What Happened in Sports: April 2, 2022

2019: Oklahoma City Thunder PG Russell Westbrook became just the 1st player to record 20+ points, rebounds, and assists since the NBA merger, honoring the performance to LA Hip-Hop star Nipsey Hustle, who recently passed away

2017: San Francisco Giants SP Madison Bumgarner became the only Pitcher with a multi-HR game during his team’s 1st game of the season

2013: New York Knicks SF Carmelo Anthony dropped 50 points in Miami (t-2nd most in career) without a single turnover (11th ever to do so) or point in the paint as D-Wade and LeBron were both out

2003: Texas Rangers SS Alex Rodriguez became the youngest player (27 years, 249 days old) to hit 300 career HRs in MLB history

2001: During his Major League debut for the Seattle Mariners, OF Ichiro Suzuki became the 1st Japanese-born position player in MLB history

2001: New York Yankees SP Roger Clemens passed Walter Johnson for the most career strikeouts (3,509) in AL history

1995: The longest strike in American sports history ended as MLB owners accepted the players’ offer to return without new contracts after 232 days

1982: As a statement against the lack of a DH in the NL during Spring Training, Oakland Athletics MGR Billy Martin sent SP Steve McCatty to the plate with a 15″ toy bat during 

1976: Rather than hoping they re-sign the next offseason, the Oakland Athletics traded 2 key impending free agents from their World Series squad — OF Reggie Jackson & SP Ken Holtzman — to the Baltimore Orioles for SPs Mike Torrez, Paul Mitchell, and OF Don Baylor

1972: New York Mets MGR Gil Hodges suffered a heart attack and unexpectedly passed away just 2 days before his 48th birthday. On short notice, he was replaced by HOF C Yogi Berra

1931: In her 1st professional appearance for the Chattanooga Lookouts, 17-year-old P Jackie Mitchell famously struck out Yankee legends Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in an exhibition game