On this day in sport: Shearer makes his mark, one-handed pitcher Jim Abbott debuts

Few players have had an impact on Premier League football like Alan Shearer, the greatest goalscorer the competition has seen.

The former England striker started out at Southampton in the old First Division, before going on to enjoy goal-laden spells with Blackburn Rovers and the club he supported as a boy, Newcastle United.

His impact was significant at all three, but his legacy is arguably felt the most at St. James' Park, where he spent the final 10 seasons of his career.

His goalscoring feats began on this day in 1988, but April 8 has also proven momentous in baseball, as we examine below.

"Another landmark in the magnificent career of @alanshearer" #GoalOfTheDay belongs to Shearer's 250th in the #PL. @NUFC pic.twitter.com/m8aWLISsmo

— Premier League (@premierleague) March 26, 2019

1974 - Hank Aaron overtakes Babe Ruth

For many years after Babe Ruth's retirement in 1935, his record of 714 home runs looked unbeatable until 'Hammerin' Hank' Aarons became the first to surpass Ruth on April 8 ,1974. He might have done so earlier were it not for racially motivated death threats so prolific that his team – the Atlanta Braves – had to hire him a secretary to sift through it. The US Postal Service believe he received more than 930,000 pieces – positive and negative – in 1973. He broke Ruth's record against the Los Angeles Dodgers and later retired on 755, a record which stood for 33 years until Barry Bonds went beyond it in August 2007.

Congrats to Hank Aaron, Chipper Jones, Greg Maddux, and Warren Spahn for being voted as the @Braves #FranchiseFour! pic.twitter.com/2TdKD6ycFK

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 15, 2015

1988 - Alan Shearer makes his mark

Over 400 goals in professional football at international and club level, it all started for Shearer on April 8, 1988. Then at Southampton, a 17-year-old Shearer had already made some substitute appearances, but with Arsenal visiting The Dell, he was afforded a first league start. In a 4-2 win, Shearer scored a hat-trick, becoming the youngest player to do so in top-flight history at 17 years and 240 days old. He went on to make a habit of setting new records over the following 18 years.

"Alan Shearer... Remember the name!" We certainly did! Happy birthday from all of us at #SaintsFC, @alanshearer! pic.twitter.com/HYV7dOVihp

— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) August 13, 2019

1989 - One-handed pitcher Jim Abbott debuts

There aren't many sports where manual dexterity is more crucial than in baseball. That said, Jim Abbott enjoyed a successful career in MLB despite only being born with his left hand. He pitched for the California Angels, New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers, starting out for the former, where he made his debut 31 years ago.

On this date in 1993, Jim Abbott threw the 4th no-hitter in Yankee Stadium history, beating Cleveland 4-0. pic.twitter.com/XutXOvzMAB

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 4, 2017