HOT
Most Significant Sports History on November 2nd
Learn about November 2nd's most significant sports history including the end to the Cubs' drought, Hank Aaron to the Brewers, and more!
Ron Vesely / MLB Photos
A day forever embedded in the hearts of Chicagoans, November 2nd marks the day that the longest championship drought in sports history — over a century-long — officially came to an end. The day also lays claim to some of the highest-scoring performances in NBA and NFL history along with a trade that sent HOF “Hammerin’ Hank” back to Milwaukee. Additionally, the NBA made expansion power moves at the beginning and end of the 1990s with significant pushes into international and digital exposure.
YEAR: 2016
SIGNIFICANCE: The Cubs won the 2016 World Series in a thrilling Game 7 vs the Indians; 1st WS in 108 years for Chicago
A century-old drought and the Curse of the Billy Goat had finally been eradicated after the Cubs won one of the greatest games in recent memory 8-7 in extra innings. Game 7 of the 2016 World Series had the two longest WS droughts in Major League Baseball at the time going at it, but a lot more happened in that game besides the north siders finally hoisting the Commissioner’s Trophy. First, the Cubs had to climb from a 3-1 series deficit to even make it to Game 7 with Kyle Hendricks (NL ERA Title winner) and Corey Kluber (former Cy Young winner) set to clash and hoping to lead their teams to the promised land. It didn’t take long for Kluber to give up a run, as Dexter Fowler led off the game with a solo shot to deep center field.
Cleveland found themselves behind three runs when the Cubs mid-season superstar closer acquisition, Aroldis Chapman, entered the game. Chapman entered in the bottom of the 8th inning with a runner on base. That runner immediately scored from a Brandon Guyer double; making it a two-run game and the tying run, Rajai Davis, coming to the plate. At this point in the postseason, Chapman was gassed—having pitched 14.1 IP in the playoffs entering Game 7, including having pitched 1.1 innings the night prior, and 6.1 in total for the World Series. His tiredness showed in Game 7, as Davis pulled a Chapman 98mph fastball just fair and over the big wall in Progressive Field’s LF.
After the home run that ensued chaos among the home faithful, manager Joe Maddon left Chapman out there in the 9th to keep it even, sending the game to extra innings tied at six. However, after the 9th inning, one of the most dramatic baseball games in modern history went on a 17-minute rain delay with a championship hanging in the balance. This time-out gave CHC time to recuperate and let CLE’s momentum cool off. When the game resumed, Kyle Schwarber led off with a single before a one-out intentional walk to Anthony Rizzo led to WS MVP Ben Zobrist doubling to the opposite field to regain the lead for the Cubbies. Chicago would go on to score one more that inning and win the game 8-7. The win ended a 108-year old drought and saw the Theo Epstein project of drafting position players and signing free agent pitching pan off. The 3-1 series comeback was just the fourth ever in World Series history.
OTD 1969: Charley Johnson and Billy Kilmer combine for over 700 yards passing and 12 TDs in the #Saints 51-42 shootout win over the #BigRed at Busch Stadium. It was the 2nd time Johnson had thrown 6 TDs in a game for the Cards. pic.twitter.com/I60rojcLRt
— St. Louis Football Cardinals (@BigRed_STL) November 2, 2019
YEAR: 1969 & 1990
SIGNIFICANCE: NFL-record 12 TD passes in a game AND the highest score ever in a non-OT NBA game
On this date over five decades ago, the New Orleans Saints and St. Louis Cardinals matched up in a 51-42 shootout where the QBs combined for an NFL-record 12 TD passes. The Saints came into the game with an 0-6 record and an offense that had sputtered to just 15 points per game while the Cardinals were 2-2-1 with injuries affecting their secondary. After both QBs lost and then re-gained the starting job that season, Billy Kilmer (Saints) and Charley Johnson (Cardinals) tossed six TDs each in the 93-point thriller, setting numerous franchise and NFL records in the Saints’ first win of the season.
On the NBA’s opening night 21 years later in 1990, the Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets matched up to combine for a whopping 320-point contest, the highest-scoring non-overtime game in NBA history. Led by “Run TMC” — the legendary trio of Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullin who combined for 99 points — the Warriors converted an outstanding 63-of-109 (58%) FG attempts compared to the Nuggets’ 44% (57/130). Unlike the modern-day Warriors, Golden State attempted only four three-pointers, converting just two of them while the teams committed 38 fouls each, resulting in an absurd 104 free throw attempts.
Today in 1974, Atlanta trades Hank Aaron to Milwaukee for Dave May. The Hammer departs the Braves organization with 733 career home runs. pic.twitter.com/FtZTHUqhWq
— Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) November 3, 2017
YEAR: 1974
SIGNIFICANCE: Braves traded OF Hank Aaron, the all-time HR leader at the time, to Milwaukee
On this day in 1974, the Atlanta Braves made the difficult decision of trading the long-time face of the franchise and the whole sport to the Milwaukee Brewers, his original MLB home before the Braves’ relocation to Atlanta in 1966. The Braves acquired OF Dave May and SP Roger Alexander, who was the player to be named later in exchange for the 41-year-old. Aaron would go on to play the final 222 games of his career for the Brewers. Eight years later, Aaron would be elected into the Hall of Fame with 98% of the votes. The former all-time home run leader is still on top of the all-time RBIs (2,297), extra-base hits (1,477) and total bases (6,856) lists.
The youngest player in @NBA history? It's Andrew Bynum. On this date in 2005, Bynum made his debut for the @Lakers at 18 yrs, 6 days. He's followed by Jermaine O'Neal (18 yrs, 53 days) & Kobe Bryant (18 yrs, 72 days). pic.twitter.com/rvOOWhApYv
— Pete Newmann (@petenewmann) November 2, 2019
YEAR: 2005
SIGNIFICANCE: Andrew Bynum debuted for the Lakers as the youngest player in NBA history (18 years, 6 days)
On this date 15 years ago, Andrew Bynum made his NBA debut for the Los Angeles Lakers six days after his 18th birthday, becoming the youngest player in the history of the NBA. Made possible by a 1971 Supreme Court decision ruling against the NBA’s four-year college requirement, high school NBA draftees have long been controversial despite their respective successes — beginning with Moses Malone and the ABA.
In 1996, Kobe Bryant made his opening-night debut (Nov. 3rd) at 18 years, 72 days old, breaking the 48-year record held by Stan Brown from the BAA days (18 years, 139 days). Just over a month later, Jermaine O’Neal then broke Kobe’s record by debuting for the Trail Blazers at 18 years, 53 days old — when Bynum was just nine before Bynum set the new standard that still stands today.
11/2/1990
— Brandon M. Wright, J.D. (@wrightbefore) November 2, 2018
The Phoenix Suns defeat the Utah Jazz 119-96 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Japan, the first regular season game played outside North America for any of the major professional sports leagues.#TDiSH pic.twitter.com/AAETk7c6Ss
YEAR: 1990 & 1999
SIGNIFICANCE: The 1st NBA regular season game was held outside of North America AND NBA.com TV made its debut
Though the NBA has made a concerted effort this century to strengthen its presence in China, the league also forayed into the Japanese market at the beginning and the end of the 1990s. To open the 1990-91 season, the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns traveled across the globe to play a back-to-back games in Tokyo, where the Suns would rout the Jazz then lose a one-point game the next night. More important than the scores, the two games sold out the 10,000-seat Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium as fans flocked to the historic scene that has continued to grow the game globally ever since then.
At the end of the decade, the internet was beginning to leave its infancy and the NBA decided to experiment with online streaming. On this date, the league debuted its 24-hour television network, dubbed “NBA.com TV”, with a seven-hour simulcast of the opening night’s games. A common concept in today’s media environment, the brand-new network that would lead to NBA TV provided real-time updates with live “look-ins”, statistics, and studio programming, along with highlights, classic games, and certain full live games — with a Japanese audio package included. November 2nd, 1999 was the beginning of a whole new content distribution for the NBA that changed the fans consume and enjoy the game to this day.
