On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Make Their Mark on June 5 MLB Games

June 5th, 2017 - 6:45

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 hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Former Illinois hoopers Lou Boudreau, Hoot Evers and Wally Roettger supplied significant MLB performances on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a June 5 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 5

  • Cleveland Indians SS Lou Boudreau (leading scorer for Illinois' 1937 Big Ten Conference basketball co-champion) went 4-for-4 against the Philadelphia Athletics in a 1943 game.

  • Philadelphia Athletics C Mickey Cochrane (Boston University hooper in early 1920s) amassed four hits against the St. Louis Browns in a 1926 outing.

  • In the midst of a career-high 19-game hitting streak, Detroit Tigers LF Hoot Evers (Illinois hoops starter in 1939-40) contributed five RBI in a 7-4 win against the Washington Senators in 1950.

  • Boston Red Sox 1B Dick Gernert (Temple hoops letterman in 1948-49 when averaging 2.7 ppg) homered in his third consecutive contest against the Cleveland Indians in 1958.

  • LHP Atlee Hammaker (averaged 5.3 ppg as freshman in 1976-77 and 4.9 ppg as sophomore in 1977-78 under East Tennessee State coach Sonny Smith) selected in first round (21st pick overall) by the Kansas City Royals in 1979 amateur draft.

  • Brooklyn Robins LF Buddy Hassett (hooper for Manhattan teams winning school-record 17 consecutive games in 1930 and 1931) banged out four hits against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 1938 game.

  • INF-OF Harvey Hendrick (Vanderbilt hoops letterman in 1918) purchased from the St. Louis Cardinals by the Cincinnati Reds in 1932.

  • A three-run, pinch-hit homer by Gail Hopkins (averaged 2.5 ppg with Pepperdine in 1963-64) sparked the Kansas City Royals to an 11-7 triumph against the New York Yankees in 1971.

  • Cleveland Indians RF David Justice (Thomas More KY assists leader in 1984-85) jacked two homers against the Milwaukee Brewers in a 2000 game.

  • Cleveland Indians CF Kenny Lofton (Arizona's leader in steals for 1988 Final Four team compiling 35-3 record) launched two homers against the Detroit Tigers in a 1995 outing.

  • Milwaukee Braves SS Johnny Logan (Binghamton hooper in 1948-49) logged four hits in a 7-0 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1954.

  • St. Louis Cardinals RHP Lindy McDaniel (hooper for Oklahoma's 1954-55 freshman squad) notched his fifth complete-game victory in a five-week span in 1957.

  • RHP Ben McDonald (started six games as 6-6 freshman forward for Louisiana State in 1986-87) picked first overall by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1989 amateur draft. RHP Scott Burrell (three-time All-Big East Conference selection from 1990-91 through 1992-93 for Connecticut under coach Jim Calhoun) was the final choice in the opening round (26th by Seattle Mariners). Burrell was picked ahead of eventual MLB hurlers Jerry Dipoto, Alan Embree, Scott Erickson, Sterling Hitchcock, Trevor Hoffman, Todd Jones, Curt Leskanie, Denny Neagle, Paul Quantrill, Pat Rapp, Shane Reynolds, Russ Springer, Mike Trombley and Tim Worrell.

  • Washington Senators rookie CF Irv Noren (hoops player of year for California community college state champion Pasadena City in 1945) went 4-for-4 against the Detroit Tigers in a 1950 outing.

  • Extending his hitting streak to 15 games, St. Louis Browns LF Ray Pepper (Alabama hoops letterman in 1926-27) provided four safeties in a 10-5 win against the Chicago White Sox in the nightcap of a 1934 doubleheader.

  • Cincinnati Reds RF Wally Roettger (Illinois hoops letterman in 1921-22 and 1922-23) registered two triples among his four hits against the Philadelphia Phillies in a 1931 game.

  • RHP Lee Smith (averaged 3.4 ppg and 1.9 rpg with Northwestern State in 1976-77) fanned four of the last five Pittsburgh Pirates batters to earn a save for the Chicago Cubs in a 3-1 victory in 1983.

  • Washington Senators 2B Wayne Terwilliger (two-year hoops letterman for Western Michigan averaged 5.6 ppg in final season in 1947-48) smacked a grand slam in an 8-4 win against the Chicago White Sox in 1953.

  • New York Yankees RF Dave Winfield (starting forward for Minnesota's first NCAA playoff team in 1972) delivered five hits for the second time in a three-game span in 1984. Three years later, Winfield manufactured three extra-base safeties against the Milwaukee Brewers in a 1987 contest.