On This Date: Former College Hoopsters Make Mark on July 12 MLB Games

July 12th, 2015 - 17:55

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 12 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JULY 12

  • Philadelphia Athletics C Mickey Cochrane (Boston University basketball player in early 1920s) contributed three extra-base hits against the St. Louis Browns in 1930.

  • In the 1955 All-Star Game in Milwaukee, Braves RHP Gene Conley (All-Pacific Coast Conference first-team selection led the North Division in scoring in 1949-50 as Washington State sophomore) struck out the side in the top of the 12th inning, earning the victory (6-5) when Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals homered in the bottom of the frame.

  • In 1949, Cleveland Indians OF Larry Doby (reserve guard for Virginia Union's 1943 CIAA titlist) and Brooklyn Dodgers INF Jackie Robinson (highest scoring average in PCC both of his seasons with UCLA in 1939-40 and 1940-41) are among the first four black players in an All-Star Game.

  • California Angels RHP Eddie Fisher (played for Oklahoma's 1954-55 freshman squad) yielded his only run in 11 relief appearances during the month in 1972.

  • San Diego Padres OF Tony Gwynn (All-WAC second-team selection with San Diego State in 1979-80 and 1980-81) stroked a two-run double in the third inning and scored the winning tally in the bottom of the 10th in an 8-7 success for the N.L. in the 1994 All-Star Game.

  • In 1957, Chicago Cubs rookie 3B Jerry Kindall (averaged 6.9 ppg for Minnesota as junior in 1955-56) clubbed two homers off Philadelphia Phillies Hall of Fame RHP Robin Roberts (Michigan State's second-leading scorer in 1945-46 and 1946-47).

  • Montreal Expos 2B-RF Vance Law (averaged 6.8 ppg for Brigham Young from 1974-75 through 1976-77) logged four hits against the Cincinnati Reds in 1985.

  • In 1905, Chicago's Three Fingered Brown hurled a two-hitter as he notched the first of nine consecutive victories over Hall of Fame New York Giants RHP Christy Mathewson (played basketball for Bucknell at turn of 20th Century).

  • RHP Lindy McDaniel (played for Oklahoma's 1954-55 freshman squad) traded by the San Francisco Giants to the New York Yankees for RHP Bill Monbouquette in 1968.

  • Baltimore Orioles RHP Ben McDonald (started six times as freshman forward for LSU in 1986-87 under coach Dale Brown) won his sixth straight decision before losing seven in a row in 1996.

  • Cleveland Indians 1B Ed Morgan (Tulane letterman from 1923-24 through 1925-26) manufactured four hits against the Chicago White Sox in the opener of a 1931 twinbill.

  • Philadelphia Athletics 1B Ossie Orwoll (played for Luther IA in first half of 1920s) collected five hits and scored four runs in 1929 doubleheader sweep of the St. Louis Browns.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates RF Gary Redus (J.C. player for Athens AL and father of Centenary/South Alabama guard with same name) delivered a decisive two-run homer in the top of the 10th inning against the Cincinnati Reds in 1992.

  • Brooklyn Dodgers LHP Preacher Roe (played for Harding AR in late 1930s) put the A.L. down in order as a N.L. reliever in the ninth inning of the 1949 All-Star Game. Dodgers 2B teammate Jackie Robinson (highest scoring average in PCC both of his seasons with UCLA in 1939-40 and 1940-41) scored three runs for the N.L.

  • An eighth-inning single by Philadelphia Athletics 1B Dick Siebert (played for Concordia-St. Paul in 1929 and 1930) deprived Cleveland Indians P Bob Feller of a no-hitter in 1940.

  • Cleveland Indians RHP Sonny Siebert (team-high 16.7 ppg for Mizzou in 1957-58 as All-Big Eight Conference second-team selection) tossed two innings of hitless relief for the A.L. in the 1966 All-Star Game.

  • LHP Matt Thornton (averaged 5.8 ppg and 2.4 rpg for Grand Valley State MI from 1995-96 through 1997-98) traded by the Chicago White Sox with cash to the Boston Red Sox in 2013.

  • San Diego Padres rookie OF Will Venable (All-Ivy League first-team selection as a junior and second-team choice as a senior averaged 9.3 ppg under Princeton coach John Thompson III from 2001-02 through 2004-05) notched his first MLB four-hit game and chipped in with four runs scored (against the San Francisco Giants in 2009).

  • New York Yankees RF Dave Winfield (starting forward with Minnesota's first NCAA playoff team in 1972) doubled and scored the eventual decisive run for the A.L. in a 2-1 verdict over the N.L. in the 1988 All-Star Game. It was Winfield's last of 12 straight All-Star appearances.