On This Date: Former College Hoopsters Make Mark on June 16 MLB Games

June 16th, 2015 - 7:12

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 16 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 16

  • Philadelphia Phillies LF Ethan Allen (Cincinnati basketball letterman in 1924-25 and 1925-26) contributed four hits in an 8-3 win against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1934.

  • In the midst of a 17-game hitting streak, St. Louis Cardinals RF George Altman (appeared in 1953 and 1954 NAIA Tournament with Tennessee State) went 5-for-7 in a 1963 doubleheader split against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

  • C Ferrell Anderson (Kansas letterman in 1936-37 and 1937-38) purchased from the Philadelphia Phillies by the St. Louis Browns in 1951.

  • In the midst of a career-high 15-game hitting streak, Chicago Cubs LF Larry Biittner (runner-up in scoring and rebounding for Buena Vista IA in 1966-67) had four safeties in a 13-inning, 7-6 win against the Houston Astros in 1978.

  • Detroit Tigers 1B Tony Clark (San Diego State's leading scorer in WAC games in 1991-92) homered in his fourth consecutive contest in 2001.

  • Hitting an anemic .128 entering the contest, Detroit Tigers LF Hoot Evers (Illinois starter in 1939-40) started a streak of seven straight multiple-hit games in 1951.

  • Boston Red Sox rookie RHP Boo Ferriss (Mississippi State letterman in 1941) lost against the New York Yankees, 3-2, in 1945 after starting his career with eight victories (four of them shutouts).

  • New York Giants INF Frankie Frisch (Fordham captain) collected five hits against the Chicago Cubs in 1921. Fourteen years later with the St. Louis Cardinals, Frisch furnished four hits against the Giants in 1935.

  • Baltimore Orioles 3B Wayne Gross (led Cal Poly Pomona in assists in 1974-75) whacked two homers for the second time in first 13 games of the month in 1985.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates 3B Lee Handley (Bradley letterman from 1932-33 through 1934-35) banged out three hits in both ends of a 1946 doubleheader split against the Philadelphia Phillies.

  • Philadelphia Phillies RHP Andy Karl (Manhattan letterman from 1933 through 1935) surrendered his first run after blanking opponents in previous eight relief appearances in 1946.

  • Light-hitting INF Jerry Kindall (averaged 6.9 ppg for Minnesota in 1955-56) connected for a game-winning two-run homer in the ninth inning to give the Cleveland Indians a 10-9 win over the New York Yankees in 1962.

  • New York Giants CF Hank Leiber (played for Arizona in 1931) launched two homers against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1935.

  • Cleveland Indians rookie 3B Ed Morgan (Tulane letterman from 1923-24 through 1925-26) stroked four extra-base hits in a 9-2 win against the Philadelphia Athletics in 1928.

  • Cleveland Indians 3B Graig Nettles (shot 87.8% from free-throw line for San Diego State in 1963-64) went 5-for-5 as leadoff hitter against the Minnesota Twins in 1971.

  • Detroit Tigers OF Jim Northrup (second-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder for Alma MI in 1958-59) provided three extra-base hits against the Boston Red Sox in 1966.

  • New York Yankees 3B Red Rolfe (played briefly with Dartmouth in 1927-28 and 1929-30) smacked three doubles against the St. Louis Browns in the opener of a 1940 twinbill.

  • Seattle Mariners RHP Chris Young (All-Ivy League first-team selection as Princeton's leading scorer and rebounder in 1999-00) hurled six shutout frames against the San Diego Padres in the first of his six straight starts allowing fewer hits than innings pitched in 2014.