This day in sports history: Cy Young reaches a historic milestone; Don Shula joins the 300 club

Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young etched his name into the history books when he recorded his 511th victory Sept. 22, 1922, the final win of his legendary career. 

Young, 44 at the time, was pitching for the Boston Rustlers in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Forbes Field. 

According to the Society of American Baseball research, the Pirates had already won the first two games of the three-game series, handing the Rustlers their 100th and 101th losses of the season. 

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Young secured the 1-0 victory, allowing nine hits and striking out three. He pitched three more games that season, losing all three. 

Young’s record still stands today. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1937.

Read below for more historic events on this day in history.

CROSSING THE PICKET LINE

After Week 2 of the NFL’s 1987 season, the NFLPA began a 24-day strike Sept. 22, 1987, that saw the majority of the league’s 1,585 players miss three weeks of action over demands for free agency and better benefits. 

The strike eventually prompted the league to cancel Week 3, but owners replaced their players with semi-pros, former college players and others with no connection to football at all for the next three games.  

It was the second strike in just six years, but it is largely credited with helping form the modern NFL. 

“The strike wasn’t a shining moment for the NFLPA, but in the long term, it helped us prove our case legally,” former NFLPA general counsel Richard Berthelsen said, according to the union’s website. “It showed how strongly players were behind the effort of free agency, which is something they eventually won.” 

THE DON

Former Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula, the winningest coach in NFL history, notched his 300th career win Sept. 22, 1991, in an upset comeback victory over the Green Bay Packers. 

Trailing the Packers 13-6 through the third quarter, Shula and the Dolphins were on track to lose their third game of the season when, on the opening drive of the fourth, Green Bay quarterback Don Majkowski fumbled the ball in his own end zone. The ball was recovered by Miami defensive tackle Chuck Klingbeil. 

With the game tied at 13, Pete Stoyanovich kicked a 31-yard field goal to win it, giving Shula his 300th win in the NFL.

With the win, Shula tied Chicago Bears legend George Halas. Shula ended his career with 328 wins. 

 

‘IT AIN’T OVER ‘TIL IT’S OVER’

On Sept. 22, 2015, baseball fans everywhere mourned the loss of New York Yankees great Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra, who died of natural causes at his home in New Jersey. 

He was 90. 

The legendary catcher helped the Yankees reach 14 World Series during his 18 seasons playing in the Bronx, and he had more World Series rings than any other major league player at 10. Berra was the AL MVP in 1951, 1954 and 1955 and still holds the World Series records for most hits (71) and games (75).

As much as Berra was remembered for his performance on the field, he was also remembered for his many Yogi-isms that include the famous 1973 line, “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.”