On This Date: Former College Hoopers Providing MLB Headlines on June 20

June 20th, 2023 - 9:22

Extra! Extra! Instead of debating if hideous Hunter Biledumb really is so corrupt he tried to imply revealing laptop wasn't owned by him and if vastly improving fatherhood figures in African-American community by shaming "sperminators" would vastly improve race relations, 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.

Former small-college hoopers Dick Siebert (Concordia-St. Paul MN/Minnesota) and Bobby Winkles (Illinois Wesleyan/Arizona State) guided major universities to College World Series championships on this date in the 1960s. Ex-NYU hoopers Hank Greenberg and Eddie Yost supplied significant American League performances on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a June 20 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 20

  • Boston Red Sox 1B Dale Alexander (starting basketball center in mid-1920s for Milligan TN) contributed four hits in a 9-5 win against the Cleveland Indians in 1933.

  • SS Gair Allie (freshman hooper for Wake Forest in 1950-51) whacked a three-run homer off Bob Buhl to help catapult the Pittsburgh Pirates to 6-3 decision over the Milwaukee Braves in opener of 1954 doubleheader.

  • LF Howie Bedell (averaged 3.5 ppg and 3.5 rpg for West Chester PA in 1955-56) traded by the Milwaukee Braves to the St. Louis Cardinals for P Bobby Tiefenauer in 1963.

  • Montreal Expos RHP Ray Burris (two-sport standout in Southwestern Oklahoma State Hall of Fame) tossed a three-hit shutout against the Philadelpia Phillies in 1983.

  • RHP Bob Chlupsa (led Manhattan in rebounding in 1965-66 and 1966-67) traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the San Diego Padres in 1972.

  • 1B Tony Clark (San Diego State's leading scorer in WAC games in 1991-92) clobbered two of Detroit's team-record eight homers in the Tigers' 18-6 victory against the Toronto Blue Jays in 2000.

  • Hall of Fame C Mickey Cochrane (Boston University hooper in early 1920s) collected four of the Philadelphia Athletics' 26 hits in an 18-11 decision over the Chicago White Sox in 1932.

  • Lone MLB triumph for RHP Paul Edmondson (averaged 12.4 ppg and 6.6 rpg with Cal State Northridge from 1962-63 through 1964-65) came in his debut in 1969 when hurling a two-hitter for the Chicago White Sox against the California Angels.

  • Detroit Tigers rookie 1B Hank Greenberg (enrolled at NYU on hoops scholarship in 1929 but attended college only one semester) went 4-for-4 against the Philadelphia Athletics in a 1933 contest.

  • RHP Ed Halicki (NAIA All-American third-team choice in 1971-72 when leading Monmouth in scoring with 21 ppg after setting school single-game rebounding record with 40 the previous season) awarded on waivers from the San Francisco Giants to the California Angels in 1980.

  • Los Angeles Dodgers 1B Gil Hodges (hooper for St. Joseph's IN in 1943 and Oakland City IN in 1947 and 1948) homered twice against the Cincinnati Reds in a 1959 game.

  • Toronto Blue Jays 3B Garth Iorg (juco hooper with College of the Redwoods CA in mid-1970s) went 3-for-3 and scored three runs in a 6-5 win against the Boston Red Sox in 1985.

  • New York Yankees LF Charlie Keller (three-year hoops letterman with Maryland from 1934-35 through 1936-37) homered in his fourth consecutive contest in 1941. Two years later, Keller connected for a circuit clout in both ends of a 1943 twinbill split against the Washington Senators.

  • San Francisco Giants OF Harvey Kuenn (played hoops briefly for Wisconsin in 1951-52 after competing on JV squad previous season) collected five hits against the St. Louis Cardinals in a 1964 contest.

  • Chicago Cubs RF Bill Nicholson (Washington College MD hoops guard for two years in mid-1930s) smacked two homers against the St. Louis Cardinals in the opener of a 1943 doubleheader.

  • Chicago White Sox RHP Johnny Rigney (top hoops center for St. Thomas MN in mid-1930s) tossed an 11-inning, 1-0 shutout against the New York Yankees in 1940. On the flip side, it was a season when he incurred 12 one-run defeats.

  • In 1961 outing, Baltimore Orioles rookie RF Earl Robinson (three-time All-PCC second-team selection for California under coach Pete Newell from 1955-56 through 1957-58) ripped first MLB homer, which was among his three hits against the Minnesota Twins.

  • New York Yankees 3B Red Rolfe (Dartmouth hooper in 1927-28 and 1929-30) registered three extra-base hits against the Chicago White Sox in a 1939 game.

  • Baltimore Orioles 1B Norm Siebern (member of Southwest Missouri State squads capturing back-to-back NAIA Tournament hoops titles in 1952 and 1953) stroked three extra-base hits and scored four runs against the Washington Senators in a 1965 game.

  • Eleven-year MLB 1B Dick Siebert (Concordia-St. Paul MN hooper in 1929 and 1930) coached Minnesota to his second of three College World Series championships with the Gophers by outlasting Southern California, 2-1, in 10 innings in 1960.

  • Chicago Cubs SS Roy Smalley Jr. (one of top scorers for Drury MO in 1942-43 and 1943-44) supplied three extra-base hits off Johnny Sain in a 4-3 triumph against the Boston Braves in a 1950 contest.

  • RHP Lee Smith (averaged 3.4 ppg and 1.9 rpg with Northwestern State in 1976-77) preserved the California Angels' 3-2 verdict over the Kansas City Royals in 1995, setting a MLB mark with his 18th save in 18 opportunities (record subsequently broken).

  • Boston Red Sox 3B Jim Tabor (Alabama hoops letterman in 1936-37) jacked two homers against the Philadelphia Athletics in the opener of a 1943 twinbill.

  • Philadelphia Phillies 1B Jim Thome (played junior-college hoops for Illinois Central in 1988-89) contributed a pair of homers and five RBI in a 2004 game against the Kansas City Royals. He smacked 15 round-trippers during the month.

  • Former MLB manager Bobby Winkles (All-College Conference of Illinois first-team selection led Illinois Wesleyan in scoring with 12 ppg as senior in 1950-51) coached Arizona State to his third of three College World Series championships with the Sun Devils by trouncing Tulsa, 10-1, in 1969.

  • Washington Senators 3B Eddie Yost (NYU freshman hooper in 1943-44 under coach Howard Cann) hammered a crucial two-run homer in 4-2 decision over the Detroit Tigers in 1950. It was his lone outing in a 14-game span when failing to be issued at least one walk.