17 April in Sports History

Sports history is made every day of the year. We will preserve at least a small sampling from some great athletes every day based on the uniform number they wore.

42 - 6 - 44 - 21

April 17, 1869 - What many expert historian of baseball consider to be the first professional baseball game is played. The Cincinnati Red Stockings scored 24 against the Cincinnati amateurs 15 runs.

April 17, 1947 - Number 42, Jackie Robinson laid down a bunt and beat the throw to earn his first Major League hit. Robinson would also walk two times as the Dodgers doubled up the Boston Braves 12-6 on that afternoon.

April 17, 1951 - Mickey Mantle played in his first MLB game for the New York Yankees and had one hit in four at bats. Mantle who wore Number 6 that season, played right field and knocked in a run in the 5-0 Yankees win over the Boston Red Sox.

The website of NBA.com offers these nuggets of history for the day.

April 17, 1966 - The Los Angeles Lakers, getting 41 points from Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Guard, Number 44,  Jerry West, came back from a 34-20 deficit after one quarter to beat the Boston Celtics 133-129 in overtime in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Boston, however, won the series in seven games. The Lakers’ comeback from 14 points down in the first quarter of Game 1 is the largest first quarter deficit ever overcome in NBA Finals play.

April 17, 1993 - Atlanta Hawks, Super Star, Number 21, Dominique Wilkins became the 11th player in NBA history to score 22,000 career points, after hitting for 41 in the Hawks’ 110-107 setback against Charlotte.

Here are a couple of items from the Vintage Hockey Jerseys website

April 17, 1977 - The Los Angeles beat the Boston Bruins 7-4 with Kings' right wing Don Kozak setting an NHL record for fastest goal from start of playoff game, scoring :06 into the game.

April 17, 1981 - The Sabres defeated the Boston Bruins 4-3 in game three of the Adams Division final with Mike Ramsey becoming the second defenseman in NHL history to score goals in four straight playoff games.

A Very Special thanks to information obtained from the following brilliant internet sites: On This Day Sports, the Sports Reference's family of website databases & Stathead.com.

Banner photo is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons of the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings, taken by an unknown.