October 19, 1941: The River Plate Machine

Left to right: Adolfo Pedernera, José Manuel Moreno,

Juan Carlos Muñoz, Félix Loustau, Ángel Labruna.

October 19, 1941: South America's greatest sports rivalry takes place in Buenos Aires, Argentina. River Plate, at home at the stadium known as El Monumental, defeat Boca Juniors 5-1, dethroning the defending League Champions, and all but wrapping up the title for themselves. It is considered the beginning of a team known as La Máquina, "the Machine."

They are led by a 5-man forward line of Juan Carlos Muñoz, José Manuel Moreno, Adolfo Pedernera, Ángel Labruna and Félix Loustau. They would win the title in 1941, 1942, 1945 and 1947. But that would be the extent of it: World War II led to the cancellation of the 1942 and 1946 World Cups, and of the 1944 Olympic Games; while Argentina's national soccer team did not qualify for either the 1948 Olympics or the 1950 World Cup.

Pedernera stayed with "River" until 1946, Moreno until 1948, Muñoz until 1950, Luostau until 1957, and Labruna lasted until 1959. Moreno died in 1978, a few weeks after Argentina won its 1st World Cup. Labruna died in 1983. Pedernera died in 1995. Loustau died in 2003. Muñoz was the last survivor of La Máquina, living until 2009.

*

October 19, 1941 was a Sunday. Baseball season ended 13 days earlier, when the New York Yankees won the World Series by beating the Brooklyn Dodgers. The NHL season started 13 days later. And the NBA hadn't been founded yet. But there were 5 games played in the NFL:

* The New York Giants beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, 28-7 at the Polo Grounds.

* The football version of the Brooklyn Dodgers lost to the Chicago Cardinals, 20-6 at Ebbets Field.

* The Washington Redskins beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 21-17 at Philadelphia Municipal Stadium (later renamed John F. Kennedy Stadium).

* The Green Bay Packers beat the Cleveland Rams, 17-14 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

* And the Chicago Bears beat the Detroit Lions, 49-0 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

June 23, 1968: Buenos Aires' Tragedy of Gate 12

June 23, 1968: A stampede at a "Superclassico" game between Buenos Aires soccer arch-rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate kills 71 people and injures 150 others, at Gate 12 at River's home stadium, El Monumental. The stampede came after the game ended in a draw, 0-0.

It is the worst sports-related disaster in South American history, known as "La Tragedia de la Puerta 12." The cause remains in dispute, and no one was ever charged, despite apparent police errors that could have saved some people -- in each case, similar to the Hillsborough Disaster in England 21 years later.

After the season, the 68 teams in the Argentine Football Association collected 100,000 pesos for the families of the victims.

*

June 23, 1968 was a Sunday. These baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Minnesota Twins, 6-3 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. Jim Merritt outpitched Fritz Peterson. Ted Uhlaender went 5-for-5 with an RBI. Harmon Killebrew went 1-for-5. Rod Carew did not play. For the Yankees, Mickey Mantle went 1-for-4. Horace Clarke and Andy Kosco hit home runs.

* The New York Mets beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-4 at Shea Stadium. Nolan Ryan outpitched Bill Singer. Cleon Jones went 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk, and 4 RBIs.

* The San Francisco Giants beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 2-1 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Willie McCovey hit 2 home runs. Willie Mays appeared as a pinch-hitter, stayed in the game, and went 0-for-2. For the Pirates, Roberto Clemente went 0-for-4, and Willie Stargell left the game with an injury before coming to bat.

* A doubleheader was split at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. The Cleveland Indians won the opener, 3-0. Luis Tiant pitched a 3-hit shutout, while John Hiller didn't get out of the 1st inning. The Detroit Tigers won the nightcap, 4-1. Al Kaline did not play in either game.

* The Cincinnati Reds swept a doubleheader from the Chicago Cubs, 9-8 and 4-3 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. In the 1st game, Pete Rose and Don Pavletich hit back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the 9th to win the game. Ernie Banks did not play. In the 2nd game, Tommy Helms grounded into a force play, scoring Tony Pérez with the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning. Banks went 2-for-5. Over the 2 games, Rose went 2-for-9 with 2 RBIs, and rookie Johnny Bench went 4-for-9.

* A doubleheader was split at Comiskey Park in Chicago. The Boston Red Sox won the 1st game, 6-2. Carl Yastrzemski went 0-for-0... with 4 walks, and an RBI. The Chicago White Sox won the 2nd game, 10-1. Wilbur Wood went 8 innings, while Boston starter Jim Lonborg didn't get a single out. Yaz went 1-for-3.

* There was a doubleheader split at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. The Atlanta Braves won the 1st game, 5-1. St. Louis Cardinals starter Nelson Briles didn't get a single batter out, but Braves starter Dick Kelley didn't get out of the 2nd inning. "Year of the Pitcher"? Not in this game. The Cards won the 2nd game, 3-1. Over the 2 games, Hank Aaron went 1-for-8 with an RBI.

* The Houston Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 7-4 at the Astrodome in Houston.

* The California Angels beat the Baltimore Orioles, 3-2 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim). Brooks Robinson went 2-for-4. Frank Robinson went 2-for-3 with an RBI.

* And the Oakland Athletics beat the Washington Senators, 9-0 at the Oakland Coliseum. Jim Nash pitched a 4-hit shutout. Bert Campaneris hit a home run. Reggie Jackson went 2-for-3 with 2 walks and 2 RBIs.

May 26, 1938: Estadio Monumental Opens

May 26, 1938: Estadio Monumental opens in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. It is home to Club Atlético River Plate, one of the most popular and successful soccer teams in South America. The 1st game was an exhibition, or a "friendly" in soccer parlance, against another of South America's biggest teams, from across the actual River Plate: Club Atlético Peñarol of Montevideo, Uruguay. River Plate won, 3-1.

The stadium originally had a horseshoe shape, but was enclosed in 1958, raising capacity to 90,000. Another renovation, peaking capacity at 100,000, was undertaken for the 1978 World Cup, for which "El Monumental" was to host the Final, in which Argentina beat the Netherlands. In 1986, the stadium was renamed Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, for the team's late president, who got the stadium built.

Since moving in, "River" have won 36 Primera División championships, plus the 2 they won before, making them, domestically, Argentina's most successful team, with their Buenos Aires arch-rivals, Boca Juniors, close behind with 35. Boca's stadium, La Bombonera, is 10 miles southeast, also along the River Plate. River have won the Copa Libertadores, South America's continental club championship, 4 times: In 1986, 1996, 2015 and 2018.

They got started with 4 league titles in the 1940s, with a 5-man forward line known as La Máquina, "the Machine": Juan Carlos Muñoz, José Manuel Moreno, Adolfo Pedernera, Ángel Labruna and Félix Loustau. Their stars have also included Alfredo Di Stéfano in the late 1940s, Omar Sivori in the 1950s, Daniel Passarella in the 1970s, Hernán Crespo in the 1990s, Javier Saviola at the turn of the 21st Century, and Gonzalo Higuaín in the 2000s.

 

As of May 26, 2022, renovations are underway redevelop the stadium, to remove the existing athletic track, allowing for the addition of more seats. The current plan is to seat 84,567, more than any stadium on the continent, by the start of the 2024-25 season.

*

May 26, 1938 was a Thursday. There were 4 baseball games played that day, all in the American League:

* The New York Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers, 5-1 at Briggs Stadium (later Tiger Stadium) in Detroit. Charles "Red" Ruffing outpitched Lynwood "Schoolboy" Rowe. Lou Gehrig went 0-for-4. Joe DiMaggio went 1-for-5. Hank Greenberg went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians, 8-4 at League Park in Cleveland. Shortstop and manager Joe Cronin went 4-for-5 with an RBI. Jimmie Foxx hit a home run.

* The Philadelphia Athletics beat the Chicago White Sox, 4-1 at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

* And the Washington Senators beat the St. Louis Browns, 12-10 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis.