This Day in Sports History: May 4

Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records

• 1869: The Cincinnati Red Stockings played their first official game, beating Great Western 45-9.
• 1929: Legendary first baseman Lou Gehrig hit three home runs in a single game against the Chicago White Sox, leading his New York Yankees to an 11-9 win. 
• 1966: San Francisco Giants center fielder Willie Mays hit his 512th career home run in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, breaking the previous National League home run record, set by Mel Ott.
• 1968: The Pittsburgh Pipers beat the New Orleans Buccaneers in Game 7 to win the first-ever ABA championship.
• 1969: The Montreal Canadiens completed their sweep of the St. Louis Blues in hockey's Stanley Cup Finals, securing their 17th title and their second consecutive sweep of the Blues in the championship.
• 1974: At the 100th Kentucky Derby, Puerto Rican jockey Ángel Cordero Jr. won aboard Cannonade for the first of three Derby victories.
• 1975: Houston Astros' two-time All-Star Bob Watson scored MLB's millionth run in history in a game against the San Francisco Giants.
• 1990: Baltimore Orioles Gregg Olson set a relief pitcher record of 41 consecutive scoreless innings.
• 1994: England's Arsenal team captured the European Cup Winners' Cup through a 1-0 victory against Parma of Italy.
• 1994: Charles Barkley scored 56 points in a playoff win against the Warriors.
• 2002: Barry Bonds hit his 400th home run as a San Francisco Giant.
• 2013: Boxer Floyd Mayweather defeated challenger Robert Guerrero to reclaim the WBC welterweight championship title and gain the vacant The Ring title, with a unanimous decision on the judges' scorecards.
• 2015: Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry won his first Most Valuable Player award.
• 2018: Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols cemented himself as one of the best to ever play his position by collecting the 3,000th hit of his MLB career.
• 2019: During the Kentucky Derby's 145th iteration, leading horse Maximum Security was disqualified for interference, marking the first instance of disqualification in the race's storied history. 
• 2019: In one of the biggest middleweight boxing fights ever, Canelo Alvarez faced Daniel Jacobs with the chance to become the undisputed middleweight champion of the world, uniting every promotional belt with a win. Alvarez earned a unanimous decision victory to unify his belts and cement himself as one of the greatest Mexican boxers ever.
• 2024: UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja defended his belt against Steve Erceg in his home country of Brazil. Pantoja hung on through a competitive, gritty fight to earn his second title defense by unanimous decision.