On This Date: Former College Hoopsters Make Mark on June 3 MLB Games

June 3rd, 2015 - 7:11

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 a June 3 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 3

  • Chicago Cubs 2B Glenn Beckert (three-year basketball letterman for Allegeny PA) drove in P Ken Holtzman with the only run of the game in Holtzman's no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds in 1971. The next year, Beckert banged out four hits against the San Diego Padres in 1972.

  • New York Giants SS Alvin Dark (letterman for LSU and USL during World War II) scored five runs in a 13-8 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in 1954.

  • OF Cameron Drew (NECC first-team selection in 1984-85 when he led New Haven CT in scoring and rebounding) selected by Houston Astros in first round (12th pick overall) in 1985 amateur draft. Drew was chosen ahead of fellow first-rounders Joey Cora, Gregg Jefferies, Joe Magrane, Brian McRae and Rafael Palmeiro.

  • 1B Walt Dropo (Connecticut's first player ever to average 20 points for a season with 21.7 ppg in 1942-43) traded by the Boston Red Sox to the Detroit Tigers in a nine-player swap in 1952.

  • Overweight RHP George Earnshaw (competed with Swarthmore PA squad in 1922) fined by Philadelphia Athletics owner/manager Connie Mack in 1933.

  • OF Hoot Evers (starter for Illinois in 1939-40) traded by the Detroit Tigers to the Boston Red Sox in a nine-player swap in 1952.

  • Chicago White Sox RHP Eddie Fisher (played for Oklahoma's 1954-55 freshman squad) tossed a four-hit shutout against the Los Angeles Angels in 1963.

  • New York Giants C Paul Florence (Georgetown letterman from 1920-21 through 1922-23) furnished a career-high three hits in a 10-5 win against the Philadelphia Phillies in 1926.

  • In 1983, George Bamberger stepped down as manager of the New York Mets and was succeeded by Frank Howard (two-time All-Big Ten Conference first-team selection when leading Ohio State in scoring and rebounding in 1956-57 and 1957-58).

  • In 1978, Philadelphia Phillies 2B Davey Johnson (averaged 1.7 ppg with Texas A&M in 1961-62) became the first MLB player to smack two pinch-hit grand slams in a single season.

  • Chicago Cubs 3B Vance Law (averaged 6.8 ppg for Brigham Young from 1974-75 through 1976-77) logged four hits against the New York Mets in 1988. Law added three more safeties the next day.

  • San Francisco Giants RF Rick Leach (averaged 15.5 ppg for Michigan's JV squad in 1975-76) registered four hits against the Houston Astros in 1990.

  • RHP Dave Lemanczyk (participated in NCAA Division II Tournament in 1970 and 1971 with Hartwick NY) traded by the Toronto Blue Jays to the California Angels in 1980.

  • LHP Dennis Rasmussen (sixth-man for Creighton averaged 5.1 ppg in three seasons from 1977-78 through 1979-80) selected in first round (17th pick overall) by the California Angels in 1980 amateur draft. Rasmussen was compensation for signing of free-agent P Nolan Ryan.