April 11 in sports history: Hey, Babe could pitch too

1965: At the Masters, 25-year-old Jack Nicklaus won the second of his six green jackets, beating Gary Player and Arnold Palmer by a mind-boggling nine strokes. "Greatest performance in golf history," golf legend Bobby Jones called the Golden Bear's performance, which included a final-round 69. (He shot a tournament-record 64, since broken, in the third round.)

"When defending champion Arnold Palmer slipped the Green Coat on Jack Nicklaus' broad shoulders at presentation ceremonies in front of the Augusta National clubhouse Sunday afternoon," wrote Atlanta Journal-Constitution sports editor Jesse Outlar, "it marked the only time any rival was close to the new champion on the final day of the Masters."

Said Jones: "All other long hitters I've seen had a weakness. They didn't have the soundness Jack has. He has no weakness."

1966: Nineteen years after Jackie Robinson signed a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Emmett Ashford became the first African-American umpire in the major leagues. In a game in Washington between the Senators and Indians, the 51-year-old umpired third base.

According to Mark Armour of the Society for American Baseball Research:

 "Ashford was a sensation right away, but not principally because of his race. His style, well-known on the West Coast, took the conservative major leagues by a storm. The stocky (5-foot-7, 185 pounds) Ashford sprinted to his position between innings, stepping on the bases or leaping the pitcher's mound, and raced around the field after foul balls or plays on the bases."

Wrote The Sporting News: "For the first time in the grand old American game, baseball fans may buy a ticket to watch an umpire perform." 

Ashford umpired in the American League until 1970.

1989: In an 8-5 win over Capitals, Philadelphia's Ron Hextall became the first NHL goaltender to score a goal in the Stanley Cup playoffs. It came while the Flyers were short-handed with 62 seconds left and was the second of Hextall's career. In 1987 he became the first netminder in NHL history to score.

"I guess it was about time," he said with a grin, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. "It's kind of hard to believe, but not as hard to believe as the first one."

1999: It wasn't an epic collapse like in 1996 when he squandered a six-stroke lead in the final round, but crowd favorite Greg Norman couldn't hold on again at the Masters. After a final-round eagle on No. 13, "The Shark" briefly took the lead, but his 73 wasn't good enough. Norman's playing partner, José María Olazábal of Spain, won the tournament —and his second green jacket — with a two-stroke win over Davis Love III.

"It was a successful week and a sad week all rolled into one," said Norman, who finished third. 

2004: "The Shark" has zero Masters titles, but another crowd favorite, Phil Mickelson, finally got his green jacket. With an epic 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole, he won his first major title by a stroke over Ernie Els.

"I kept saying to myself all day, 'This is my day,' that this is the day," Mickelson said. "I kept believing something good was going to happen."

Wrote Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Steve Hummer: "This is how you break through. When you do it, do it with more flair than non-fiction should allow."

Happy birthday...

• Former MLB player Mark Teixeira, who led the AL in RBI (122) and homers (39) with the Yankees in 2009 (40).
• Former MLB pitcher Bret Saberhagen, who led the major leagues in wins (23) with Kansas City in 1989 (56).

R.I.P.

Baseball Hall of Famer Kid Nichols, who won 362 games in the big leagues from 1890-1906, died in 1953. He won 30, 31 and 31 games for the tensely named Boston Beaneaters from 1896-98, respectively.

April 10: Astros pitcher J.R. Richard goes wild