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Most Significant Sports History on November 11th
Learn about November 11th's most significant sports history including Fernandomania making history, MSG's NBA debut, the single-game sack record, and more!
The New York Times
11/11 has a unique stigma to it as a particularly unprecedented day. The accolades and achievements accomplished on November 11th are astounding and certainly set the day aside from the others. Nearly four decades ago, the first ever rookie was given the NL Cy Young award, sending baseball into a frenzy. Additionally, a wild individual defensive NFL accolade was recorded by a Kansas City Chief which set the way for some of the most ferocious defenders in the game today.
Today in 1981 Fernando Valenzuela became the 1st rookie to win a Cy Young. Fleer celebrated by misspelling his name. pic.twitter.com/vzfsdQSvMC
— High Heat Stats (@HighHeatStats) November 11, 2015
YEAR: 1981
SIGNIFICANCE: Fernando Valenzuela became the very 1st rookie to win the NL Cy Young Award
On this day in 1981, Los Angeles Dodgers SP Fernando Valenzuela became the first rookie in MLB history to win the Cy Young award. “FernandoMania” ran wild in LA, as his 13-7, 2.48 ERA campaign also earned him the Rookie of the Year award. ‘El Toro’ also won the Gold Glove and the Silver Slugger, in addition to helping the Dodgers win the World Series. Valenzuela made his MLB debut in 1980, where he pitched 17 innings as a reliever without allowing a single run. That earned him a spot in the rotation in ’81, instantly becoming a 6x All-Star and a cultural icon among the Mexican community in LA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXwWTSZXsgg
YEAR: 1990
SIGNIFICANCE: Derrick Thomas set an NFL record with 7 sacks in a single game
By his second professional season, future HOF LB Derrick Thomas was establishing himself as a menace off the edge for the Kansas City Chiefs. After ten sacks as a rookie, the 1989 Defensive Rookie of the Year came into Week 10 of 1990 with eight sacks on the season — including three on QB Jack Trudeau in their loss to the Colts. On this date, he spent the afternoon torturing the Seattle tackles (along with QB Dave Krieg) to the tune of an NFL-record SEVEN sacks.
Despite the all-time performance, Thomas couldn’t help but focus on the eighth sack that got away from him as time expired, however. “That’s the one I’m going to remember,” he said of the game’s final play, where Kreig just barely escaped Thomas’ grasp, regained his balance, and somehow connected on a 25-yard desperation heave for a TD. Named an All-Pro that season and the next, Thomas would accumulate 126.5 sacks in his 11-year career, earning nine Pro Bowl selections on his journey to Canton as a Hall of Famer.
#OnThisDay In 1946: The Knicks played their first game at MSG, losing to the Chicago Stags in OT.
— Fanatics Sportsbook (@FanaticsBook) November 11, 2019
Tomorrow: They head to Chicago to take on the Bulls🏀pic.twitter.com/9KYGATD58H
YEAR: 1946
SIGNIFICANCE: New York Knicks made their debut in Madison Square Garden, the mecca of basketball
Their third-ever game in franchise history, the New York Knicks hosted their very first home game in Madison Square Garden on this date in 1946 — the BAA’s inaugural season. Despite the 78-68 overtime loss to the Chicago Stags — the Western division’s top team — the Knicks would finish their first season with a solid 33-27 record (3rd in East) and made a run to the BAA semifinals, where they were swept by the eventual champions (Philadelphia Warriors). The Knicks would call this third rendition of “Madison Square Garden” home for 20 years until 1968, when the current version of MSG — where the Knicks would win their two NBA titles — finished construction. After the grand opening in February of 1968, MSG III was promptly demolished by the middle of the following year.
YEAR: 2014
SIGNIFICANCE: Dirk Nowitzki passed Hakeem Olajuwon to become the highest-scoring foreign-born player in NBA history
A native of Wurzburg, Germany, its difficult to overstate the legacy left by Dirk Nowitzki’s legendary basketball career. Originally drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks at ninth overall in 1998, he was immediately traded to the Mavericks in the same deal that brought Steve Nash to Dallas. Just the fourth German-born player in NBA history, the 20-year-old struggled at the Center position to begin his career. Overpowered by the grown men that peruse the paint in the NBA, his lack of defensive effectiveness prompted the nickname “Irk” Nowitzki — because he couldn’t play “D”.
After contemplating a return to Germany, Dirk continued working on his craft and was voted runner-up for Most Improved Player in his second season. Leading the Mavs to their very first playoff appearance since 1990 in his third season, he firmly established himself as one of the most uniquely skilled big men in the game’s history. Leading Dallas to their very first Finals appearance in franchise history in 2006, Dirk would respond to the championship loss by becoming the very first European to win MVP in 2007. On this date in 2014, three years removed from his lone Championship, Nowitzki officially passed Hakeem Olajuwon to become the leading foreign-born scorer in NBA history, vaulting into ninth-place on the all-time list.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwklGIvMyiI&t=79s
YEARS: 1987 & 1997
SIGNIFICANCE: Roger Clemens wins consecutive CYA & Pedro Martinez snaps 6-year streak of ATL pitchers winning
For the first time since Jim Palmer in 1975 and 1976, Boston Red Sox SP Roger Clemens won consecutive Cy Young trophies. This was Clemens second career AL Cy Young award which came a year after he won his first. The 24-year-old phenom left no lingering questions that his 1986 season, where he led the majors in wins (24) and ERA (2.48), was no fluke. In 1987, the future seven-time Cy Young winner led the majors in wins (20) again, and also paced the big leagues in shutouts (8). Clemens is just one of 11 pitchers in the history of the game to win back-to-back Cy Young awards, a feat he would repeat in 1997 and 1998.
10 years later, the National League Cy Young race was finally taken out of the palm of the Atlanta Braves’ pitching staff. Montreal Expos SP Pedro Martinez broke a six-year streak of either Greg Maddux (1992-1995), John Smoltz (1996), or Tom Glavine (1991) winning the NL Cy Young award, after delivering a season that saw him win 17 games, strikeout 305 batters, and record a 1.90 ERA. 1997 was Martinez’s final year before joining the Boston Red Sox on a lucrative 6y/$75M deal, a record-breaking contract at the time. This Cy Young campaign marked the beginning of Pedro’s prime, which lasted nine seasons. From ’97-2005, the member of the 2015 Hall of Fame class had a 2.47 ERA and averaged 244 punch-outs per season. In 1999 and 2000 he became the second Red Sox pitcher to win back-to-back Cy Young awards since Clemens.
In 1997 Montreal #Expos ace Pedro Martinez became the first pitcher since Steve Carlton (1972) to produce a season with 300+ Strikeouts and an ERA below 2.00
— OldTimeHardball (@OleTimeHardball) April 11, 2020
Martinez - 305 Strikeouts, 1.90 ERA pic.twitter.com/dGJk8DE2N0
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