Though littered with iconic MLB postseason feats, October 10th is also remembered as the day that Tom Brady officially surpassed one of his main rivals in career passing yards. Two monumental grand slams also occurred on this date over 90 years apart along with two World Series pitching records, but the latter only extended 31 years apart. Additionally, the nation’s capital won its very first World Series title nearly a century ago, way before the Nationals even existed.

Ricky Eisenbart also contributed to this article.

Brady Passes Peyton

.@TomBrady needed 18 yards to pass Peyton Manning’s career mark of 71,940.
Sony Michel took a reception 19 yards to put Brady in 2nd place behind Drew Brees (74,845). @Flyguy2stackz #DawgsinTheNFL pic.twitter.com/1jJXzrUEVl
— Wes Blankenship (@Wes_nship) October 11, 2019

YEAR: 2019

SIGNIFICANCE: Tom Brady passed Peyton Manning for 2nd place on the all-time passing yards list

Entering a Thursday Night matchup with the New York Giants, New England Patriots QB Tom Brady needed just 18 yards to move into second place on the all-time passing yards list. Surmounting Brett Favre for fourth place (71,838) in the previous game, it took only one completion to move ahead of Manning — a 19-yard connection with RB Sony Michel on the game’s second play. Ironically, Brady reached the end zone on the ground twice en route to an easy 35-14 victory that night.

Though he now sits about 2,500 yards behind fellow 40-plus-year-old QB Drew Brees, the pair of HOFs are pulling away from their counterparts in the late stages of their respective careers as the second-place Brady has moved over 4,000 yards past Manning and Favre’s career marks. The two rank first and second in career passing TDs as well, with Tom only two behind Drew’s 555 currently.

Historic Postseason Slams

#Indians fans are more fond of the very first #WorldSeries grand slam, hit by Elmer Smith in 1920: https://t.co/kSwnlBfp1W #SABR pic.twitter.com/A8UrWCeGff
— SABR (@sabr) November 2, 2016

YEARS: 1920 & 2011

SIGNIFICANCE: Elmer Smith hit the 1st grand slam in WS history & Nelson Cruz hit the 1st walk-off grand slam in playoff history

A century ago in Game 5 of the World Series, Cleveland Indians OF Elmer Smith put the Tribe up 4-0 quickly in the first inning with a grand slam off Brooklyn Robins, HOFer SP Burleigh Grimes. Smith’s long home run over the right field fence marked the first grand slam in World Series history; since then, there have been 18 slams in the Fall Classic with Addison Russell in Game 6 of the 2016 WS being the most recent. Smith led the Indians in home runs with 12 during the regular season and two grand slams. The Indians won the series 5-2 as Smith led the team with a 1.049 OPS.

Later in 2011, Texas Rangers OF Nelson Cruz walked-off the Detroit Tigers in Game 2 of the ALCS with the first walk-off grand slam in MLB postseason history. Cruz was already 2-for-3 in the ballgame before he stepped to the plate in the bottom of the 11th inning with the bases juiced and no outs. Cruz hit a mammoth shot to the left field seats and put the Rangers in the driver’s seat with a two-game series lead before heading to Detroit. Cruz was named the series’ MVP, leading the Rangers to back-to-back AL pennants.

Washington's 1st Ship

YEAR: 1924

SIGNIFICANCE: The Senators won their 1st and only World Series (4-3) over the Giants

In a seven-game thriller, the Washington Senators beat the New York Giants in the final game of the World Series for their first championship in franchise history. Washington won Game 7 in the 12th inning after Earl McNeely hit a double, scoring HOF pitcher Walter Johnson, his only RBI of the series. Johnson came in the 9th inning in relief and threw four scoreless frames with five strikeouts; putting his World Series stat line at 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 24 innings. Besides McNeely’s heroics in Game 7, OF Goose Goslin and SP Tom Zachary led the Senators. Goslin hit .344/.344/1.000 with 3 HR and 7 RBI, and Zachary went 2-0 with a 2.04 ERA, including a complete game, one-run gem to force a Game 7.

WS Pitching Records

Tony Lazzeri, Lefty Gomez, and Joe DiMaggio celebrate winning the 1937 World Series in the Polo Ground clubhouse pic.twitter.com/QPh6YQFuMr
— Baseball In Pics (@baseballinpix) March 15, 2018

YEARS: 1937 & 1968

SIGNIFICANCE: Lefty Gomez set a World Series record with his 5th straight Win & Bob Gibson set a WS record with 35 Ks

On this day in 1937, Hall of Fame pitcher Lefty Gomez recorded his fifth straight World Series win, after a 4-2 win over the New York Giants in the series-clinching Game 5. Gomez threw a complete game allowing just two runs while striking out six. This was Gomez’s second complete game of the ’37 series (Game 1) and his fourth during this five-game win streak, which dates all the way back to Game 2 of the 1932 World Series (Sept. 29). Gomez extended and set his record-breaking streak at six wins after a Game 2 win in the ’38 World Series.

31 years later, fellow Hall of Famer Bob Gibson set another World Series pitching record. Gibson struck out an all-time record 35 Detroit Tigers during his 27 innings pitched during the 1968 World Series, breaking his own record of 31 Ks. To put matters into perspective, Nelson Briles had the second most strikeouts for St. Louis during that series with seven. Gibson is second on the all-time World Series strikeout list with 92, two behind Whitey Ford. Gibson’s strikeout numbers in the Fall Classic show just how dominant he was; Gibson appeared in only three World Series’ (’64, ’67, and ’68).

🗓 This Day in Stats, 1968: @Cardinals flamethrower Bob Gibson sets the mark for total strikeouts in a World Series with 35, but he loses the seventh and deciding game to Tigers, 4-1. https://t.co/uFhG89OGPY pic.twitter.com/P5IOemwXHa
— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 10, 2019

Final Yanks-Dodgers WS

YEAR: 1956

SIGNIFICANCE: Yogi Berra hit 2 HRs en route to a Game 7 win during the 7th & final Yankees-Dodgers World Series matchup

Two days after Don Larsen’s perfect game, the Yankees saw themselves in hostile territory for a Game 7 against the Brooklyn Dodgers. In front of 33,000-plus, the Yankees out-classed the Dodgers by putting up nine runs on 10 hits at Ebbets Field. Catcher Yogi Berra led the charge with his two home runs and four runs driven in. Berra hit fourth behind Hank Bauer, Billy Martin, and Mickey Mantle—all of whom got at least a hit that game. Johnny Kucks pitched for the Yankees, and threw a complete game, three hit shutout.

This was New York’s 17th World Title, and their seventh in 10 years. While the New York Yankees were in the midst of another dynasty, the Brooklyn Dodgers were also very successful, making four of the last five World Series at the time. Both teams were located in the most popular city in the country and met up in the Championship a record amount of times. This 1956 seven-game classic represented the seventh and final matchup between these two historic franchises.