On This Date: Former College Hoopers Make Mark on October 20 MLB Games

Extra! Extra! Read all about memorable major league baseball achievements and moments involving former college basketball players! Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Nonetheless, numerous ex-college hoopsters had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is an October 20 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

OCTOBER 20

  • Texas Rangers RHP Mike Adams (played basketball for Texas A&M-Kingsville in 1996-97) registered a victory in Game 2 of the 2011 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

  • Philadelphia Athletics SS Jack Barry (letterman for Holy Cross in 1908) contributed three hits and three runs against the Chicago Cubs in Game 3 of the 1910 World Series.

  • St. Louis Cardinals 2B Frankie Frisch (Fordham captain) captured the 1931 N.L. MVP.

  • Detroit Tigers 1B Hank Greenberg (attended NYU briefly on hoop scholarship in late 1920s) won 1935 A.L. MVP.

  • Mike Hargrove (Northwestern Oklahoma State letterman) named Seattle Mariners manager in 2004.