On This Date: Former College Hoopsters Make Mark on July 22 MLB Games

July 22nd, 2015 - 6:54

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 a July 22 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JULY 22

  • Milwaukee Braves 1B Joe Adcock (Louisiana State's leading basketball scorer in 1945-46) homered in both ends of a 1956 doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies.

  • Chicago Cubs 2B Glenn Beckert (three-year letterman for Allegheny PA) chipped in with four hits against the Cincinnati Reds in 1970.

  • St. Louis Browns C Benny Bengough (Niagara letterman from 1916-17 through 1918-19) went 4-for-4 against the Washington Senators in 1931.

  • Philadelphia Athletics C Mickey Cochrane (Boston University hoopster in early 1920s) hit for the cycle against the Washington Senators in 1932.

  • Cincinnati Reds CF Harry Craft (four-sport letterman with Mississippi College in early 1930s) had his 15-game hitting streak snapped by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1939.

  • Boston Red Sox rookie RHP Boo Ferriss (Mississippi State letterman in 1941) posted his second eight-game winning streak in the 1945 campaign.

  • A two-run, 13th-inning homer by Boston Red Sox rookie 1B Dick Gernert (Temple letterman in 1948-49 when averaging 2.7 ppg) proved to be the difference in a 4-2 win against the Chicago White Sox in 1952.

  • RHP Dallas Green (Delaware's runner-up in scoring and rebounding In 1954-55) purchased from the Philadelphia Phillies by the New York Mets in 1966. Green was returned to Philly three weeks later.

  • In 1999, Cleveland Indians manager Mike Hargrove (Northwestern Oklahoma State letterman) accidentally handed in an incorrect lineup card against the Toronto Blue Jays, forcing the Tribe to forfeit the DH and bat their pitcher in the seventh spot in the batting order.

  • Brooklyn Dodgers 1B Gil Hodges (played for St. Joseph's IN in 1943 and Oakland City IN in 1947 and 1948) homered in both ends of a 1953 doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs.

  • Frank Howard (two-time All-Big Ten Conference first-team selection when leading Ohio State in scoring and rebounding in 1956-57 and 1957-58) smashed a pinch homer in the 11th inning to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 win against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1961.

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

  • Chicago Cubs 3B Vance Law (averaged 6.8 ppg for Brigham Young from 1974-75 through 1976-77) whacked two homers against the San Francisco Giants in 1989.

  • Baltimore Orioles RHP Dave Leonhard (averaged 4.8 ppg with Johns Hopkins MD in 1961-62) tossed a five-hit shutout against the Kansas City Royals in 1971.

  • CF Kenny Lofton (Arizona's leader in steals for 1988 Final Four team compiling a 35-3 record) traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Chicago Cubs in 2003. Nine years earlier, Lofton pilfered four bases with the Cleveland Indians against the Chicago White Sox in 1994.

  • Baltimore Orioles RF Larry Sheets (All-ODAC selection in 1981-82 and 1982-83 with Eastern Mennonite VA) contributed four RBI in the second of back-to-back games with three hits against the Chicago White Sox in 1987.

  • Chicago Cubs LF Riggs Stephenson (Alabama letterman in 1920) went 4-for-4 against the Philadelphia Phillies in 1927, including two of his N.L.-high 46 doubles. Three years later, Stephenson raised his 1930 batting average to .391 by extending a career-high hitting streak to 16 in a row.