On This Date: Former College Hoopsters Make Mark on June 20 MLB Games

June 20th, 2015 - 13:20

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 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.

  • 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 over the Toronto Blue Jays in 2000.

  • Hall of Fame C Mickey Cochrane (Boston University player 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 he hurled a two-hitter for the Chicago White Sox against the California Angels.

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

  • 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 (played for St. Joseph's IN in 1943 and Oakland City IN in 1947 and 1948) homered twice against the Cincinnati Reds in 1959.

  • New York Yankees LF Charlie Keller (three-year 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 briefly for Wisconsin in 1951-52 after competing on JV squad previous season) collected five hits against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1964.

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

  • In 1961, 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 (played briefly with Dartmouth in 1927-28 and 1929-30) registered three extra-base hits against the Chicago White Sox in 1939.

  • 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).