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In his playing days with the A's, Reggie Jackson spent time in the locker room with another great MLB slugger, Joe DiMaggio. Getty Images

June 14 in sports history: Reggie's Fenway feast

By Jason Clinkscales | Last updated 6/11/20

Here's a look back at notable sports news on June 14 through the years:

1969: The sabermetricians of today loathe the “ribbie,” but when a player racks a good week’s worth of RBI in a game, it’s hard not to appreciate it. It’s even harder to not give that player props when he's in his second season in the majors.

At Fenway Park, Oakland A’s right fielder Reggie Jackson smashed two homers and five total hits and plated home 10 in a 21-7 demolition of the Boston Red Sox. Jackson came one RBI short of Tony Lazzeri’s AL record of 11 and Jim Bottomley’s majors record of 12.

However, he would be the first player to reach 10 since Norm Zauchin did it for the "Sawx" in 1955.

Before the game, Red Sox skipper Dick Williams raved about the young slugger, saying that “he has a tremendous arm, speed and power and he’s still in the process of learning so he has a great future.”

Williams talked about how his pitchers used to get Jackson swinging for breaking balls, “but now he hits breaking balls a lot more, so we have mix them up on him this year.”

In his rookie season of ’68, Jackson was so caught up in his strikeouts — 171 of them — that he often took his frustrations out on his bats and helmet. After the game, he told Boston media about an epic spring training where he heard from some of baseball’s best about managing the ebbs and flows.

“I saw those real stars — (Willie) McCovey, (Willie) Mays, Ernie Banks, Billy Williams — they say ‘get ‘em next time.’ They know they can do it. It’s only a matter of time.”

Every pitcher Jackson ever faced wished he skipped that spring training.

MOUND MASTERS

1965: Cincinnati’s Jim Maloney had a masterful evening against the New York Mets, striking out 18 (with one walk) and not allowing a single hit through 10 innings. Then right fielder Johnny Lewis ruined all that with a solo homer in the top of the 11^th inning to help give the Mets a 1-0 win.

Major League Baseball initially called Maloney’s performance a no-hitter because he kept the Mets hitless through the original nine frames, but an eventual rule change took away the feat.

1989: With eight strikeouts and two walks over 8.2 innings, Nolan Ryan became the sixth pitcher to defeat all 26 teams (at the time) in Major League Baseball when his Texas Rangers beat the California Angels, 5-1. As most things with the legendary pitcher, it wasn’t a big deal. “It should happen if you hang around long enough,” he said.

TWO-FOR-TWO

1990: The Bad Boys are near-gods in the city of Detroit for two reasons: They bullied the best, and they won titles. With a 92-90 Game 5 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, the Pistons become just the third franchise to successfully defend a championship. Detroit's Isiah Thomas took home Finals MVP honors with sterling per game averages of 27.6 points, seven assists and 5.2 rebounds.

1992: If there were any doubt that the NBA had officially entered the Michael Jordan era, it was squashed in Game 6 of the Finals. The Chicago Bulls repeated as champions, taking home a second title with a 97-93 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

As was custom back then, MJ led the way with 33 points and wrapped up his second consecutive Finals MVP. The Blazers had the game in hand with a 15-point lead. Yet the Bulls overcame the largest third-quarter deficit in Finals history with a 33-point explosion in the last 12 minutes.

“Two says it wasn’t a fluke the first time,” Jordan told the media. “To come and do it back-to-back, it’s saying we didn’t just walk into a situation. We did it with a lot of style, a lot of class and a lot of hard work.”

1995: A year after a tough-earned Finals win over Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks, the Houston Rockets repeated as NBA champs with an emphatic four-game sweep of the Orlando Magic.

In their 113-101 Game 4 win, the sixth-seeded Rockets became the lowest-seeded team to win a title. Without home-court advantage in any series, the Rockets beat four 50-win teams -- Utah, Phoenix, San Antonio, and Orlando

“Don’t ever underestimate the heart of a champion,” Rockets coach (and 2020 Basketball Hall of Famer) Rudy Tomjanovich famously bellowed after the win. “That’s the lesson to take with you.”

I DID IT MYSELF!

1998: Jordan did it again! Understandably, Bryon Russell and the state of Utah hate him forever because of it. With seconds left in Game 6 of these NBA Finals, MJ’s infamous push-off and game-winning jumper clinched the Bulls’ sixth championship in a 87-86 Game 6 win over the Jazz. Take a guess at who won Finals MVP.

2000: The late Kobe Bryant had one of those Mamba moments. With Shaquille O’Neal having fouled out in overtime during Game 4 of the Finals, Bryant scored eight of the Lakers’ 16 points in the extra frame in a thrilling 120-118 win over the Indiana Pacers. Bryant finished with 28 points on 14-of-27 shooting, five assists, four rebounds, two blocks, a steal…and not a single trip to the free throw line. L.A. won the series in six games.

OTHER NOTABLE TITLE WINS

2007: The San Antonio Spurs won their fourth NBA championship with a 83-82 Game 4 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

2009: Phil Jackson surpassed Red Auerbach with his 10th NBA title as head coach when the Lakers took down the Magic with a 99-86 win in Game 5 of the Finals.

'NINETY-FOUR!'

1994: The trolling chants of “NINETEEN-FORTY!” gave opposing fans a reason to mock the New York Rangers for years. Yet after an incredible postseason run that included a Herculean comeback in the conference final against New Jersey, the Blueshirts won their first championship in 54 years with a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

While Mark Messier, Stephane Matteau and Mark Richter provided some of the great moments during the Rangers’ run to the Cup, Hall of Fame defenseman Brian Leetch became the first American-born player to win the Conn Smythe Award as the playoff MVP.

Happy birthday ...

Tennis champion Steffi Graf, a former World No. 1. In 1988, Graf became the only player to ever win the “Golden Slam,” all four Grand Slams and an Olympic gold medal, in one calendar year. She is a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, along with her husband, Andre Agassi. (51)
Wide receiver Sammy Watkins, chosen No. 4 overall by the Bills in the 2014 NFL Draft. Now with Kansas City, he had five receptions in Super Bowl LIV. (27)

R.I.P.

2014: Former NFL running back Rodney Thomas. A standout at Texas A&M where he rushed for over 3,000 yards and 44 total TDs, Thomas was drafted by the Houston Oilers in 1995. Thomas, who also played for the Titans and Falcons, died of a heart attack at 41.

1988: Pro golfer Johnny Farrell, who beat the legendary Bobby Jones by one shot in a playoff to win the 1928 U.S. Open. He won nine consecutive professional tournaments, a record he held until 1941. Farrell died of a stroke at 87.

June 13: Bull's-eye! Kerr-fect ending for Chicago

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