This Day in Sports History: July 5
Featured sports throughout July include MLB, the NBA Summer League, the British Grand Prix, the Tour de France, the NASCAR Cup Series, golf, and track and field. July 5 has…
Featured sports throughout July include MLB, the NBA Summer League, the British Grand Prix, the Tour de France, the NASCAR Cup Series, golf, and track and field. July 5 has witnessed many notable events in sport over the years. Read on to discover more.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Memorable sporting moments that occurred on July 5 in past years include:
- 1898: Lizzie Arlington became the first woman to play professional men's baseball. She pitched the ninth inning for the Reading Coal Heavers and gave up just two hits and one walk.
- 1904: The New York Giants' 18-game winning streak ended.
- 1906: Dorothea Chambers won her third of seven Wimbledon singles titles.
- 1924: Jean Borotra beat his French compatriot René Lacoste in the Wimbledon final.
- 1934: Lou Gehrig hit his 17th career grand slam.
- 1937: Joe DiMaggio hit his first career grand slam.
- 1946: Golfer Sam Snead won his only British Open title.
- 1947: Larry Doby became the first African American player in the American League.
- 1953: Robin Roberts pitched his 28th consecutive complete MLB game.
- 1961: Bill White hit three home runs, helping the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-1.
- 1970: Defending champion Donna Caponi won the U.S. Women's Open.
- 1974: Chris Evert won her first Wimbledon singles title.
- 1975: Arthur Ashe became the first African American to win the men's Wimbledon singles championship.
- 1980: Bjorn Borg won his fifth consecutive Wimbledon title.
- 1981: Australian golfer Jan Stephenson won the Canadian Women's Open.
- 1986: Martina Navratilova won her seventh Wimbledon singles title.
- 1989: Barry Bonds hit a home run. He and his father, Bobby, became the all-time father-son home run leaders.
- 1990: Tennis legend Steffi Graf's streak of 13 consecutive Grand Slam singles finals appearances ended.
- 1992: Andre Agassi won his first of eight Grand Slam singles titles.
- 1998: Roger Clemens achieved his 3,000th career strikeout.
- 1998: Pete Sampras won his fifth Wimbledon singles crown.
- 2003: Serena Williams took down her older sister Venus, successfully defending her Wimbledon title.
- 2008: Venus Williams captured her fifth Wimbledon title by defeating her younger sister Serena.
- 2009: Roger Federer earned his 15th Grand Slam singles title.
- 2015: The U.S. women's soccer team beat Japan 5-2 in the final of the FIFA Women's World Cup.
- 2022: Mike Grier became the first Black general manager in the NHL.
Looking back on these July 5 events, the outstanding athletes are Larry Doby, Martina Navratilova, and Roger Federer.
Doby broke the color barrier in the AL, was a seven-time All-Star, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998. Navratilova is recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time and a prominent advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. She dominated women's tennis in the 1970s and '80s. Federer achieved widespread fame for his exceptional skill, numerous Grand Slam titles, and long-standing dominance in the sport.
