1961: The debut of a legendary program. The first episode of “ABC’s Wide World of Sports” was broadcast. It remained on the air until 1997.
1981: A milestone for Lefty. Philadelphia’s Steve Carlton fanned Montreal’s Tim Wallach for his 3,000th career strikeout in a 6-2 win over the Expos. Carlton ended his Hall of Fame career with 4,136 K’s.
1986: A new record for strikeouts. Boston’s Roger Clemens set a new mark for most strikeouts in a single game with 20 in a 3-1 win over Seattle. He repeated the feat ten years later versus Detroit.
Birthdays in the sports world today . . . Chicago White Sox Hall of Fame shortstop Luis Aparicio is 92. Former St. Louis Cardinals quarterback Jim Hart is 82. Ex-Boston Red Sox shortstop “The Rooster” Rick Burleson is 75. Former St. Louis Blues goalie “Cujo” Curtis Joseph is 59. Ex-Chicago Bears tackle Tommie Harris and ex-New York Knicks power forward David Lee are both 43, and Winnipeg Jets center Jonathan Toews is 38.