On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Make News in September 7 MLB Games

September 7th, 2020 - 9:37

Extra! Extra! Unless you're a cardboard cut-out, you can read news 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 hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Four former Big Ten Conference hoopers - Sammy Esposito (Indiana), Hoot Evers (Illinois), Johnny Gee (Michigan) and Dave Winfield (Minnesota) - made MLB news on this date. Ditto ex-NYU hoopers Hank Greenberg and Eddie Yost with outstanding offensive performances in the American League. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a September 7 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

SEPTEMBER 7

  • Igniting a streak of nine consecutive contests with at least one RBI, LF Brant Alyea (Hofstra's leading basketball scorer and rebounder in 1960-61 after being runner-up in both categories previous season) drove in all of the Minnesota Twins' runs with two homers in a 7-6 win against the Milwaukee Brewers in opener of 1970 doubleheader.

  • Philadelphia Phillies RHP Ray Benge (multi-year hoops letterman for Sam Houston State first half of 1920s) hurled a complete game without yielding an earned run against the Boston Braves for the second time the first week of month in 1928.

  • Seattle Mariners LF Bruce Bochte (starting forward for Santa Clara's NCAA playoff team in 1969-70 averaged 7.4 ppg and 4 rpg) went 4-for-4 in a 5-2 victory against the Kansas City Royals in 1982.

  • Baltimore Orioles LF Al Bumbry (Virginia State's runner-up in scoring with 16.7 ppg as freshman in 1964-65) stroked four hits against the Cleveland Indians in a 1981 game.

  • Detroit Tigers C Mickey Cochrane (Boston University hooper in early 1920s) went 6-for-7 and scored five runs in a 1935 doubleheader sweep of his original team (Philadelphia Athletics).

  • Ending a personal six-game losing streak, Philadelphia Phillies RHP Gene Conley (All-PCC first-team selection led North Division in scoring in 1949-50 as Washington State sophomore) hurled a four-hit shutout against the Chicago Cubs in 1960.

  • Cleveland Indians CF Larry Doby (reserve guard for Virginia Union's 1943 CIAA hoops titlist) supplied a pair of homers in a 6-0 verdict over the Baltimore Orioles in 1955.

  • Boston Red Sox 1B Walt Dropo (first player in Connecticut history to average 20 ppg in single season with 21.7 in 1942-43) homered twice in a 10-8 triumph against the New York Yankees in 1950.

  • Sammy Esposito (averaged 7 ppg as Indiana hoops starter in 1951-52) started in place of Chicago White Sox 2B Nellie Fox in 1960, ending Fox's consecutive-game streak at 798.

  • Detroit Tigers LF Hoot Evers (hoops starter for Illinois in 1939-40) went for the cycle, adding another triple, and amassing six RBI in a 13-13, 10-inning tie with the Cleveland Indians in 1950.

  • New York Giants 3B Frankie Frisch (Fordham hoops captain) furnished six hits in a 1921 doubleheader sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies.

  • Rookie LHP Johnny Gee (Michigan captain was Big Ten Conference's sixth-leading scorer in 1936-37) didn't allow an earned run in eight innings in his MLB debut but committed one of eight errors by the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 7-3 setback against the Philadelphia Phillies in opener of 1939 twinbill.

  • Detroit Tigers 1B Hank Greenberg (enrolled at NYU on hoops scholarship in 1929 but attended college only one semester) collected three extra-base hits, including two homers, against the Cleveland Indians in a 1939 contest.

  • New York Giants RHP Jim Hearn (Georgia Tech hoops letterman in 1941-42) had a 12-game winning streak against the Pittsburgh Pirates snapped in 1953.

  • Los Angeles Dodgers 1B Gil Hodges (hooper for St. Joseph's IN in 1943 and Oakland City in 1947 and 1948) homered twice against the St. Louis Cardinals in a 1958 outing.

  • New York Giants LF Monte Irvin (Lincoln PA hooper 1 1/2 years in late 1930s) ripped a 500-foot homer in a 7-3 nod over the Boston Braves in 1951.

  • Kansas City Royals RF Lynn Jones (averaged 10.4 ppg for Thiel PA from 1970-71 through 1973-74) contributed his fourth three-hit game in less than a month in 1984.

  • Philadelphia Phillies rookie 2B Moon Mullen (backup guard for Oregon's legendary "Tall Firs" team winning inaugural NCAA tourney in 1939) stroked four singles in a 7-5 win against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1944 game.

  • Minnesota Twins rookie RF Graig Nettles (shot 87.8% from free-throw line for San Diego State in 1963-64) smacked two homers against the Detroit Tigers in 1968. Six years later as a New York Yankees 3B, Nettles homered in both ends of a 1974 doubleheader against the Tigers. In 1981, whacked two round-trippers for the Yanks in a contest against the Milwaukee Brewers.

  • Detroit Tigers RF Jim Northrup (second-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder for Alma MI in 1958-59) went 5-for-5 with two homers in a 3-2, 11-inning victory against the Washington Senators in 1971.

  • St. Louis Browns RHP Jim Park (hooper for Kentucky in 1911-12 and 1913-14) won his MLB debut in 1915 when he didn't allow an earned run in 11 innings of a 4-1 win against the Cleveland Indians.

  • New York Giants rookie RHP Roy Parmelee (Eastern Michigan hoops letterman in 1924-25 and 1925-26) hurled his second straight four-hit, complete-game triumph in 1931.

  • OF Carl Reynolds (Southwestern TX hoops MVP and captain in mid-1920s) was purchased from Minneapolis (American Association) by the Chicago Cubs in 1937.

  • Brooklyn Dodgers LHP Preacher Roe (Harding AR hooper in late 1930s) walked six Philadelphia Phillies batters but raised his record to 19-2 in 1951 with an 11-6 decision over RHP Robin Roberts (Michigan State's second-leading scorer in 1945-46 and 1946-47).

  • LHP Garry Roggenburk (led Dayton in scoring all three seasons from 1959-60 through 1961-62 and grabbed school-record 32 rebounds in third varsity game en route to pacing Flyers in rebounding first two years) purchased from the Minnesota Twins by the Boston Red Sox in 1966.

  • Philadelphia Phillies CF Cy Williams (Notre Dame forward in 1909-10) homered in both ends of a 1921 twinbill against the New York Giants.

  • New York Yankees RF Dave Winfield (starting forward with Minnesota's first NCAA playoff team in 1972) got hung up in a rundown between third base and home plate following a pitchout but escaped to score decisive run in 3-2 triumph against the Oakland A's in 1985.

  • Washington Senators 3B Eddie Yost (NYU freshman hooper in 1943-44 under coach Howard Cann) reached base nine times (five hits and four walks) in a 1953 doubleheader sweep of the Philadelphia Athletics. Six years later with the Detroit Tigers, Yost homered twice in opener of 1959 twinbill against the Cleveland Indians.

  • New York Giants 1B Babe Young (Fordham hoops letterman in 1935-36) blasted a grand slam in a 4-1 victory against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1940.

  • San Diego Padres RHP Chris Young (All-Ivy League first-team selection for Princeton in 1999-00) retired the first 23 Milwaukee Brewers batters en route to a two-hitter in 2008. It was Young's lone MLB complete game.