On This Day

July 1909 in Sports History

Events in Sport

  • Jul 2 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Dora Boothby earns her only Wimbledon title with a 6-4, 4-6, 8-6 win over Agnes Morton
  • Jul 3 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Arthur Gore beats Josiah Ritchie 6-8, 1-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 for back-to-back titles
  • Jul 8 1st pro baseball game (minor league) played under lights

Sports record brokenBaseball Record

Jul 15 Detroit's future Baseball Hall of Fame center-fielder Ty Cobb smashes 2 inside-the-park homers to lead the Tigers to a sweep of the Washington Senators, 9-5 and 7-0

MLB Legend Ty Cobb
MLB Legend
Ty Cobb
  • Jul 19 Cleveland shortstop Neal Ball completes the first modern MLB unassisted triple play in the Indians' 6-1 win over the Boston Red Sox
  • Jul 24 Bkln Dodger Nap Rucker strikes out 16 Pittsburgh Pirates
  • Jul 30 John Heyder becomes president of baseball's National League

Birthdays in Sport

  • Jul 7 Gottfried von Cramm, German tennis player (French C'ship 1934, 36), born in Nettlingen, Germany (d. 1976)
  • Jul 7 Billy Herman, American baseball hall of fame second baseman and manager (Dodgers, Cubs), born in New Albany, Indiana (d. 1992)
  • Jul 20 Eric Rowan, South African cricketer (prolific batsman pre- & post-WWII)
  • Jul 22 Licia Albanese, Italian-American operatic soprano (NY Metropolitan Opera, 1940-66), born in Torre Pelosa (now Bari), Italy (d. 2014)
  • Jul 22 Dorino Serafini, Italian racing driver (d. 2000)
  • Jul 27 Marcia Anastasia Christoforides, British philanthropist, art collector, and racehorse owner, born in Sutton, Surrey, England (d. 1994)

Deaths in Sport

  • Jul 10 Flooi Du Toit, South African cricket leg-spinner (Test for South Africa 1892), dies at 40