On This Date: Former College Hoopers Make Mark on July 20 MLB Games

July 20th, 2019 - 8:02

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 Fordham hoopers Frankie Frisch and Babe Young had outstanding offensive outputs in National League games on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a July 20 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JULY 20

  • St. Louis Browns RF Beau Bell (two-year basketball letterman for Texas A&M in early 1930s) banged out three hits in both ends of a 1937 doubleheader against the New York Yankees.

  • Minnesota Twins 3B John Castino (medical redshirt for Rollins FL in 1973-74 under coach Ed Jucker) accounted for decisive run with solo homer in top of seventh inning of 5-4 victory against the Boston Red Sox in 1980.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates 1B Donn Clendenon (four-sport letterman with Morehouse GA) collected five RBI, including a decisive three-run homer in the seventh inning, in an 8-5 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1966.

  • Boston Red Sox LF Hoot Evers (Illinois hoops starter in 1939-40) scored four runs in an 8-7 win against the Cleveland Indians in 1952.

  • St. Louis Cardinals 3B Jake Flowers (member of Washington College MD "Flying Pentagon" hoops squad in 1923) furnished five hits in a 16-5 romp over the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1932.

  • 3B Gene Freese (captain of 1952 NAIA Tournament hoops team for West Liberty WV) traded by the Chicago White Sox to the Houston Astros for P Jim Mahoney and cash in 1966.

  • St. Louis Cardinals 2B Frankie Frisch (Fordham hoops captain) contributed six RBI against the Brooklyn Robins in a 1930 game.

  • St. Louis Cardinals SS Charlie Gelbert (scored at least 125 points each of last three seasons in late 1920s for Lebanon Valley PA) delivered four hits against the Brooklyn Robins in a 1930 contest. Two years later, Gelbert collected three safeties, three runs and three RBI against the same opponent to trigger a career-high 12-game hitting streak in 1932.

  • Detroit Tigers LF Hank Greenberg (enrolled at NYU on hoop scholarship in 1929 but attended college only one semester) went 4-for-4 in a 3-1 victory against the New York Yankees in 1940.

  • Toronto Blue Jays 2B Garth Iorg (juco hooper with College of the Redwoods CA in mid-1970s) smacked two homers in a 1987 game against the Texas Rangers.

  • In a 1956 contest, Chicago Cubs LF Monte Irvin (Lincoln PA hooper 1 1/2 years in late 1930s) mashed two homers against his original team (New York Giants).

  • San Francisco Giants OF Harvey Kuenn (played hoops briefly for Wisconsin in 1951-52 after competing on JV squad previous season) contributed four hits against the Chicago Cubs in a 1964 game.

  • Cleveland Indians CF Kenny Lofton (Arizona's leader in steals for 1988 Final Four team compiling a 35-3 record) provided five hits in a 6-5 win against the Minnesota Twins in 1996.

  • Milwaukee Braves SS Johnny Logan (Binghamton hooper in 1948-49) logged three doubles in a 4-3 loss against the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1955.

  • RHP Christy Mathewson (Bucknell hooper at turn of 20th Century) traded by the New York Giants to the Cincinnati Reds in 1916.

  • Baltimore Orioles RHP Ben McDonald (started six games as a 6-6 freshman forward for LSU in 1986-87) hurled a one-hit shutout against the Kansas City Royals in 1993.

  • LHP Dennis Rasmussen (sixth-man for Creighton averaged 5.1 ppg from 1977-78 through 1979-80) bowed against the Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-2, for his lone setback in first 11 decisions with the San Diego Padres in 1988.

  • Cincinnati Reds rookie LF Evar Swanson (played all five positions for Knox IL) went 6-for-9 in a 1929 doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies.

  • In 1955, Preston Ward (second-leading scorer for Southwest Missouri State in 1946-47 and 1948-49) whacked a key three-run pinch homer for the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 4-3 win against a Milwaukee Braves squad featuring second baseman Hank Aaron.

  • Cincinnati Reds 1B Babe Young (Fordham hoops letterman in 1935-36) homered in both ends of a 1947 twinbill for the third time this month.