On This Date: Former College Hoopers Supplying MLB Headlines on April 30

April 30th, 2024 - 8:43

Extra! Extra! Rather than listening to misguided #MessMedia and petty politicians chit chat about nitwit Hamas-supporting protesters donning masks obscuring their stupidity, you can read news about memorable major league baseball achievements, moments and transactions involving former college basketball players. Numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games and dates in MLB history.

Former Big Ten Conference hoopers Frank Howard (Ohio State), Harvey Kuenn (Wisconsin) and Dave Winfield (Minnesota) provided significant MLB performances on this date. Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is an April 30 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

APRIL 30

  • California Angels 1B Joe Adcock (Louisiana State's leading basketball scorer in 1945-46) contributed four hits against the Boston Red Sox in a 1966 outing.

  • Detroit Tigers 1B Dale Alexander (starting hoops center for Milligan TN in mid-1920s) supplied his sixth straight multiple-hit game and 10th in last 17 contests to finish the first month of the 1931 season with a .519 batting average.

  • Philadelphia Phillies CF Ethan Allen (Cincinnati hoops letterman in 1924-25 and 1925-26) went 4-for-4 in a 5-4 win against the Boston Braves in 1934.

  • Chicago White Sox CF Ken Berry (freshman hooper for Wichita in 1959-60) collected four straight singles in a 1968 game against the Washington Senators.

  • Chicago White Sox rookie 1B Zeke Bonura (best basketball forward for Loyola LA in late 1920s and early 1930s) knocked in five runs in a 20-10 win against the Cleveland Indians in 1934.

  • New York Giants 2B Pat Crawford (Davidson hoops captain in early 1920s) went 3-for-3 with two extra-base hits in a 1930 game against the Brooklyn Robins.

  • California Angels 2B Denny Doyle (averaged 2.7 ppg for Morehead State in 1962-63) delivered five hits in a 1974 contest against the Boston Red Sox.

  • San Diego Padres RF Tony Gwynn (All-WAC second-team selection with San Diego State in 1979-80 and 1980-81) went 5-for-5 against the New York Mets in a 1993 game before adding four safeties against the Mets the next day.

  • Chicago Cubs LHP Bill Henry (hoops letterman for Houston's 1947 NAIA Tournament team featuring co-captain Guy Lewis) won his first two of N.L.-high 65 relief appearances during 1959 season.

  • Los Angeles Dodgers 1B Gil Hodges (St. Joseph's IN in 1943 and Oakland City IN hooper in 1947 and 1948) homered in fifth of last seven games of the month in 1958.

  • Washington Senators LF 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) closed out the month by homering in three consecutive contests against the Milwaukee Brewers in 1970.

  • Baltimore Orioles rookie 2B Davey Johnson (averaged 1.7 ppg with Texas A&M in 1961-62) jacked two homers against the Detroit Tigers in a 1966 game. Twelve years later with the Philadelphia Phillies, Johnson whacked a pinch grand slam against the San Diego Padres in 1978.

  • Chicago Cubs SS Don Kessinger (three-time All-SEC selection for Mississippi from 1961-62 through 1963-64 while finishing among nation's top 45 scorers each year) contributed his 10th multiple-hit outing in April of 1968.

  • Detroit Tigers SS Harvey Kuenn (played briefly for Wisconsin in 1951-52 after competing on JV squad previous season) went 5-for-5 against the Washington Senators in a 1955 game.

  • Los Angeles Dodgers 2B Davey Lopes (NAIA All-District 15 selection for Iowa Wesleyan averaged 16.9 ppg as freshman in 1964-65 and 12.1 ppg as sophomore in 1965-66 before transferring with his coach to Washburn KS and becoming All-CIC choice for 1968 NAIA Tournament team) stole four bases against the St. Louis Cardinals in a 1978 contest.

  • In 1937, Philadelphia Athletics INF Clarence "Ace" Parker (Duke hoops letterman in 1935-36) became the first A.L. player to hit a pinch-hit homer in his MLB debut (against Wes Ferrell of Boston Red Sox).

  • 1B Jack Phillips (leading scorer for 14-1 Clarkson NY in 1942-43) traded by the Detroit Tigers to the Boston Red Sox in 1957.

  • Oakland Athletics OF Tony Phillips (New Mexico Military juco hooper in 1977-78 as teammate of eventual Drake All-American Lewis Lloyd) banged out four hits in a 13-9 victory against the Boston Red Sox in 1999.

  • Four days removed from his initial MLB victory, Chicago White Sox rookie RHP Charlie Robertson (Austin College TX hooper before joining U.S. Army during WWI) hurled a perfect game in 2-0 decision against Hall of Famer Ty Cobb's Detroit Tigers in 1922. Detroit set an A.L. single-season team record for batting average (.316) the previous year and went on to have six starters finish with marks over .300 this campaign.

  • RF Richie Scheinblum (averaged 6.1 ppg and 3.6 rpg for C.W. Post NY in 1962-63 and 1963-64) traded by the California Angels to the Kansas City Royals in 1974.

  • SS Roy Smalley Jr. (one of top hoops scorers for Drury MO in 1942-43 and 1943-44) purchased from the Milwaukee Braves by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1955.

  • RHP Lee Smith (averaged 3.4 ppg and 1.9 rpg with Northwestern State in 1976-77) posted saves in his first 12 relief appearances with the Baltimore Orioles in 1994 by failing to permit an earned run in a span covering 10 2/3 innings.

  • Rookie SS-LF Gary Sutherland (averaged 8.1 ppg and 2.2 rpg for Stanford from 1960-61 through 1962-63) smacked a two-run pinch double in the top of the ninth inning to give the Philadelphia Phillies a 6-4 win against the Atlanta Braves in 1967.

  • Second homer of the game for LF Leon Wagner (Tuskegee AL hooper in 1952-53), a solo shot in bottom of eighth inning, carried the St. Louis Cardinals to 5-4 triumph against the Chicago Cubs in 1960. Wagner never homered again with the Cards as eventual A.L. All-Star Game MVP hit an anemic .133 in last 28 contests for them. Seven years later with the Cleveland Indians, his ninth-inning round-tripper was the difference in a 2-1 success against the Chicago White Sox in opener of a 1967 doubleheader.

  • RF Dave Winfield (starting forward with Minnesota's first NCAA playoff team in 1972), who was on base at least once in every game this month, tied a MLB record for RBI in April with 29 for the New York Yankees in 1988.