On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Providing MLB Headlines on September 19

September 19th, 2023 - 9:21

Extra! Extra! Instead of debating who is the worst offender of elder abuse (cover girl "Dr." Jill with Plagiarist Biledumb or Elaine Chao regarding Mitch McConnell), you can read news 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.

Ex-VA college hoopers Larry Doby (Virginia Union), Curtis Pride (William & Mary) and Eppa Rixey (Virginia) made MLB news on this date. Two former small-college hoopers from Minnesota - Rip Repulski (St. Cloud State) and Wes Westrum (Bemidji State) - generated National League news on this date. A pair of small-college hoopers from Louisiana - Zeke Bonura (Loyola LA) and George Stone (Louisiana Tech) - also provided significant MLB performances on this date while ex-jucos Darrell Evans (Pasadena City CA) and Jim Thome (Illinois Central) both went downtown twice in a game. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a September 19 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

SEPTEMBER 19

  • Baltimore Orioles 2B Jerry Adair (one of Oklahoma State's top three basketball scorers in 1956-57 and 1957-58 while ranking among nation's top 12 free-throw shooters each season) secured three hits off New York Yankees All-Star LHP Whitey Ford, including first-inning RBI double to account for only run in the opener of a 1961 twinbill. Ford finished year with a 25-4 record.

  • Milwaukee Braves 2B Frank Bolling (averaged 7.3 ppg in 1950-51 for Spring Hill AL basketball squad) contributed four hits against the San Francisco Giants in a 1961 game.

  • Washington Senators 1B Zeke Bonura (best basketball forward for Loyola LA in late 1920s and early 1930s) homered in his third consecutive contest in 1938.

  • Chicago Cubs RHP Ray Burris (two-sport standout in Southwestern Oklahoma State Hall of Fame) fired his second straight shutout in 1976.

  • New York Yankees Hall of Fame RF Earle Combs (three-year hoops captain for Eastern Kentucky) scored five runs in an 18-9 romp over the Chicago White Sox in 1930.

  • Harry Craft (four-sport letterman with Mississippi College in early 1930s) fired as Houston Colt .45s manager in 1964. Twenty-seven years earlier as a Cincinnati Reds CF, Craft collected three hits in his MLB debut in the opener of 1937 doubleheader against the Boston Braves.

  • Cleveland Indians CF Larry Doby (reserve guard for Virginia Union's 1943 CIAA hoops titlist) walked five times and scored four runs in a 15-2 rout of the Boston Red Sox in 1951.

  • Detroit Tigers 1B Darrell Evans (member of Jerry Tarkanian-coached Pasadena City CA club winning 1967 state community college crown) homered twice for the second time in a 1985 three-game series against the New York Yankees.

  • In a 1961 contest, Cincinnati Reds 3B Gene Freese (West Liberty WV hoops captain of 1952 NAIA Tournament team) launched two homers against his original MLB team (Pittsburgh Pirates).

  • 2B Frankie Frisch (Fordham hoops captain) and INF Charlie Gelbert (scored at least 125 points each of his last three seasons with Lebanon Valley PA in late 1920s) each stroked three hits for the St. Louis Cardinals in a 9-1 win against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1935.

  • Detroit Tigers 1B Hank Greenberg (enrolled at NYU on hoops scholarship in 1929 but attended college only one semester) scored four runs and drove in five in the opener of a 1940 twinbill. He homered for the 11th time in last 14 contests.

  • Brooklyn Dodgers 1B Gil Hodges (hooper for St. Joseph's IN in 1943 and Oakland City IN in 1947 and 1948) amassed two homers and six RBI against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the opener of a 1950 doubleheader.

  • Washington Senators 1B-OF 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) fanned five times against the Boston Red Sox in the opener of a 1970 twinbill.

  • Los Angeles Dodgers LF "Sweet" Lou Johnson (Kentucky State hoops teammate of legendary coach Davey Whitney averaged 5.7 ppg and 2 rpg in 1951-52) jacked two homers against the Philadelphia Phillies in a 1966 outing.

  • In 1989, Atlanta Braves RF David Justice (Thomas More KY assists leader in 1984-85 while averaging 9.3 ppg and 3.5 rpg) jacked his first of 305 MLB career homers.

  • Detroit Tigers LF Charlie Keller (Maryland three-year hoops letterman from 1934-35 through 1936-37) contributed two homers and five RBI against the Philadelphia Athletics in a 1950 game.

  • Cincinnati Reds rookie SS Keith Kessinger (averaged 2.7 ppg for Ole Miss in 1985-86 and 1986-87) cracked his lone MLB homer (against San Francisco Giants in 1993). He also collected his lone MLB double.

  • Detroit Tigers SS Harvey Kuenn (played hoops briefly for Wisconsin in 1951-52 after competing on JV squad previous season) went 5-for-5 against the Cleveland Indians in a 1954 contest.

  • Chicago White Sox RHP Ted Lyons (two-time All-SWC first-team selection for Baylor in early 1920s) had a no-hitter with two outs in the ninth inning broken up by a single from Bobby Veach of the Washington Senators in nightcap of 1925 doubleheader.

  • Philadelphia Athletics 3B Rudy Miller (Western Michigan hoops letterman from 1920-21 through 1923-24) registered his lone MLB hit, a single off Detroit Tigers RHP Ownie Carroll (Holy Cross hoops letterman in 1922) in a 1929 game.

  • RF Bill Nicholson (hooper for Washington College MD in mid-1930s), the N.L. leader in homers and RBI in 1943, collected a single, two doubles and homer to help the Chicago Cubs snap an 11-game losing streak with a 6-0 victory against the World Series-bound St. Louis Cardinals in opener of twinbill. Nicholson also homered in the nightcap.

  • In his first at-bat with the Boston Red Sox in 1997, OF Curtis Pride (led William & Mary in steals three times and assists twice from 1986-87 through 1989-90) helped the Boston Red Sox tie score with a ninth-inning pinch-hit homer but the Chicago White Sox went on to prevail in 10th frame.

  • A 12th-inning homer by LF Rip Repulski (started a few basketball games for St. Cloud State MN) gave the St. Louis Cardinals a 6-5 win against the Chicago Cubs in 1955.

  • Cincinnati Reds LHP Eppa Rixey (Virginia hoops letterman in 1912 and 1914) tossed a 1-0 shutout against the Philadelphia Phillies in the opener of a 1923 twinbill.

  • New York Giants RF Dave Robertson (one of two reserves on North Carolina State's first basketball team in 1911) went 4-for-4 in 1915 game against the Chicago Cubs.

  • Brooklyn Dodgers LHP Preacher Roe (Harding AR hooper in late 1930s) improved his record to 21-2 in 1951 with a 3-0 shutout against the St. Louis Cardinals.

  • In 1997, Cincinnati Reds RHP Jeff Shaw (freshman guard for Rio Grande OH hoops squad compiling 31-5 record and reaching second round of 1985 NAIA Tournament) secured his 15th straight save in as many appearances en route to a N.L.-leading 42 saves.

  • In 1973, New York Mets LHP George Stone (averaged 14.7 ppg and 6.5 rpg for Louisiana Tech in 1964-65 and 1965-66) won his fifth straight start and eighth decision in a row.

  • Chicago White Sox DH Jim Thome (juco hooper for Illinois Central in 1988-89) supplied three extra-base hits (one double/two homers) in a 2007 game against the Kansas City Royals.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates LHP Bob Veale (scored 1,160 points from 1955-56 through 1957-58 with Benedictine KS) hurled a 10-inning, one-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies in 1965. It was Veale's third shutout in span of six starts.

  • Boston Red Sox rookie SS Billy Werber (first Duke hoops All-American in 1929-30) banged out three extra-base hits in a 4-3 win against the Cleveland Indians in 1933.

  • Wes Westrum (Bemidji State MN hooper for one season before serving in military during WWII) resigned as New York Mets manager in 1967.

  • First MLB safety for Pittsburgh Pirates OF Dave Wissman (Bridgeport CT freshman hooper in early 1960s) was a pinch-hit single off 21-game winner Juan Marichal of the San Francisco Giants in 1964.