On This Date: Former College Hoopers Make News on July 5 MLB Games

June 30th, 2020 - 12:33

Extra! Extra! If spittin' mad regarding COVID-19 season postponement and prolonged negotiations commencing campaign, you have time to read news 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 Creighton hoopers Bob Gibson and Dennis Rasmussen delivered memorable moments in their MLB pitching careers on this date. Ditto for ex-college hoopers Jack Coombs (Colby ME) and Chubby Dean (Duke) connected as coach and player with the Blue Devils in 1936. Coombs and Dean each contributed significant performances for the Philadelphia Athletics against the Washington Senators on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a July 5 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JULY 5

  • California Angels 1B Joe Adcock (Louisiana State's leading basketball scorer in 1945-46) homered in his third consecutive contest in 1966.

  • In his MLB debut, Philadelphia Athletics RHP Jack Coombs (captain and starting hoops center for Colby ME) hurled a shutout against the Washington Senators in 1906.

  • 1B Chubby Dean (reserve guard for Duke in 1936) stroked two doubles and scored both of the Philadelphia Athletics' runs, including one with two outs in the bottom of the ninth of an 11-inning, 2-2 tie against the Washington Senators, in the nightcap of a 1937 doubleheader.

  • Cleveland Indians OF Larry Doby (reserve guard for Virginia Union's 1943 CIAA hoops titlist) became the first African-American player in the American League, striking out as a pinch-hitter against the Chicago White Sox in 1947.

  • San Francisco Giants 3B Darrell Evans (member of Jerry Tarkanian-coached Pasadena City CA club winning 1967 state community college hoops crown) furnished three extra-base hits in a 1979 game against the Atlanta Braves.

  • Boston Red Sox C Rick Ferrell (hoops forward for Guilford NC before graduating in 1928) amassed four hits against the Philadelphia Athletics in a 1936 game.

  • St. Louis Cardinals 2B Frankie Frisch (Fordham hoops captain) tied a N.L. record with 16 chances in a 6-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds in 1930.

  • St. Louis Cardinals RHP Bob Gibson (Creighton's leading scorer and rebounder in 1955-56 and 1956-57) belted his first of 24 MLB career homers (off Los Angeles Dodgers' Johnny Podres in 1961).

  • Detroit Tigers 1B Hank Greenberg (enrolled at NYU on hoops scholarship in 1929 but attended college only one semester) went 4-for-4, including four runs, two homers and five RBI, against the St. Louis Browns in a 1935 contest.

  • Baltimore Orioles RHP Dick Hall (averaged 13.5 ppg from 1948-49 through 1950-51 for Swarthmore PA Southern Division champions in Middle Atlantic States Conference) hurled a four-hit shutout against the Washington Senators in 1961.

  • In 1965, New York Yankees LHP Steve Hamilton (All-OVC hoops selection was Morehead State's leading scorer and rebounder in 1956-57 and 1957-58) yielded his only earned run in a span of 21 relief appearances from the end of May to late July.

  • Cleveland Indians RHP Oral Hildebrand (Butler hoops All-American in 1928-29 and 1929-30) hurled a shutout against the Chicago White Sox for one of his five victories this month in 1934.

  • Washington Senators LF Frank Howard (two-time All-Big Ten Conference first-team selection in 1956-57 and 1957-58) hammered two homers against the Boston Red Sox in the opener of a 1969 doubleheader.

  • New York Yankees LF Charlie Keller (Maryland three-year hoops letterman from 1934-35 through 1936-37) cracked two homers against the Philadelphia Athletics in a 1941 game.

  • Detroit Tigers SS Harvey Kuenn (played five hoops games for Wisconsin in 1951-52) provided the game's only tally with an 11th-inning homer against the Cleveland Indians in the nightcap of a 1954 twinbill.

  • Chicago Cubs LF Les Mann (Springfield MA hooper in 1913 and 1914) cracked two triples against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 1919 game.

  • Philadelphia Athletics LHP Pete Naktenis (Duke hoops letterman in 1934-35), yielding 10 earned runs in first 1 2/3 innings, lost his lone MLB decision (16-2 rout by Boston Red Sox in opener of 1936 doubleheader).

  • New York Yankees CF Irv Noren (hoops player of year for California community college state champion Pasadena City in 1945) collected a pair of homers and five RBI against the Philadelphia Athletics in the nightcap of a 1954 twinbill.

  • New York Yankees RHP Cecil Perkins (All-WVIAC hoops selection in 1961-62 with Salem International WV) lost his lone MLB decision and start (against Minnesota Twins in 1967).

  • In the midst of winning seven straight decisions in 1986, New York Yankees LHP Dennis Rasmussen (sixth-man for Creighton averaged 5.1 ppg from 1977-78 through 1979-80) tossed a three-hit shutout against the Chicago White Sox.

  • In 1953, Philadelphia Phillies RHP Robin Roberts (Michigan State's second-leading scorer in 1945-46 and 1946-47) blanked the Pittsburgh Pirates, 2-0, for his 28th consecutive complete game.

  • Chicago Cubs RHP Lee Smith (averaged 3.4 ppg and 1.9 rpg for Northwestern State in 1976-77) lost fourth straight game as a starter in 1982 before making his final 927 MLB appearances as a reliever.

  • Detroit Tigers RF Champ Summers (led SIUE in scoring in 1969-70 after doing same for Nicholls State in 1964-65) socked a decisive homer in the bottom of the eighth inning of a 3-2 win against the Toronto Blue Jays in 1979.

  • In 1969, Montreal Expos 2B Gary Sutherland (averaged 7.4 ppg with USC in 1963-64) stroked four hits in an outing against his original team (Philadelphia Phillies).

  • Cincinnati Reds CF Evar Swanson (played all five hoops positions for Knox IL) supplied four hits against the St. Louis Cardinals in a 1930 contest.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates LHP Bob Veale (scored 1,160 points for Benedictine KS from 1955-56 through 1957-58) won his fifth straight start with a two-hit shutout against the Chicago Cubs in 1968. The whitewash capped off a streak of seven starts where Veale allowed fewer than three earned runs.

  • St. Louis Cardinals 1B Bill White (two-year Hiram OH hooper in early 1950s) collected three homers and a double in 1961 game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

  • Boston Red Sox C Sammy White (All-PCC Northern Division first-five selection for Washington in 1947-48 and 1948-49) knocked in five runs against the Baltimore Orioles in the opener of a 1959 twinbill.

  • In 1998, Tampa Bay Devil Rays LF Randy Winn (Santa Clara backcourtmate of eventual two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Steve Nash in 1993-94) became the 3,000th career strikeout victim of Roger Clemens.