Sports History On This Day: July 27

July 27, 2022 by Sports History Network

July 27, 1959 – The game of baseball in New York City had somewhat of an empty spot as just before the 1958 season both the Dodgers and the Giants left the area for greener pastures in California. Though the very popular Yankees organization remained there were still those that enjoyed the National League game.

To help fill the void, lawyer William Shea, announced his plans to have a baseball team in 1961. Shea was best known for his part in The Continental League, it’s part in breaking down the Major League Baseball expansion barrier, and the expansion era of baseball. For the 1962 season, the New York Mets were added to the NL and on April 17, 1964, they played their first game in Shea Stadium, named for their founder, William.

To find more great daily sports history make sure to check out the Sports Jersey Dispatch and Pigskin Dispatch.

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An England football flag - Source: Unsplash Three Nations Looking To Break Long-Standing Curses at the 2026 FIFA World Cup The 2026 FIFA World Cup is just around the corner, and the final rounds of qualifiers are now underway to determine which nations will battle it out for the biggest prize the beautiful game has to offer next summer. With 48 teams set to compete, up from the usual 32, a slew of debutants have already purchased their tickets to North America. While reigning champions Argentina and back-to-back beaten European Championship finalists England are already confirmed, at the opposite end of the spectrum, the underdogs are barking. So far, three teams that have never competed at a FIFA World Cup before have already confirmed their participation Stateside next summer. Africa's Cape Verde managed to progress, becoming the smallest nation in history to feature, as they finished ahead of continental heavyweights Cameroon to secure their spot. 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Embed tweet here - https://x.com/bovadaofficial/status/1812591866447020454?s=46&t=Jxc74bqcdlQ9Bjed4TR1Jw There are plenty of reasons why the English are considered formidable. Back-to-back European Championship finals under Gareth Southgate certainly showed that the country that handed the beautiful game to the rest of the world is back to its best. Now, under serial winner Thomas Tuchel and led by the likes of captain Harry Kane and Real Madrid talisman Jude Bellingham, there are bags of quality all over the pitch. Still, if England is to reign supreme next summer, it will have to banish a ghost that has been weighing them down for 60 years. 1966. That was the first and last time the Three Lions lifted the FIFA World Cup, or any silverware for that matter, and in the years since, it has been nothing but pain, especially on the global stage. Penalty shootouts, ghost goals, and controversial red cards. Seemingly, anything that can go wrong for England does go wrong. 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