Today is the 72nd anniversary of Leon Day’s Opening Day no-hitter for the Newark Eagles in the Negro National League.
On Sunday, May 5, 1946, Day no-hit the Philadelphia Stars at Newark’s Ruppert Stadium for a 2-0 win, allowing just three runners to reach first via a pair of walks and an error. He struck out six batters.
Day had just returned from serving his country in World War II, having stormed Utah Beach during the Allied Forces’ invasion of France.
Photo from National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
