This Day in Sports History: April 18

Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records

• 1908: Boxer Tommy Burns knocked out Jewey Smith in the fifth round and retained his world heavyweight boxing title.
• 1923: The original Yankee Stadium opened its gates for the first time. The New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox by three runs, aided by a Babe Ruth home run in the stadium in which they would play the next 85 seasons.
• 1946: Jackie Robinson debuted at second base for the Montreal Royals.
• 1950: The Philadelphia Phillies won their season opener against the Brooklyn Dodgers 9-1. It was the first time the Phillies had won their opening contest in five years.
• 1962: In an epic championship duel, the Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 110-107 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, securing their fifth championship banner. Bill Russell led Boston's efforts, securing an insane 40 rebounds to help guide the Celtics to victory.
• 1964: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax struck out the side on nine pitches for the third time in his career.
• 1966: Thanks to his championship-caliber play, Russell was named the player-coach for the Celtics on this date. He went on to win two more titles in Beantown in his three seasons as head coach.
• 1987: In another Philadelphia milestone, legendary third baseman Mike Schmidt hammered his 500th career home run, a three-run blast that turned the tide of the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Schmidt was only the 14th MLB player to reach that milestone, ensuring his entry into the Hall of Fame.
• 1988: In the closest Boston Marathon ever, Kenya's Ibrahim Hussein beat Tanzania's Juma Ikangaa by only 1 second.
• 1991: Utah Jazz guard John Stockton delivered 11 assists against the Seattle Supersonics, bringing his season total to 1,164 — an NBA record that still stands today. 
• 1993: Golfer Tom Wargo won the Senior PGA Championship and it was his only major title.
• 1995: Quarterback Joe Montana retired from football.
• 1998: Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning was picked first in the NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts.
• 1999: Wayne Gretzky, known as "The Great One," played his final NHL game at Madison Square Garden. Before the game, it was announced that the league would retire his jersey number 99 league-wide.
• 2001: A.C. Green played his 1,192nd consecutive NBA game, a record streak that began in 1986.
• 2009: The UFC hosted UFC 97, featuring middleweight champion Anderson Silva and light heavyweight legend Chuck Liddell. Silva won his fifth straight title defense in an event that broke UFC records for ticket sales, while Liddell knocked out future champion Shogun Rua.
• 2011: Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya won the 115th Boston Marathon in a record time of 2:03:02. 
• 2022: Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart won the Defensive Player of the Year award. It was the first time a guard earned the award since Seattle's Gary Payton 27 seasons earlier.