On This Date: Former College Hoopsters Make Mark on August 23 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 August 23 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

AUGUST 23

  • Milwaukee Braves 1B Joe Adcock (Louisiana State's leading basketball scorer in 1945-46) provided four hits against the Chicago Cubs in the opener of a 1953 twinbill.

  • In 1989, Atlanta Braves RHP Marty Clary (Northwestern letterman in 1981-82 and 1982-83) notched his lone MLB shutout (3-0 against St. Louis Cardinals).

  • Philadelphia Athletics C Mickey Cochrane (played for Boston University in early 1920s) manufactured two homers among his four hits and chipped with five RBI against the Chicago White Sox in 1932.

  • 3B Gene Freese (captain of 1952 NAIA Tournament team for West Liberty WV) purchased from the Pittsburgh Pirates by the Chicago White Sox in 1965.

  • In the midst of a career-high 23-game hitting streak, St. Louis Cardinals 2B Frankie Frisch (Fordham captain) furnished nine consecutive multiple-hit contests in 1931.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates SS Dick Groat (two-time All-American with Duke in 1950-51 and 1951-52 when finishing among nation's top five scorers each season) knocked in the winning run in the 11th inning of the nightcap of a 1959 doubleheader against the Los Angeles Dodgers to give reliever Elroy Face his 16th victory without a loss.

  • Los Angeles Dodgers 1B Gil Hodges (played for St. Joseph's IN in 1943 and Oakland City IN in 1947 and 1948) hammered his 14th career grand slam to set a new N.L. record. It was the first grand slam in the history of the franchise on the West Coast.

  • Detroit Tigers RF Harvey Kuenn (played briefly for Wisconsin in 1951-52 after competing on JV squad previous season) went 5-for-5 against the Baltimore Orioles in 1959.

  • New York Yankees rookie RF Jim Lyttle (led Florida State in free-throw shooting in 1965-66 when averaging 12.4 ppg) went 4-for-4 with three RBI in a 7-5 win against the Chicago White Sox in the nightcap of a 1970 twinbill.

  • Philadelphia Phillies CF Bake McBride (averaged 12.7 ppg and 8.1 rpg in 21 games with Westminster MO in 1968-69 and 1969-70) amassed three hits and three stolen bases against the Atlanta Braves in 1977.

  • Utilityman Jimmy Stewart (All-Volunteer State Athletic Conference selection for Austin Peay State in 1959-60 and 1960-61) slugged a three-run, pinch-hit homer off Hall of Famer Tom Seaver to spark the Cincinnati Reds to a 7-5 triumph against the New York Mets in 1970.

  • Chicago Cubs rookie OF Champ Summers (led SIUE in scoring in 1969-70 after doing same with Nicholls State in 1964-65) smacked his first MLB homer, a pinch-hit grand slam, against the Houston Astros in 1975.

  • LHP Tom Zachary (Guilford NC letterman in 1916) awarded on waivers from the Washington Senators to the New York Yankees in 1928.