On This Date: Former College Hoopers Make Mark in October 14 MLB Games

October 14th, 2019 - 7:32

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.

Three former college hoopers from Kentucky schools - Steve Hamilton (Morehead State), Sweet Lou Johnson (Kentucky State) and David Justice (Thomas More) - supplied significant MLB postseason competition performances on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is an October 14 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

OCTOBER 14

  • Montreal Expos RHP Ray Burris (Southwestern Oklahoma State basketball player) hurled a shutout against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 of 1981 NLCS. Five days later in Game 5, Burris yielded only five hits in eight innings.

  • 1B Donn Clendenon (Morehouse GA hooper) selected from the Pittsburgh Pirates by the Montreal Expos in 1968 expansion draft.

  • RF Walt French (hoops letterman for Rutgers and Army) struck out as a pinch-hitter but the Philadelphia Athletics rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to edge the Chicago Cubs in Game 5 of the 1929 World Series.

  • RHP Dave Giusti (made 6 of 10 field-goal attempts in two games for Syracuse in 1959-60) selected from the St. Louis Cardinals by the San Diego Padres as the third pick in 1968 expansion draft.

  • New York Yankees LHP Steve Hamilton (Morehead State's leading scorer and rebounder in 1956-57 and 1957-58) saved Game 6 in the 1964 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals after replacing starter Jim Bouton.

  • San Francisco Giants LHP Atlee Hammaker (averaged 5.3 ppg as freshman in 1976-77 and 4.9 as sophomore in 1977-78 under ETSU coach Sonny Smith) lost decisive Game 7 against the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1987 NLCS.

  • St. Louis Cardinals RHP Bobby Humphreys (four-year hoops letterman graduated from Hampden-Sydney VA in 1958) hurled a scoreless inning of relief against the New York Yankees in Game 6 of the 1964 World Series.

  • New York Yankees OF David Justice (Thomas More KY assists leader in 1984-85 while averaging 9.3 ppg and 3.5 rpg) homered in a 5-0 win against the Seattle Mariners in Game 4 of 2000 ALCS.

  • Toiling on two days rest, Los Angeles Dodgers LHP Sandy Koufax (Cincinnati's freshman hoops squad in 1953-54) hurled a three-hit shutout in Game 7 of the 1965 World Series against the Minnesota Twins. Supporting Koufax with a fourth-inning homer was LF "Sweet" Lou Johnson (Kentucky State teammate of legendary coach Davey Whitney averaged 5.7 ppg and 2 rpg in 1951-52).

  • OF Rusty Kuntz (J.C. hooper for Cuesta CA) supplied a sacrifice fly in the fifth and decisive game for the champion Detroit Tigers in the 1984 World Series against the San Diego Padres.

  • Baltimore Orioles RHP Dave Leonhard (averaged 4.8 ppg with Johns Hopkins MD in 1961-62) hurled a scoreless inning of relief against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Game 5 of the 1971 World Series.

  • CF Kenny Lofton (Arizona's leader in steals for 1988 Final Four team compiling a 35-3 record) delivered the game-winning safety in the bottom of the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2002 NLCS to send the San Francisco Giants to the World Series.

  • In Game 5, New York Giants Hall of Fame RHP Christy Mathewson (Bucknell hooper at turn of 20th Century) tossed his third shutout against the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1905 World Series.

  • Philadelphia Phillies RF Bake McBride (averaged 12.7 ppg and 8.1 rpg in 21 games with Westminster MO in 1968-69 and 1969-70) banged out a postseason career-high three hits, including a three-run homer, in a 7-6 decision over the Kansas City Royals in the opener of the 1980 World Series.

  • New York Yankees 3B Graig Nettles (shot 87.8% from free-throw line for San Diego State in 1963-64) singled twice in a seven-run fourth inning in Game 2 of the 1981 ALCS against the Oakland A's to become the first player ever to collect two safeties in a single frame in LCS competition.

  • LHP George Stone (averaged 14.7 ppg and 6.5 rpg for Louisiana Tech in 1965-66) notched a save in Game 2 of the 1973 World Series when the New York Mets outlasted the Oakland A's, 10-7, in 12 innings.

  • INF Gary Sutherland (Southern California's fifth-leading scorer in 1963-64 when averaging 7.4 ppg) selected from the Philadelphia Phillies by the Montreal Expos in 1968 expansion draft.

  • 1B-OF Preston Ward (second-leading scorer for Southwest Missouri State in 1946-47 and 1948-49) purchased from the Brooklyn Dodgers by the Chicago Cubs for $100,000 in 1949.