TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY - APRIL 9TH

1912 - First exhibition baseball game at Fenway Park (Red Sox vs Harvard).
1913 - Brooklyn Dodger's Ebbets Field opens, Phillies win 1-0.
1925 - Babe Ruth rushed to hospital.

1941 - PGA establishes Golf Hall of Fame.
1945 - NFL requires players to wear long stockings.

1947 - Baseball suspends Brooklyn Dodger Leo Durocher for 1 year.

1957 - Severiano Ballesteros, Spain, golfer (British Open 1979, 84, 88) is born.

1965 - First game at Astrodome, Houston beats Yankees 2-1 in 

exhibition as Mickey Mantle hits 1st indoor homerun.

1969 - Chicago Cub Billy Williams hits 4 consecutive doubles beat Phillies 11-3.

1974 - Padres owner Ray Kroc, addresses fans "Ladies & gentlemen, 

I suffer with you I've never seen such stupid baseball playing in my life".

1978 - Denver's David Thompson scores 73 points & San Antonio's 

George Gervin scores 63 points in separate NBA games (33 in 1 quarter).

1981 - LA Dodgers Fernando Valenzuela's first start, beats Astros 2-0.

1985 - White Sox pitcher Tom Seaver starts a record 15th opening day game.
1987 - For third time, Wayne Gretzky, scores 7 goals in a Stanley Cup 

game Wayne Gretzky passes Jean Beliveau as all time playoff scoring champ.

1989 - Rickey Henderson steals his 800th career base in NY's 4-3 loss to Cleveland.

1993 - Colorado Rockies first home game & first victory, 11-4 over Mont Expos.

2001 - Willie Stargell, Pittsburgh Pirates baseball player (b. 1940) dies.