On This Date: Former College Hoopers Made News in August 12 MLB Contests

August 12th, 2021 - 8:54

Extra! Extra! Instead of wondering if legal authorities or #MessMedia mavens will seek full preferential-treatment accounting of kinky Cuomo cronies (Lov Gov "specials" rushed by NY state police to laboratory) securing priority access to rapid COVID testing for the elite in-crowd when average citizens didn't boast enough clout to obtain results in early days of combating pandemic, 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.

Current Big Ten Conference members Illinois (Lou Boudreau), Maryland (Charlie Keller), Michigan State (Robin Roberts), Minnesota (Dave Winfield) and Ohio State (Steve Arlin) boast former hoopers making significant MLB news on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is an August 12 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

AUGUST 12

  • San Diego Padres rookie RHP Steve Arlin (played two basketball games for Ohio State in 1964-65 under coach Fred Taylor) tossed his second shutout in less than three weeks in 1971.

  • California Angels RHP Chris Beasley (Arizona State's leading basketball scorer in 1983-84) lost his only MLB decision in 1991 (4-3 against Minnesota Twins).

  • Washington Senators 1B Zeke Bonura (best basketball forward for Loyola LA in late 1920s and early 1930s) knocked in five runs in a 13-1 win against the Boston Red Sox in 1938.

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

  • Arizona Diamondbacks 1B Tony Clark (San Diego State's leading scorer in WAC games in 1991-92) smacked two homers against the Atlanta Braves in a 2005 contest.

  • Philadelphia Athletics C Mickey Cochrane (Boston University hooper in early 1920s) contributed four hits against the Detroit Tigers in a 1931 game.

  • Chicago Cubs 3B Alvin Dark (hoops letterman for Louisiana State and Southwestern Louisiana in mid-1940s) went 3-for-3 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, homering in the second of three consecutive contests in 1959.

  • St. Louis Browns 3B Frank Ellerbe (Wofford hooper after transferring from Sewanee TN) went 4-for-4 in a 1921 outing against the Detroit Tigers.

  • Chicago White Sox rookie RHP Bart Johnson (averaged 30.5 ppg for Brigham Young's freshman squad while playing portion of 1967-68 season) went 3-for-3 at the plate in a 1970 contest against the New York Yankees.

  • In the midst of a career-high 14-game hitting streak, New York Yankees rookie RF Charlie Keller (Maryland hoops letterman from 1934-35 through 1936-37) collected back-to-back three-safety contests against the Philadelphia Athletics in 1939.

  • Chicago Cubs LF Irv Noren (hooper of year for California community college state champion Pasadena City in 1945) went 4-for-4 against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 1959 game.

  • California Angels 1B Bob Oliver (All-Valley Conference basketball choice for American River Community College CA in 1962) opened the game's scoring with a three-run homer in 4-2 win against the Boston Red Sox in 1974.

  • Chicago Cubs rookie RHP Paul Reuschel (averaged 12.1 rpg for Western Illinois in 1966-67 and 1967-68) surrendered his only run in a 13-game relief span through the end of the month in 1975.

  • In 1953, Philadelphia Phillies RHP Robin Roberts (Michigan State's second leading scorer in 1945-46 and 1946-47) beat the Pittsburgh Pirates for the 15th consecutive time. Roberts reached the 20-win plateau for the fourth straight season.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates LHP Preacher Roe (Harding AR hooper in late 1930s) registered back-to-back six-hit shutouts in 1945.

  • Baltimore Orioles OF Larry Sheets (All-ODAC hoops selection for Eastern Mennonite VA in 1981-82 and 1982-83) and teammate Wayne Gross (Cal Poly Pomona assists leader in 1974-75) socked back-to-back pinch-hit homers but they weren't enough to prevent an 8-5 setback against the Cleveland Indians in 1985.

  • In 1960, Detroit Tigers RHP Dave Sisler (All-Ivy League second-team selection for Princeton's first NCAA playoff team in 1952) supplied his eighth straight relief appearance without yielding an earned run.

  • Arizona Diamondbacks rookie 2B Junior Spivey (redshirted his only semester at Northwestern Oklahoma State on hoops scholarship before transferring to KS junior college) registered his second five-hit game of the 2001 campaign.

  • Chicago Cubs INF-OF Riggs Stephenson (Alabama hoops letterman in 1920) knocked in the winning run in the 11th inning of a 3-2 victory against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1930.

  • Kansas City Athletics 2B Wayne Terwilliger (two-year Western Michigan hoops letterman averaged 5.6 ppg in 1947-48) posted his fifth straight multiple-hit game in 1959.

  • Boston Red Sox 3B Billy Werber (first Duke hoops All-American in 1929-30) went 3-for-3 against the New York Yankees in the opener of a 1934 doubleheader en route to 16 multiple-hit games during the month.

  • New York Yankees LF Dave Winfield (starting forward for Minnesota's first NCAA playoff team in 1972) delivered two homers and double against the Detroit Tigers in a 1983 outing.

  • San Francisco Giants CF Randy Winn (Santa Clara backcourtmate of eventual two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Steve Nash in 1993-94) accounted for the game's only run with a homer at Florida in 2005.