On This Date: Former College Hoopers Providing MLB Headlines on June 26

June 26th, 2023 - 8:13

Extra! Extra! Instead of displaying half-a-peace sign to sarcastically "salute" bloodthirsty leftists so desensitized supporting #PlannedMurderhood's abortions, FBI/DOJ unequal-justice probes of innocent Conservatives and Ivy Leaguer Gen. Mark Milley's progressive-professor tryout babbling on spewing leftist white-rage dogma regarding domestic-extremism training, 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 college hoopers Joe Ferguson (Pacific), Frank Howard (Ohio State) and Jackie Robinson (UCLA) went deep in a big way for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers on this date. Darrell Evans, a juco hooper for Pasadena City CA just like Robinson, also went downtown on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a June 26 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 26

  • En route to securing at least 16 hits for the third season in a five-year span, Cincinnati Reds RHP Ownie Carroll (Holy Cross hoops letterman in 1922) went 3-for-3 in a 1932 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

  • OF Bob Cerv (ranked fourth on Nebraska basketball career scoring list in 1949-50 when finishing his career) purchased from the New York Yankees by the Houston Colt .45's in 1962.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates 1B Donn Clendenon (four-sport letterman with Morehouse GA) collected four hits against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 1965 contest.

  • A pinch-hit homer in the bottom of ninth inning by Darrell Evans (member of Jerry Tarkanian-coached Pasadena City CA club winning 1967 state community college crown) propelled the San Francisco Giants to a 6-5 victory against the Atlanta Braves in 1979.

  • Los Angeles Dodgers C Joe Ferguson (hooper in 1967 NCAA playoffs with Pacific) pounded two homers, including a game-tying blast in the bottom of the ninth inning, in a 5-4 win against the Atlanta Braves in 1974.

  • Brooklyn Robins 2B Jake Flowers (member of 1923 "Flying Pentagon" championship hoops squad for Washington College MD) contributed four hits against the Boston Braves in the opener of a 1928 doubleheader.

  • St. Louis Cardinals RHP Bob Gibson (Creighton's leading scorer and rebounder in 1955-56 and 1956-57) hurled his fifth consecutive shutout (3-0 against the Pittsburgh Pirates) in the opener of a 1968 twinbill.

  • San Francisco Giants 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) hurled a five-hit shutout against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1975. Two years later, Halicki spun his second shutout of the month that season.

  • In 1983, 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) fired a four-hit shutout while fanning 12 San Diego Padres batters.

  • California Angels RHP Paul Hartzell (averaged 5.9 ppg and 3.4 rpg for Lehigh in 1972-73) won both ends of 1977 doubleheader as reliever against the Texas Rangers.

  • Los Angeles Dodgers rookie RF Frank Howard (two-time All-Big Ten Conference first-team selection in 1956-57 and 1957-58 when leading Ohio State in scoring and rebounding) whacked two homers against the Milwaukee Braves in a 1960 contest.

  • In 1966, Los Angeles Dodgers LHP Sandy Koufax (Cincinnati's freshman hoops squad in 1953-54) matched his N.L. record of seven straight strikeouts in back-to-back nine-inning appearances en route to a 2-1 victory at Atlanta.

  • Detroit Tigers 1B-OF Rick Leach (averaged 15.5 ppg for Michigan's JV hoops squad in 1975-76), mired in a 3-for-35 nosedive, broke up a no-hit bid by Baltimore's Storm Davis with a ninth-inning homer in 1983.

  • Milwaukee Braves SS Johnny Logan (Binghamton hooper in 1948-49) assembled his second 14-game hitting streak of the 1958 campaign.

  • In 1982, New York Yankees 3B Graig Nettles (shot 87.8% from free-throw line for San Diego State in 1963-64) launched milestone 300th of his 390 MLB career homers.

  • Oakland Athletics CF Billy North (played hoops briefly for Central Washington in 1967-68) supplied three of his league-high 54 stolen bases against the California Angels in a 1974 contest, triggering a streak of six consecutive contests with a theft.

  • San Diego Padres LHP Dennis Rasmussen (sixth-man for Creighton averaged 5.1 ppg from 1977-78 through 1979-80) tossed a shutout against the Houston Astros before losing nine of his next 10 decisions in the following two months of the 1990 campaign.

  • RHP Paul Reuschel (Western Illinois' leading rebounder in 1966-67 with 15.2 per game) traded by the Chicago Cubs to the Cleveland Indians in 1978.

  • Chicago White Sox LF Carl Reynolds (Southwestern TX hoops MVP and captain in mid-1920s) tripled twice in a 1929 game against the Detroit Tigers.

  • New York Giants RF Dave Robertson (one of two reserves on North Carolina State's first basketball team in 1911) went 4-for-4 in opener of a 1916 twinbill against the Brooklyn Robins.

  • Brooklyn Dodgers 1B Jackie Robinson (highest scoring average in Pacific Coast Conference both of his seasons with UCLA in 1939-40 and 1940-41) launched two homers against the Chicago Cubs in a 1956 game.

  • Boston Red Sox RHP Sonny Siebert (All-Big Eight Conference second-team selection in 1957-58 as Missouri's leading scorer with 16.7 ppg) knocked in five runs in a 1971 game against the Baltimore Orioles.