Filled with incredibly intriguing events and improbable feats, October 20th is a day of great significance for a number reasons. Not only did the Red Sox complete one of the greatest comebacks in all of sports history over their fiercest rival, but the highest-scoring World Series game ever also took place. Additionally, an ageless NFL icon broke a career record that he would then hold for over 20 years in the midst of his greatest season. Most consequential of all, however, might be the feud between the New York basketball teams that resulted in the sale of a legendary 3x MVP which has resulted in a lasting impact across the league to this day.

Ricky Eisenbart also contributed to this article.

Comeback Completed

YEAR: 2004

SIGNIFICANCE: Red Sox eliminated the Yankees in Game 7 as the 1st team in MLB history to come back from a 3-0 series deficit

Following two walk-off wins and a mythical “bloody sock” game, the Boston Red Sox went for the jugular of the New York Yankees and beat them 10-3 in Game 7 of the ALCS, capping off the first and only 3-0 postseason series comeback in MLB history. SP Derek Lowe got the start on two days rest and threw six masterful innings of one run, one hit baseball. Pedro Martinez came in on relief and allowed two runs, but it was too little, too late for New York, as the Sox had done their damage early.

In fact, as some people were still finding their seats, Boston already had a six-run lead in the 2nd inning, thanks to David Ortiz‘s two-run homer, and Johnny Damon‘s grand slam off Kevin Brown. After the game, Ortiz was named ALCS MVP thanks to his heroics in Game 4 and Game 5. Big Papi hit a remarkable .500/.500/1.250 with three bombs and 11 RBIs throughout the legacy-cementing series. At the time, those 11 runs driven in were an all-time LCS record, breaking Ivan Rodriguez‘s record of 10 set in 2003. Corey Seager just set the NL postseason record with 11 RBIs in the 2020 NLCS.

All-Time Rush Leader

YEAR: 1963

SIGNIFICANCE: Jim Brown became the NFL’s all-time leader in career rushing yards

Midway through his seventh season in a 37-7 rout of the Philadelphia Eagles, the legendary Jim Brown broke Joe “The Jet” Perry’s record of 9,723 career rushing yards. His third consecutive game with 100+ yards, Brown finished with 144 on 25 carries and a TD reception. Arguably his greatest season as a pro, Brown also set single-season records for rushing (1,863) and scrimmage yards (2,131) in 1963, averaging a record 133 yards per game while leading the league with 12 rushing TDs.

Led by the league MVP, the Browns would set an NFL team record by averaging 5.74 yards per rushing attempt en route to a 10-4 record. Finishing second in the NFL’s Eastern Division behind the New York Giants, they would miss out on an NFL Championship opportunity then lost the third annual Playoff Bowl (to the Green Bay Packers), falling to fourth place on the season. Retiring before the 1966 season, Brown’s career record stood until the great Walter Payton in 1984 despite Brown not playing past 29 years old.

Dr. J to Philly

YEAR: 1976

SIGNIFICANCE: NY Nets were forced to trade Julius “Dr. J” Erving to the Philadelphia 76ers for a cash influx upon entering NBA

Winners of two of the final three ABA Championships (1974, ’76), the New York Nets were set up to continue their success upon entering the NBA by pairing 3x ABA MVP Julius Erving with the 1972-73 ABA scoring (34/G) and assist (11.4/G) leader Nate “Tiny” Archibald via a trade with the Kansas City-Omaha Kings. The New York Knicks, on the other hand, were quite displeased with the Nets’ arrival after years without a challenger in their market and demanded a “territorial invasion” fee of $4.8 million paid by the newcomers.

Directly on the heels of their NBA fees, the Nets were now in dire straits financially and owner Roy Boe could no longer afford to give Erving the raise that he had earned. Frustrated with the broken promise, he then held out of training camp leaving the Nets no alternative other than to liquidate their most valuable asset for roughly $6 million to the Philadelphia 76ers. While a hefty fee at the time, especially for a single player, Dr. J would play his final 11 seasons in Philadelphia and help bring home the team’s third (and last) NBA Championship. In 1981, Julius Erving would become the only player in history to win both an ABA MVP and an NBA MVP Award.

World Series Record

YEAR: 1993

SIGNIFICANCE: The Blue Jays won WS Game 4 15-14; the 29 total runs scored shattered the previous WS record of 22 (1936)

On this day in 1993, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies battled it out in Game 4 of the World Series, resulting in 29 total runs scored. The final score was 15-14 after a six-run 8th inning that saw the Jays rally off pitcher Phils’ reliever Mitch Williams—a little foreshadowing of what was to come in Game 6. The 29 runs scored that game set a World Series record, shattering the previous mark of 22 runs scored in Game 2 of the 1936 World Series, where the New York Yankees defeated the Giants 18-4. This October 20, 1993 victory gave the defending World Champion Blue Jays an imposing 3-1 series lead over Philadelphia as they closed in on back-to-back titles.

Youngest WS Homer

YEAR: 1996

SIGNIFICANCE: Braves’ 12-1 win over NY Yankees is their largest WS defeat ever; Andruw Jones became youngest to hit a WS HR

For the first time since 1981, the New York Yankees were back in the World Series and squared off against the defending World Champions Atlanta Braves. The Braves, winners of four of the past five NL pennants, gave the Yankees a rather abrupt welcoming, handing them their worst defeat in World Series history. The Braves tagged a young Andy Pettitte for seven runs in just over two innings of work.

The 12-1 defeat over the Bronx Bombers tied the Kansas City Royals’ 11-0 win over St. Louis in Game 7 of the 1985 World Series for largest margin of victory in a World Series game since 1936. The main contributor that night was 19-year-old Andruw Jones, who became the youngest player ever to homer in the World Series. Jones connected twice, off Pettitte and Brian Boehringer, as part of a 3-for-4 night with five runs driven in. The young kid from Curaçao had played in just 31 regular season games prior to the postseason and hit just .217/.265/.709.