On This Date: Former College Hoopsters Make Mark on August 18 MLB Games

August 18th, 2015 - 6:51

Extra! Extra! Read 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 hoopsters had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is an August 18 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

AUGUST 18

  • In the midst of a 21-game hitting streak, St. Louis Browns RF Beau Bell (two-year basketball letterman for Texas A&M in early 1930s) went 5-for-5 in the opener of a 1936 doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers.

  • RHP Ray Burris (played for Southwestern Oklahoma State) purchased from the New York Yankees by the New York Mets in 1979.

  • Philadelphia Athletics C Mickey Cochrane (played for Boston University in early 1920s) went 4-for-4 against the Detroit Tigers in 1933.

  • St. Louis Browns C Rick Ferrell (played forward for Guilford NC before graduating in 1928) capped off a career-high 20-game hitting streak with four safeties against the Boston Red Sox in 1932. Four years later, Ferrell supplied three extra-base hits against the Philadelphia Athletics in 1936.

  • St. Louis Cardinals 2B Frankie Frisch (Fordham captain) smacked two homers against the Philadelphia Phillies in the opener of a 1932 twinbill.

  • INF Charlie Gelbert (scored at least 125 points each of his last three seasons with Lebanon Valley PA in late 1920s) awarded on waivers from the Washington Senators to the Boston Red Sox in 1940.

  • Dallas Green (Delaware's second-leading scorer and rebounder in 1954-55) fired as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies in 1989.

  • Chicago White Sox RHP Harry Kinzy (starting forward for TCU from 1931-32 through 1933-34) lost his lone MLB decision and complete game when walking 10 Washington Senators batters in 1934.

  • Cleveland Indians RF Harvey Kuenn (played briefly for Wisconsin in 1951-52 after competing on JV squad previous season) went 4-for-4 against the Chicago White Sox in 1960.

  • Chicago White Sox 3B Vance Law (averaged 6.8 ppg for Brigham Young from 1974-75 through 1976-77) went 3-for-3, including logging the decisive RBI in the bottom of the eighth inning, in a 7-6 win against the Toronto Blue Jays in 1984.

  • New York Giants CF Hank Leiber (played for Arizona in 1931) collected a homer, triple and two doubles in an 8-4 triumph against the Cincinnati Reds in 1935.

  • Philadelphia Phillies LF Danny Litwhiler (member of JV squad with Bloomsburg PA in mid-1930s) smacked two triples against the Cincinnati Reds in the opener of a 1941 doubleheader.

  • Milwaukee Braves SS Johnny Logan (played for Binghamton in 1948-49) doubled in his fifth consecutive contest in 1956.

  • Cleveland Indians 2B Dutch Meyer (TCU letterman in 1934-35 and 1935-36) went 4-for-4 in a 7-4 victory against the Philadelphia Phillies in 1945.

  • Oakland Athletics CF Billy North (played briefly for Central Washington in 1967-68) stroked four hits in a 6-3 win against the Milwaukee Brewers in 1973.

  • RHP Claude Passeau (played for Millsaps MS in late 1920s and early 1930s) tossed a three-hit shutout as the Philadelphia Phillies ended a 14-game losing streak with a 7-0 verdict over the Boston Bees in 1936.

  • RHP Steve Renko (averaged 9.9 ppg and 5.8 rpg as Kansas sophomore in 1963-64) traded by the Chicago Cubs to the Chicago White Sox in 1977.

  • OF Will Venable (All-Ivy League first-team selection as junior and second-team choice as senior averaged 9.3 ppg under Princeton coach John Thompson III from 2001-02 through 2004-05) traded by the San Diego Padres to the Texas Rangers in 2015.