On This Date: Former College Hoopers Providing MLB Headlines on June 17

June 17th, 2023 - 7:21

Extra! Extra! Instead of trying to understand doltish Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) or reading excerpts from Ashley Biden's diary found in halfway house recalling showers with her plagiarist father (probably as inappropriate as having hideous Hunter serve as advisor), you can read news 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 current SEC members - Louisiana State (Joe Adcock and Alvin Dark), Mississippi (Don Kessinger) plus Missouri (Sonny Siebert) - had former hoopers supply significant MLB performances on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a June 17 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 17

  • Milwaukee Brewers rookie RHP Mike Adams (played basketball for Texas A&M-Kingsville in 1996-97) scored upon for the only time in his first 14 MLB relief appearances in 2004.

  • Milwaukee Braves 1B Joe Adcock (Louisiana State's leading scorer in 1945-46) swatted two homers in a 5-4 win against the Brooklyn Dodgers in opener of 1956 twinbill.

  • Eleven-year A.L. INF Jack Barry (Holy Cross hoops letterman in 1908) coached his alma mater to the 1952 College World Series championship by defeating Missouri, 8-4.

  • Detroit Tigers 1B Tony Clark (San Diego State's leading scorer in Western Athletic Conference games in 1991-92) clobbered two homers against the Minnesota Twins in a 1998 contest.

  • New York Giants SS Alvin Dark (hoops letterman for Louisiana State and Southwestern Louisiana during World War II) and C Wes Westrum (hooper for Bemidji State MN one season before serving in military during WWII) each collected four hits in a 1951 game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates INF Gene Freese (West Liberty WV hoops captain of 1952 NAIA Tournament team) went 4-for-4 against the Milwaukee Braves in a 1957 outing.

  • Boston Red Sox 1B Dick Gernert (Temple hoops letterman in 1948-49) walloped two homers in a 17-1 romp over the Detroit Tigers in 1953.

  • San Diego Padres RF Tony Gwynn (All-WAC second-team selection with San Diego State in 1979-80 and 1980-81) went 4-for-4 against the Houston Astros in a 1989 game.

  • San Francisco Giants LHP Atlee Hammaker (averaged 5.3 ppg as freshman in 1976-77 and 4.9 ppg as sophomore in 1977-78 under East Tennessee State coach Sonny Smith) tossed a four-hit shutout against the Cincinnati Reds in 1985.

  • Boston Braves 1B Buddy Hassett (hooper for Manhattan teams winning school-record 17 consecutive games in 1930 and 1931) banged out three hits in both ends of a 1940 doubleheader sweep against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

  • Rookie RHP Wynn Hawkins (all-time leading scorer for Baldwin-Wallace OH upon graduation in 1957) yielded Boston Red Sox Hall of Famer Ted Williams' 500th home run (fourth player in MLB history to reach that plateau) at Cleveland in 1960.

  • In 1965, Chicago Cubs RHP Bobby Humphreys (four-year hoops letterman graduated from Hampden-Sydney VA in 1958) yielded his only run in last 11 relief appearances of the month.

  • Chicago White Sox C Duane Josephson (Northern Iowa scoring leader in 1962-63 and 1963-64 under coach Norm Stewart) went 4-for-4 and scored three runs in a 6-3 triumph against the New York Yankees in 1970.

  • Chicago Cubs SS Don Kessinger (three-time All-SEC selection for Ole Miss from 1961-62 through 1963-64 while finishing among nation's top 45 scorers each year) went 6-for-6 in a 10-inning, 7-6 victory against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1971.

  • Milwaukee Brewers OF Joe Lahoud (hoops letterman in mid-1960s for New Haven CT) contributed a grand slam en route to six RBI in 15-5 rout of the Chicago White Sox in 1973.

  • New York Giants CF Hank Leiber (Arizona hooper in 1931) logged four hits and five RBI against the St. Louis Cardinals in a 1938 contest.

  • C Cal Neeman (Illinois Wesleyan's leading scorer in 1947-48 and 1948-49) stroked a three-run, inside-the-park homer off Harvey Haddix with two outs in bottom of eighth inning to lift the Chicago Cubs to 5-2 triumph over the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1959. Inside-the-park HR went unmatched by another Cubbies backstop until 2008. Haddix was making his fourth start after hurling a perfect game for 12 innings against the Milwaukee Braves before losing the no-hitter and historic contest in the 13th.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates 1B Gary Redus (J.C. hooper for Athens AL and father of Centenary/South Alabama guard with same name) provided three extra-base hits against the San Diego Padres in a 1991 outing.

  • Starting RHP Robin Roberts (Michigan State's second-leading scorer in 1945-46 and 1946-47) scored the winning run in the 15th inning to give the Philadelphia Phillies a 3-2 decision over the St. Louis Cardinals in 1954.

  • Brooklyn Dodgers 1B Jackie Robinson (highest scoring average in Pacific Coast Conference both of his seasons with UCLA in 1939-40 and 1940-41) left 13 runners stranded in a 1951 doubleheader against the Boston Braves. Three years later as a LF, Robinson provided two doubles and two homers against the Milwaukee Braves in a 1954 game.

  • Kansas City Athletics 1B Norm Siebern (member of Southwest Missouri hoop squads capturing back-to-back NAIA Tournament titles in 1952 and 1953) smashed two homers against the Minnesota Twins in a 1962 contest.

  • Cleveland Indians RHP Sonny Siebert (team-high 16.7 ppg for Missouri in 1957-58 as All-Big Eight Conference second-team selection) fanned 15 Washington Senators batters in hurling a three-hit shutout in 1965.

  • C John Stephenson (scored 1,361 points for William Carey MS in early 1960s) shipped from the New York Mets to the Chicago Cubs in 1967 as the player to be designated, completing an earlier deal that month.

  • Boston Red Sox 3B Billy Werber (first Duke hoops All-American in 1929-30) banged out three hits in both ends of a 1934 twinbill sweep of the St. Louis Browns.

  • Chicago Cubs RHP Zip Zabel (premier hooper for Baker KS from 1913 to 1915), entering game with two outs in top of first inning when starter Bert Humphries exited after line drive struck him on pitching hand, hurled a MLB-record 18 1/3 innings of relief against the Brooklyn Robins in 1915.