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On May 18, 2004, Randy Johnson became the oldest pitcher at age 40 to throw a perfect game, the 17th in Major League Baseball history. Rex Brown/WireImage

May 18 in sports history: The Big Perfect

By Jason Clinkscales | Last updated 5/17/20

Here's a look back at notable sports news on May 18 through the years:

2004: Randy Johnson had already done everything a pitcher could do on the mound — five Cy Young awards, eight-time leader in strikeouts and strikeouts per nine innings, one no-hitter, nine All-Star nods and four starts, World Series MVP, a pitching Triple Crown and one exploded bird. Yet when the then-40-year-old took the mound at Atlanta’s Turner Field, he probably didn’t expect to be perfect.

The Big Unit was inarguably the most intimidating pitcher of his generation, but every once in a while his fastball would whiz by the outstretched arms of his catcher or plunk a hitter crowding the plate. But not on this humid night in the ATL.

Johnson fanned 13 Braves hitters and only reached three balls to Johnny Estrada in the second inning. With some defensive help from his infield and a heater that still clocked 96 mph in the late innings, Johnson handcuffed an already-anemic Braves offense that whiffed 18 times in their previous game.

He would become the oldest (and certainly the tallest) pitcher to ever throw a perfect game, eclipsing Cy Young himself, who threw his perfecto at the ripe old age of 37 in 1904. Fourteen years after giving the Seattle Mariners their first no-no in 1990 — one that he described as imperfect — he would give the Diamondbacks their first en route to a 10th All-Star appearance weeks later.

“Not bad for being 40 years old,” the future Hall of Famer would tell the Associated Press’ Paul Newberry. “Everything was just locked in.”

Yes, Randy. You were locked in.

THE COOKSEY STAKES

1985: Pat Day rode Tank’s Project to victory in a thrilling Preakness Stakes, but there was another winner that afternoon. Tawaja didn’t win, place or show, but Patti Cooksey was still on the money as she became the first female jockey to compete in the Triple Crown’s second leg.

Cooksey was just as ambitious as the men, promising that “this whole Preakness event was a spectacular happening for me, and this won’t be my last time here.”

Although Cooksey would make history at the Baltimore event, it wasn’t her first time in a Triple Crown race. In 1984, Cooksey became the second woman to race at the Kentucky Derby, as she paced So Vague to an 11^th-place finish. But her sixth-place showing at the Preakness was a huge national testimonial to her skill and determination.

Cooksey ended her 25-year career in 2004, with 18,251 races under her belt. Her 2,137 winners stand third all-time among female jockeys, with Julie Krone and Rosemary Homeister besting her. The Ohio native made Kentucky her home as she remains heavily involved in the horse racing community.

YOU GET A WALK! AND YOU GET A WALK!

1929: If you were on the bump at the Baker Bowl, your ERA leapt to the heavens after this doubleheader. The Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies would combine for 50 runs, 66 hits, 27 walks and amazingly enough, just two errors. While Philly’s 8-6 victory in Game 2 helped them split the four-game series with Brooklyn, Game 1 made history for good and bad reasons. The Dodgers (who were formally known as the Robins back then) took the first game, 20-16, thanks to five hits apiece for Babe Herman and Johnny Frederick. In a contest where a Brooklyn triple play “drew little comment from the fans,” the 25 free passes issued by both teams surely sparked some chatter.

In his final season with the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan would earn his fifth MVP award, tying Bill Russell, who is pictured above presenting Jordan with the Maurice Podoloff Trophy. JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images

FIVE IS A NICE NUMBER

1998: As his “Last Dance” with the Chicago Bulls would wind down, Michael Jordan would collect another piece of hardware on his mantle as he was given his fifth league MVP award. His Airness had great appreciation of this one because Bill Russell — who was a five-time MVP himself — had presented the trophy. Jordan would say, “I’ve always respected my elders, learned the game from them and tried to maintain the excellence of the game they provided. For him to come here today is truly a trophy in itself.”

Some believed that the voting was part-homage, part-makeup call for Karl Malone taking home the honors a year before. John Jackson of the Chicago Sun-Times alluded to such, opining that “it’s ironic in a way that the reason Malone won it last year — sort of the sentimental career achievement thing — is the reason Jordan won it this year.” Regardless, three Chicago writers voted for The Mailman. There was no way that the notoriously petty Jordan would have let that slide, right?

LONG TIME COMING

1997: Chris Johnson had won seven LPGA tournaments and had always been in the mix for major titles. Yet after 18 years on tour, she finally grasped her first major, winning the LPGA Championship with an eight-foot putt in the second playoff hole against Leta Lindley. She didn’t make it easy on herself when she soared a shot into the crowd behind the green when both ladies began the extra play.

In what was only the third playoff in the tournament’s history — and first since 1970 — Johnson broke a personal two-yearlong dry spell on tour with the victory.

PAULIE LEGEND

2008: If you ever wondered why it seems like the Boston Celtics have been celebrating 2008 forever, look to their thrilling win in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. While James would drop 45 in defeat, Paul Pierce led the C's with 41. And while neither player was exactly efficient on the floor, they both answered each other shot for shot in a game that evoked memories of the famed Larry Bird vs. Dominique Wilkins tit-for-tat back in 1988.

Both players were keenly aware of that incredible duel as Pierce lamented that in Boston, “they don’t let you forget it when you look up at the jumbotron.” For James, the reminder stung a bit as he said “just like Dominique Wilkins, I ended up on the short end and the Celtics won again.”

The Celtics would end up in the East Final against Detroit and inevitably won title No. 17. Yet this was the last time Boston — and Pierce — would get the best of LeBron.

Happy birthday...

Brooks Robinson, Hall of Famer who spent his entire 23-yer career with the Baltimore Orioles. Dubbed the “Human Vacuum Cleaner” for his prowess at third base, Robinson won 16 straight Gold Gloves and was an 18-time All-Star and a one-time AL MVP, as well as a one-time World Series MVP for the Orioles' 1970 championship. He set several records at his position, including for fielding percentage and putouts. He is forever immortalized with a statue in Baltimore. (83)
“Mr. October” Reggie Jackson, five-time World Series Champ. Famous for his clutch postseason performances, Jackson was named World Series MVP in 1973 with the A’s and again in ’77 with the Yankees. The Hall of Famer is 14th all-time in homers with 563. He also had a candy bar named after him! (74)
Jari Kurri, who won five Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers. A member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Kurri won one Lady Byng Trophy and is 20th all-time in career goals with 601. (60)
Marty McSorley, two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Edmonton Oilers who is best known for a vicious stick attack on Donald Brashear that resulted in a concussion for Brashear and suspension and assault charge for McSorley. (57)
Quarterback Vince Young, third overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. A standout at Texas, Young led the Longhorns to the 2005 BCS Championship. Young was named Offensive Rookie of the Year with the Titans in 2006. (37)

R.I.P.:

1963: Ernie Davis, the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy, in 1961. A star running back at Syracuse, where he broke several of Jim Browns’ records, Davis was the first overall pick in the 1962 draft by Washington, who traded him to Cleveland. Sadly, he never got to play as he contracted leukemia and died at age 23.

May 17: An epic game at 'friendly confines'

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