On This Date: Former College Hoopers Make Mark on August 30 MLB Games

August 30th, 2019 - 17:33

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 Santa Clara hoop guards Tim Cullen and Randy Winn made 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 30 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

AUGUST 30

  • Texas Rangers RF Larry Biittner (runner-up in basketball scoring and rebounding in 1966-67 for Buena Vista IA) banged out four hits against the Minnesota Twins in a 1973 game.

  • Philadelphia Athletics SS John Chapman (multiple-season hooper for Mount St. Mary's) chipped in with a career-high three hits against the Boston Red Sox in the opener of a 1924 doubleheader.

  • Brooklyn Dodgers RHP Jack Coombs (captain and starting hoops center for Colby ME) announced his retirement following a 1-0 setback against the New York Giants in a game lasting only 57 minutes.

  • Tim Cullen (starting guard for Santa Clara in 1962-63 when he averaged 10 ppg) tied a MLB single-inning record with three errors in the eighth frame for the Washington Senators against the Oakland A's in 1969 one year before he led A.L. second basemen in fielding percentage. Washington 1B-OF Frank Howard (two-time All-Big Ten Conference first-team selection when he led Ohio State in scoring and rebounding in 1956-57 and 1957-58) contributed four hits in the Senators' 11-3 victory.

  • 2B Jack Dittmer (Iowa hooper in 1949-50) socked one of the Milwaukee Braves' eight homers in a 19-4 romp over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the opener of a 1953 doubleheader.

  • Boston Red Sox 2B Denny Doyle (averaged 2.7 ppg for Morehead State in 1962-63) went 4-for-4 against the Oakland Athletics in a 1977 outing.

  • Detroit Tigers 1B Darrell Evans (member of Jerry Tarkanian-coached Pasadena City CA club winning 1967 state community college crown) homered twice in a 1986 game against the California Angels.

  • St. Louis Cardinals 2B Frankie Frisch (Fordham hoops captain) provided four hits against the New York Giants in a 1933 contest.

  • New York Yankees C Mike Garbark (hoops letterman for Villanova's 25-5 squad in 1937-38 under coach Alex Severance) furnished four hits in a 9-7 win against the Boston Red Sox in 1944.

  • Milwaukee Braves SS Johnny Logan (Binghamton hooper in 1948-49) homered in both ends of a 1953 doubleheader sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

  • INF Tim Nordbrook (hoops letterman for Loyola LA in 1968-69) purchased from the Chicago White Sox by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1977.

  • In 1953, Pittsburgh Pirates rookie 2B Johnny O'Brien (consensus All-American second-team choice as junior and consensus first-team selection as senior averaged 25.8 ppg for Seattle from 1950-51 through 1952-53) supplied three contests with three hits and chipped in with a four-RBI outing in his last seven games of the month.

  • Montreal Expos RF Ken Singleton (Hofstra freshman hoops team in mid-1960s) went 4-for-4 and scored four runs against the Cincinnati Reds in a 1974 outing.

  • St. Louis Cardinals RHP Lee Smith (averaged 3.4 ppg and 1.9 rpg with Northwestern State in 1976-77) posted his 12th save of the month in 1992.

  • Bill Virdon (Drury MO hooper in 1949) fired as Montreal Expos manager in 1984.

  • San Francisco Giants RF Randy Winn (Santa Clara backcourtmate of eventual two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Steve Nash in 1993-94) ripped two homers in a 2008 game against the Cincinnati Reds.