-tying playoff at the Spanish Open, edging Germany's Maximilian Kieffer on their ninth try at the 18th hole. The only other European Tour event decided by a nine-hole playoff was the 1989 Dutch Open.

2013 — Takuma Sato becomes the first Japanese driver to win an IndyCar race in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

2013 — Rookie Marc Marquez wins his first MotoGP race, capturing the Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, Texas. The 20-year-old Spaniard, last season's Moto2 champion, becomes the youngest winner at motorcycle racing's top level.

2013 — Joe Scarborough, a 50-year-old self-employed electrical contractor, rolls the first 900 series in Professional Bowlers Association history — three straight perfect games. He opened the first round of qualifying in the PBA50 Sun Bowl with three games of 300, throwing 36 consecutive strikes.

April 22

1876 — The first official National League baseball game is played with Boston beating Philadelphia 6-5.

1945 — The Toronto Maple Leafs edge the Detroit Red Wings 2-1 to win the Stanley Cup in seven games.

1947 — The Philadelphia Warriors, behind Joe Fulks' 34 points, beat the Chicago Staggs 83-80 in Game 5 to win the first Basketball Association of America title.

1962 — The Toronto Maple Leafs capture the Stanley Cup in six games with a 2-1 triumph over the Chicago Black Hawks.

1987 — The NBA grants expansion franchises to Charlotte, Miami, Minnesota and Orlando. Charlotte and Miami join the league in the 1988-89 season, while Minnesota and Orlando join in 1989-90.

1988 — New Jersey's Patrik Sundstrom sets an NHL playoff record scoring eight points — three goals and five assists — in a 10-4 rout of Washington in the Stanley Cup quarterfinals.

1993 — Chris Bosio pitches a no-hitter as the Seattle Mariners beat the Boston Red Sox 7-0.

1993 — The Pittsburgh Penguins' 4-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils extends their NHL playoff record to 14 straight wins.

1994 — Shannon Miller wins the women's all-around title for the second straight year at the World Gymnastics Championships in Brisbane, Australia. The last woman to win consecutive all-around titles was Ludmilla Tourischeva of the Soviet Union in 1970 and 1974.

1994 — Michael Moorer outpoints Evander Holyfield to win the IBF and WBA titles and become the first left-handed heavyweight champion.

2000 — The Suns-Spurs playoff opener ties an NBA playoff record for fewest points. Phoenix beats San Antonio 72-70. The 142 points tie the record set by Atlanta and Detroit on May 12, 1995.

2003 — Minnesota and Vancouver become the first teams since 2000 to come back from 3-1 series deficits and win. The Wild take Game 7 in Colorado on Andrew Brunette's overtime goal for a 3-2 win. The Canucks oust St. Louis with a 4-1 win.

2006 — New Jersey scores a playoff-record five power-play goals in its 6-1 win over New York.

2006 — In Berlin, Wladimir Klitschko stops Chris Byrd in the seventh round of a one-sided fight to gain the IBF heavyweight title.

2007 — The Boston Red Sox tie a major league record by hitting four straight home runs in a 7-6 win over the New York Yankees. Manny Ramirez, J.D. Drew, Mike Lowell and Jason Varitek connect in a span of 10 pitches during the third inning against Chase Wright.

2008 — John Smoltz of Atlanta becomes the 16th pitcher in major league history to reach the 3,000-strikeout plateau in the Braves' 6-0 loss to Washington.

April 23

1903 — The New York Highlanders, later renamed Yankees, win their first game as a major league team, 7-2 over the Washington Senators.

1946 — Ed Head of the Brooklyn Dodgers pitches a no-hitter against the Boston Braves 5-0 at Ebbets Field.

1950 — The Detroit Red Wings edge the New York Rangers 4-3 in Game 7 to win the Stanley Cup.

1950 — The Minneapolis Lakers become the first team to win back-to-back NBA championships by defeating the Syracuse Nationals 110-95 in Game 6 of the finals. George Mikan leads the Lakers with 40 points in a game marred by three fights, four Minneapolis players fouling out, and Nats coach Al Cervi being ejected for complaining too vociferously about a call.

1954 — The NBA adopts the 24-second shot clock.

1969 — Jerry West scores 53 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers over Boston 120-118 in the opening game of the NBA Finals.

1993 — The Dallas Mavericks avoid matching the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers as the worst team in NBA history, beating Minnesota 103-100 for their 10th triumph of the season.

1996 — An NHL single-game record crowd of 28,183 watches the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1. Tampa Bay set the previous single-game mark of 27,227 in its first regular-season game in the Devil Rays' baseball stadium.

1999 — Fernando Tatis hits two grand slams in one inning to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 12-5 win over Los Angeles. Tatis becomes the first player in major league history to hit two grand slams in one inning and sets the record with eight RBIs in an inning.

2002 — Brent Johnson of the St. Louis Blues ties an NHL record with three straight shutouts in the playoffs. That had not happened in 57 years. Johnson reaches the milestone with a 1-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.

2005 — Alex Smith is the first pick in the NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He's the fifth straight quarterback to be taken first overall and seventh in the last eight years.

2007 — Alex Rodriguez is the first player in major league history to hit 14 homers in the first 18 games of a season. He also ties the record for April homers, connecting in the second and ninth innings of the New York Yankees' 10-8 loss to Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

2008 — The Chicago Cubs win their 10,000th game, joining the Giants as the only franchise to reach that mark with a 7-6 victory in 10 innings at Colorado.

April 24

1945 — Albert B. "Happy" Chandler, junior Senator from Kentucky, is elected baseball commissioner by a unanimous vote of the major league club owners. Chandler is elected to a seven-year term and succeeds Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who died in November 1944.

1963 — Bob Cousy ends his 13-year career by scoring 18 points as the Boston Celtics win their fifth consecutive NBA championship by beating the Los Angeles Lakers 112-109 in Game 6.

1967 — The Philadelphia 76ers win the NBA championship in six games with 125-122 comeback victory over the San Francisco Warriors. Billy Cunningham scores 13 points in the final 12 minutes as the 76ers overcome a five-point deficit entering the fourth quarter.

1974 — Tampa, Fla., is awarded the NFL's 27th franchise.

1993 — George Branham III becomes the first black bowler to win a PBA Triple Crown event when he beats Parker Bohn III 227-214 in the Tournament of Champions.

1994 — David Robinson scores 71 points to win the NBA scoring title as the San Antonio Spurs end the regular season with a 112-97 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Robinson, the fourth NBA player to score more than 70 points in a game, edges Orlando's Shaquille O'Neal for the scoring title.

1996 — Petr Nedved scores a power-play goal with 44.6 seconds left in the fourth overtime, ending the longest NHL game in 60 years and giving the Pittsburgh Penguins a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals.

1999 — Patrick Roy makes a season-high 42 saves while leading Colorado over San Jose 3-1. It's the 100th playoff win for Roy, the most in NHL history.

2002 — Ottawa's Patrick Lalime ties an NHL record by recording his third consecutive playoff shutout, defeating Philadelphia 3-0.

2003 — Petr Sykora scores 48 seconds into the fifth overtime as Anaheim outlasts Dallas 4-3 to win the opener of the Western Conference semifinal series. The game is the fourth-longest in NHL history.

2005 — Andres Nocioni has 25 points and an NBA rookie playoff-record 18 rebounds in Chicago's 103-94 victory over Washington.

2006 — Joe Sakic scores his NHL playoff-record seventh overtime goal, tipping in a shot at 4:36 of the extra period to give Colorado a 5-4 victory over Dallas.

2010 — Jamaican Usain Bolt dazzles a capacity crowd with a lightning-fast final leg, overtaking USA Blue's Ivory Williams to win the 4x100-meter relay at the Penn Relays. A quartet of Mario Forsythe, Yohan Blake, Marvin Anderson and Bolt finishes in 37.90 seconds for Jamaica Gold, setting a Penn Relays record. Trailing entering the final leg, Bolt takes the handoff and finishes the final 100 meters in an unofficial time of 8.79 seconds.

April 25

1950 — Charles Cooper, an All-American from Duquesne playing with the Harlem Globetrotters, becomes the first black to be picked in the NBA draft when he's taken by the Boston Celtics.

1952 — The Minneapolis Lakers, led by George Mikan's 22 points, beat the New York Knicks 82-65 to win the NBA title in seven games.

1964 — The Toronto Maple Leafs win their third straight Stanley Cup with a 4-0 victory over the Detroit Red Wings in the seventh game.

1965 — The Boston Celtics score 42 points on a record 21 field goals in the final quarter of Game 5 to post a 129-96 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers and win their seventh consecutive NBA championship.

1974 — The NFL adopts the 15-minute, sudden-death overtime to avoid ties. The league also moves the goal posts to the back of the end zones.

1989 — Mario Lemieux ties NHL playoff records with four first-period goals, five overall and eight points as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat Philadelphia 10-7 to take a 3-2 lead in the Patrick Division finals.

1993 — Micheal Williams sets an NBA record for consecutive free throws with 84. He made 10 straight as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat Utah 113-111. Calvin Murphy held the previous mark of 78 for Houston in 1981.

1993 — Pittsburgh's NHL-record 14-game playoff winning streak and its overall 21-game unbeaten string are snapped as the New Jersey Devils beat the Penguins 4-1.

1995 — Major League Baseball returns after a 257-day players' strike as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Florida Marlins 8-7.

1997 — Phoenix's Rex Chapman makes a playoff-record nine 3-pointers en route to career-high 42 points in a 106-101 win at Seattle. Chapman broke the old playoff mark of eight 3s set by Dan Majerle of Phoenix against Seattle on June 1, 1993.

2000 — The San Jose Sharks, the Western Conference's No. 8 seed, eliminate the NHL's regular-season champions, the St. Louis Blues, with a 3-1 victory in Game 7. The Blues are the second NHL regular-season champion to get knocked out in the first round, joining the 1991 Chicago Blackhawks.

2006 — Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams is suspended for the 2006 season by the NFL for violating the league's substance abuse policy for the fourth time.

2009 — San Antonio's Tony Parker matches George Gervin's franchise playoff record for points in a half, scoring 31 in the first two quarters of the Spurs' 99-90 loss to Dallas in Game 4 of their series. Parker makes 12 of 17 shots, including two 3-pointers, to help the Spurs take a 55-51 halftime lead. Parker finishes with 43 points.

2010 — Dwyane Wade sets franchise playoff records with 46 points, 30 in the second half, and Miami staves off elimination by beating Boston 101-92 in Game 4 of an Eastern Conference first-round series.

2013 — Miami's Ray Allen scores 23 points and breaks the NBA career playoff record for 3-pointers, and the Heat beat the Milwaukee Bucks 104-91 for a 3-0 lead in their first-round series. Allen's five 3-pointers against the Bucks gives him 322 for his career, two more than Reggie Miller.

April 26

1905 — Jack McCarthy of the Cubs becomes the only outfielder in major league history to throw out three runners at the plate, each of whom became the second out of a double play. The victims were the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 2-1 loss.

1950 — The University of Miami ends the longest winning streak in collegiate tennis by defeating William & Mary 8-1. William & Mary, unbeaten in five years, had won 82 consecutive meets.

1964 — The Boston Celtics capture their sixth consecutive NBA title with a 105-99 victory over the San Francisco Warriors in Game 5 of the finals.

1995 — The Colorado Rockies post an 11-9 victory over the New York Mets in 14 innings, tying the NL record for innings played in a season opener.

2002 — Odalis Perez of Los Angeles faces the minimum 27 batters in his first career shutout. Perez was perfect for six innings in a 10-0 win over the Cubs at Chicago's Wrigley Field.

2005 — Alex Rodriguez hits three home runs and drives in a career-high 10 runs to lead the New York Yankees over the Los Angeles Angels 12-4.

2008 — Michigan tackle Jake Long is officially selected by the Miami Dolphins with the top pick in the NFL draft. St. Louis selects Chris Long of Virginia second.

2009 — French swimmer Frederick Bousquet sets a world record in the 50-meter freestyle, becoming the first person to break the 21-second barrier. Bousquet breaks the record at the French championships finishing in 20.94 seconds.

2012 — Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck is selected first overall in the NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts, followed by Baylor QB Robert Griffin III, who is taken by the Washington Redskins.

2012 — The Charlotte Bobcats finish with the worst winning percentage in NBA history after a 104-84 loss to the New York Knicks. The Bobcats' 23rd consecutive loss leaves them with a winning percentage of .106 (7-59) in the lockout-shortened season. The record was set 39 years ago, when the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers finished 9-73 (.110) in a full regular season.

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Compiled PAUL MONTELLA

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