This Day in Sports History - 10/12/1982

Paul Molitor becomes the first player in World Series history to collect five hit in a game while leading the Brewers to a 10 - 0 thrashing of the Cardinals in Game 1 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. It is also Molitor's first World Series. Batting leadoff, Molitor grounds out in the first inning, then hits singles in the second, fourth, and sixth innings off Bob Forsch. Facing Dave LaPoint, Molitor singles again in the eighth and adds a fifth single in the ninth with Jeff Lahti on the mound. Three of Molitor's five hits fail to leave the infield. Robin Yount, batting second, has four hits in six at bats. Molitor will end the 1982 Series with a .355 average (11 - 31), although Milwaukee loses to St. Louis in seven games. He will play in one other Fall Classic, with the Blue Jays in 1993, and bat .500 (12 - 24) as Toronto downs the Phillies in six games.

This Day in Sports History - 10/10/1982

The California Angels lose the fifth and deciding game of the ALCS, 4 - 3, to the Brewers at County Stadium in Milwaukee. The Angels won the first two games in Anaheim before dropping games 3 & 4 by scores of 5 - 3 and 9 - 5. In game 5, the Angels lead 3 - 2 in the seventh with two out, the bases loaded, and left-handed-batting first baseman Cecil Cooper at the plate. Angels manager Gene Mauch decides to stick with right-handed pitcher Luis Sanchez instead of bringing in lefty Andy Hassler who is warming up in the bullpen. Cooper delivers a two-run single for a 4 - 3 lead. The Angels have the tying run on second base with one out in the ninth, but reliever Bob McClure retires the final three batters to give the Brewers their first World Series berth. Milwaukee will lose the Series in seven games to the Cardinals.

This Day in Sports History - 1/10/1982

This Day in Sports History - 1/2/1982

The Chargers outlast the Dolphins, 41 - 38, in overtime at the Orange Bowl in one of the most exciting NFL postseason games ever played. At the end of the 1st quarter, San Diego has a 24 - 0 lead, when Miami coach Don Shula replaces starting quarterback David Woodley with Don Strock. The Dolphins roar back and take a 38 - 31 lead on the first play of the 4th quarter. Runningback Tony Nathan scores 2 TDs during the comeback, one on a 40-yard hook-and-lateral play. The Chargers tie the score 38 - 38 with 58 seconds left in regulation on a 9-yard pass from Dan Fouts to James Brooks. The game ends after two missed Miami field goals in 13 minutes and 52 seconds of OT on a 29-yard field goal by the Chargers.

This Day in Sports History - 3/29/1982

North Carolina outlasts Georgetown, 63 - 62, in the NCAA men's championship game in New Orleans. With 15 seconds remaining, freshman Michael Jordan puts the Tar Heels ahead by one point on a 16-foot jumper. With 7 seconds left, Georgetown sophomore guard Fred Brown brings the ball up the court, thinks he sees teammate Eric Smith and throws him the ball. Trouble is, he has mistaken Carolina's James Worthy for Smith and secured the title for the Tar Heels, the first for Coach Dean Smith after losing three championship games in 1968, 1977 & 1981.

This Day in Sports History - 2/24/1982

Wayne Gretzky sets a new NHL season goal-scoring record during a 6 - 3 Oilers victory over the Sabres in Buffalo. Gretzky came into the contest with 76 goals on the season, tied with Phil Esposito's 76 for the Boston Bruins in 1970-71. He gets his 77th with the score 3 - 3 at 13:24 of the third period on an unassisted goal past Buffalo netminder Don Edwards. Before the night is done, he adds two more goals, at 18:16 and 19:43, as Esposito stands by to hand him the game puck.

This Day in Sports History - 1/24/1982

Led by rising star QB Joe Montana, who completed 14 of 22 passes for 157 yards and 1 touchdown while also rushing for 18 yards and 1 touchdown on the ground, the San Francisco 49ers win Super Bowl XVI, 26 - 21, over the Cincinnati Bengals at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan. It's the only Super Bowl that will ever be played at the Silverdome, although Michigan will host Super Bowl XL at Ford Field in Detroit. Announced by Pat Summerall and John Madden, it's also the highest-rated Super Bowl telecast to date.