On This Date: Ex-College Hoopsters Make Mark on September 29 MLB Games

September 29th, 2015 - 7:52

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 September 29 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

SEPTEMBER 29

  • Cincinnati Reds RF Frank Baumholtz (MVP in 1941 NIT and first basketball player in Ohio University history to reach 1,000-point plateau) banged out four hits against the Chicago Cubs in 1948.

  • Detroit Tigers rookie 1B Tony Clark (San Diego State's leading scorer in WAC games in 1991-92) cracked two homers for the second time in last 13 games of the 1996 campaign.

  • In the opener of a 1934 doubleheader, Washington Senators LHP Syd Cohen (Alabama letterman in 1927) became the last A.L. hurler to strike out New York Yankees legend Babe Ruth and allow the Bambino a home run.

  • Boston Red Sox C Gene Desautels (Holy Cross letterman in 1929 and 1930) closed out the 1940 campaign with a career-high nine-game hitting streak.

  • Light-hitting Chicago White Sox SS Sammy Esposito (averaged 7 ppg in 1951-52 as starting guard under Indiana coach Branch McCracken) closed out the 1957 campaign with at least one walk in his last seven games.

  • 3B Gene Freese (captain of 1952 NAIA Tournament team for West Liberty WV) traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the Philadelphia Phillies for player-manager Solly Hemus in 1958.

  • St. Louis Cardinals RHP Bob Gibson (Creighton's leading scorer in 1955-56 and 1956-57) went 3-for-4, including his fifth homer of the 1965 campaign, in an 8-6 win against the San Francisco Giants.

  • San Diego Padres RF Tony Gwynn (All-WAC second-team selection with San Diego State in 1979-80 and 1980-81) provided seven hits in a 1999 doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals.

  • Mike Hargrove (Northwestern Oklahoma State letterman) fired as Baltimore Orioles manager in 2003.

  • Chicago White Sox C Duane Josephson (led Northern Iowa in scoring in 1962-63 and 1963-64 under coach Norm Stewart) closed out the 1968 campaign with his fifth two-hit game in final nine contests.

  • In 1966, Los Angeles Dodgers LHP Sandy Koufax (Cincinnati's freshman squad in 1953-54) became the first MLB hurler in the 20th Century to achieve a third 300-strikeout season.

  • Boston Braves RF Joe Mowry (Iowa letterman in 1929-30 and 1930-31) went 3-for-3 against the New York Giants in the opener of a 1935 twinbill.

  • Washington Senators 2B Buddy Myer (Mississippi State letterman in 1923-24) went 4-for-5 against the Philadelphia Athletics to capture the 1935 A.L. batting championship (.349).

  • New York Yankees 3B Graig Nettles (shot 87.8% from free-throw line for San Diego State in 1963-64) lashed two homers against the Cleveland Indians in 1974. Two years later, Nettles collected two doubles, two round-trippers and six RBI against the Boston Red Sox in a 9-6 win in 1976.

  • Detroit Tigers OF Jim Northrup (second-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder for Alma MI in 1958-59) went 4-for-4 with five RBI against the Milwaukee Brewers in 1972.

  • Los Angeles Dodgers SS Paul Popovich (averaged 3.3 ppg for West Virginia's 1960 NCAA playoff team) closed out the 1968 campaign by going 10-for-18 on a five-game road trip to Chicago and Atlanta.

  • Kansas City Royals LHP Dennis Rasmussen (sixth-man for Creighton averaged 5.1 ppg in three seasons from 1977-78 through 1979-80) hurled a one-hit shutout against the California Angels in 1992.

  • LHP Preacher Roe (played for Harding AR in late 1930s) purchased from the St. Louis Cardinals by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1943.

  • New York Yankees rookie 3B Red Rolfe (played briefly with Dartmouth in 1927-28 and 1929-30) registered four hits against the Washington Senators in the nightcap of a 1934 doubleheader.

  • Birdie Tebbetts (played for Providence in 1932) named Cincinnati Reds manager in 1953.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Kent Tekulve (played as freshman in mid-1960s for Marietta OH) won both ends of a 1978 doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies.