On This Date: Former College Hoopers Make Mark on May 22 MLB Games

May 22nd, 2019 - 16:59

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 college hoopers George Altman (Tennessee State), Bruce Bochte (Santa Clara), Bill Davis (Minnesota), Chubby Dean (Duke), Dick Gernert (Temple) and Gil Hodges (St. Joseph's IN/Oakland City IN) made news as MLB first basemen on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a May 22 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

MAY 22

  • Chicago Cubs 1B George Altman (appeared in 1953 and 1954 NAIA Basketball Tournament with Tennessee State) swatted two homers in a 4-3 win against the Atlanta Braves in the nightcap of a 1966 doubleheader.

  • Seattle Mariners 1B Bruce Bochte (starting forward for Santa Clara's NCAA playoff team in 1969-70) went 4-for-4 and chipped in with six RBI in a 12-11 win against the Kansas City Royals in 1979.

  • 1B Bill Davis (averaged 12.5 ppg in 1963-64 for a Minnesota team including eventual NBA standouts Archie Clark and Lou Hudson) traded by the San Diego Padres to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1969.

  • Philadelphia Athletics 1B Chubby Dean (reserve guard for Duke in 1936) smacked a game-tying homer with two outs in bottom of the ninth in eventual 10-9 win in 11 innings against the Chicago White Sox in 1937.

  • 1B-LF Dick Gernert (Temple hoops letterman in 1948-49) was one of four Boston Red Sox players to wallop a homer in the sixth inning of an 11-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians in 1957.

  • Baltimore Orioles RHP Dick Hall (averaged 13.5 ppg from 1948-49 through 1950-51 with Swarthmore PA Southern Division champions in Middle Atlantic States Conference) notched his fourth relief win of the month in 1964.

  • San Francisco Giants C Tom Haller (backup forward for Illinois in 1956-57 and 1957-58 under coach Harry Combes) banged out four hits against the Houston Astros in the opener of a 1965 doubleheader.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates 3B Lee Handley (Bradley hoops letterman from 1932-33 through 1934-35) went 4-for-4 against the New York Giants in a 1939 game.

  • Brooklyn Dodgers 1B Gil Hodges (hooper for St. Joseph's IN in 1943 and Oakland City IN in 1947 and 1948) collected two homers and six RBI against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 1951 contest. Twelve years later, Hodges became manager of the Washington Senators in 1963 after his acquisition from the New York Mets for OF Jimmy Piersall.

  • Los Angeles Dodgers rookie 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) contributed four hits against the Philadelphia Phillies in a 1960 contest.

  • 3B Jerry Lumpe (hooper for Southwest Missouri State's 1952 NAIA Tournament championship team) notched the New York Yankees only hit (a single) in a 5-0 setback against knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm of the Baltimore Orioles in 1959. The next year as a Kansas City Athletics 2B in a 1960 outing, Lumpe launched two homers against his original team (Yankees).

  • Chicago White Sox RHP Ted Lyons (two-time All-SWC first-team selection with Baylor in the early 1920s) beat the Washington Senators, 9-2, in 1938 for his 200th career victory.

  • In 1965, Detroit Tigers rookie RF Jim Northrup (second-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder for Alma MI in 1958-59) jacked his first MLB homer (off Hall of Famer Robin Roberts of Baltimore Orioles).

  • Montreal Expos LF Curtis Pride (led William & Mary in steals three times and assists twice while averaging 5.6 ppg and 3.1 apg from 1986-87 through 1989-90) went 3-for-3 against the New York Mets in a 2001 contest.

  • Baltimore Orioles RF Ken Singleton (Hofstra freshman hoops squad in mid-1960s) smacked a game-ending grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Detroit Tigers in 1976.

  • Utilityman Jimmy Stewart (All-Volunteer State Athletic Conference hoops selection for Austin Peay State in 1959-60 and 1960-61) purchased from the Chicago Cubs by the Chicago White Sox in 1967.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates LHP Bob Veale (scored 1,160 points from 1955-56 through 1957-58 with Benedictine KS) tossed his second shutout of the month in 1966.

  • Kansas City Royals RHP Chris Young (All-Ivy League first-team selection as Princeton's leading scorer and rebounder in 1999-00) won first four decisions and compiled 0.78 ERA through his first 10 outings of 2015 campaign.