May 1 in sports history: Seventh heaven for 'Big Tex'

A DAY FOR SLUGGERS AND THIEVERY

1920:  In his first six seasons in the majors, with the Boston Red Sox, Babe Ruth hit 49 home runs. His first homer for the Yankees came on this date against Boston in New York's 6-0 win at the Polo Grounds.

The New York Times described the prodigious blast: 

"Babe Ruth sneaked a bomb into the park without anybody knowing it and hid it in his bat. He exploded the weapon in the sixth, when he lambasted a home run over the right field grandstand ... This was the Babe's first home run of the championship season, and it was a sockdolager. The ball flitted out of sight between the third and fourth flagstaffs on the top of the stand."

Thirty-one years later, future Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle hit the first of his 536 career homers for the Yankees. Mantle's two-run blast, in the sixth inning of the Yankees' 8-3 win over the White Sox, traveled 440 feet at Comiskey Park.

2000:  In a 10-3 win over the Mets, Barry Bonds became the first player to homer into San Francisco Bay at the Giants' new home, Pacific Bell Park (now Oracle Park). The dinger was fetched from the cove by a grounds crew member from the Giants' former home field, Candlestick Park. He celebrated snatching the souvenir with champagne. On this date four years later, Bonds set an MLB record for intentional walks in a game (four) in a 6-3 win over the Marlins.

1991: On the same day Ryan pitched his seventh no-hitter, A's outfielder Rickey Henderson set the MLB record for career steals. The 939th theft, which broke Lou Brock's record, came in the fourth inning of a 7-4 win over the Yankees in Oakland. 

For setting the record, the team gave him a new Porsche and donated $75,000 in his name to charities, but it still was refusing his request to renegotiate his contract. 

Aiming to swiftly capitalize on Henderson's record, the A's advertised on the stadium scoreboard during the game the sale of commemorative stolen base silver coins, T-shirts and posters. 

A year later on this date, Henderson stole his 1,000 base — he closed his career with 1,406, a record that likely will never be broken.

ALSO

1925: Only 17 years old, future Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx made his MLB debut for the Philadelphia A's with a pinch-hit single in a loss to Washington. 

1955: Babe Didrikson-Zaharias, one of the greatest athletes of all time, won the Peach Blossom LPGA Tournament in Spartanburg, South Carolina — the final victory of her career. Babe died of cancer the following year. She also excelled at track and field, among other sports, and reportedly once tossed a baseball 296 feet.

1969: In an epic turnabout, Astros 24-year-old right-hander Don Wilson no-hit the Reds a day after Cincinnati's Jim Maloney no-hit Houston. "This game," Wilson told reporters after a 4-0 win at Cincinnati's Crosley Field, "gave me far more satisfaction than my first [MLB] no-hitter." Wilson was still peeved about a previous game against the Reds, in which Pete Rose took an extra base with Cincinnati up by eight. 

"They don't like me and I don't like them," Wilson said. "But this isn't a popularity contest. They've got some good guys over there, but they've got their rats too."

1969: Leonard Tose bought the Philadelphia Eagles for a professional sports record $16.15 million -- approximately the yearly salary of current Packers linebacker Za'Darius Smith. Tose's first move as owner was canning unpopular GM-coach Joe Kuharich.  

1988: After scoring 50 points in Game 1 of a first-round playoffs series against Cleveland, Michael Jordan poured in 55 in Game 2 in the Bulls' 106-101 win over the Cavs. "Let's just say I got things going," said MJ, who became the first NBA player to score 50 or more points in consecutive playoff games. 

Jordan had the green light to shoot at will. "When a guy's hot," Bulls coach Doug Collins said, "you don't play him as a decoy."

Happy birthday... 

• Browns offensive coordinator, Alex Van Pelt. He played nine years in the league with the Bills before entering the coaching ranks. (50)
• Pro Football Hall of Famer Curtis Martin, who is sixth all time in rushing yards. He played for the Patriots and Jets and made five Pro Bowls. (47)
• 49ers wide receivers coach Wes Welker, who had his most prolific years with the New England Patriots, where he made five straight Pro Bowls and led the league in receptions three times. (39)

R.I.P. 

2008: Baseball executive Buzzie Bavasi, who was general manager of the Brooklyn/L.A Dodgers from 1951-1968, during which time the team won four World Series. He also was president and part owner of the San Diego Padres. He was 93.

April 30: What an epic, wacky day in MLB history