On This Date: Ex-College Hoopsters Make Mark on September 12 MLB Games

September 12th, 2015 - 7:23

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 September 12 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

SEPTEMBER 12

  • Milwaukee Braves 1B Joe Adcock (Louisiana State's leading basketball scorer in 1945-46) tied a MLB single-season mark in 1956 when swatting his 13th homer against a single team (Brooklyn Dodgers).

  • Washington Senators OF Brant Alyea (Hofstra's leading scorer and rebounder in 1960-61 after being runner-up in both categories the previous season) debuted in 1965 with a pinch-hit homer on the first pitch to him against the California Angels.

  • Detroit Tigers RHP Elden Auker (All-Big Six first-five selection with Kansas State in 1931-32) posted his second win streak of at least six games en route to leading the A.L. in winning percentage in 1935.

  • Boston Braves rookie 2B Jack Dittmer (played briefly for Iowa in 1949-50), entering a 1952 doubleheader hitting .182, belted a homer in both ends of the twinbill as he went 5-for-8 and scored five runs against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

  • Atlanta Braves 1B Darrell Evans (member of Jerry Tarkanian-coached Pasadena City CA club winning 1967 state community college crown) delivered a grand slam against the Cincinnati Reds in the opener of a 1974 doubleheader.

  • Chicago White Sox RHP Eddie Fisher (played for Oklahoma's 1954-55 freshman squad) toiled 11 innings to beat the Minnesota Twins, 2-1, in 1962.

  • In 1931, Chicago White Sox rookie C Frank Grube (Lafayette starting guard as senior in 1926-27) launched his lone MLB homer.

  • Brooklyn Robins rookie 1B Buddy Hassett (played for Manhattan teams winning school-record 17 consecutive contests in 1930 and 1931) supplied a pair of doubles in both ends of a 1936 twinbill split against the St. Louis Cardinals.

  • Los Angeles Dodgers RF 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) went 4-for-4 against the New York Mets in 1964. Four years later as a 1B with the Washington Senators, Howard homered twice against the Baltimore Orioles in 1968.

  • Extending his hitting streak to a career-high 14 games in a row, New York Giants LF Monte Irvin (played for Lincoln PA 1 1/2 years in late 1930s) provided three hits in each contest of a 1952 doubleheader split with the Cincinnati Reds.

  • Atlanta Braves RF David Justice (Thomas More KY assists leader in 1984-85 while averaging 9.3 ppg) homered twice against the Houston Astros in 1992.

  • Cleveland Indians 3B Graig Nettles (shot 87.8% from free-throw line for San Diego State in 1963-64) drilled two homers against the New York Yankees in 1971.

  • Chicago Cubs RF Bill Nicholson (guard for Washington College MD two years in mid-1930s) went 4-for-4 against the Philadelphia Phillies in 1940.

  • RHP Cotton Pippen (Texas Western letterman in 1929-30) awarded on waivers from the Philadelphia Athletics to the Detroit Tigers in 1939.

  • LHP Dennis Rasmussen (sixth-man for Creighton averaged 5.1 ppg in three seasons from 1977-78 through 1979-80) shipped by the New York Yankees to the San Diego Padres in 1983 to complete an earlier deal.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates rookie RHP Xavier Rescigno (played for Manhattan in 1932 and 1933) registered his lone MLB shutout (four-hitter against Cincinnati Reds in nightcap of 1943 doubleheader).

  • Cincinnati Reds 2B Johnny Temple (played briefly in 1945 for Catawba NC before joining U.S. Navy) smacked a grand slam against the New York Giants in 1952.

  • Chicago Cubs RHP Jim Willis (Northwestern State letterman in 1944-45 and from 1947-48 through 1949-50) tossed back-to-back complete-game victories in 1953.