On This Date: Former College Hoopers Make Mark on October 15 MLB Games

October 15th, 2015 - 7:18

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 an October 15 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

OCTOBER 15

  • 2B Jerry Adair (one of Oklahoma State's top three basketball scorers in 1956-57 and 1957-58 while ranking among nation's top 12 free-throw shooters each season) selected from the Boston Red Sox by the Kansas City Royals in 1968 expansion draft.

  • New York Yankees rookie RHP Jim Beattie (Dartmouth's top rebounder in 1974-75 when selected team MVP and honorable mention All-Ivy League) went the distance, striking out eight Los Angeles Dodgers batters in a 12-2 success, in Game 5 of the 1978 World Series.

  • LF Carson "Skeeter" Bigbee (Oregon letterman in 1915) knocked in the tying run with an eighth-inning, pinch-hit double off Hall of Fame P Walter Johnson and scored the go-ahead tally as the Pittsburgh Pirates upended the Washington Senators, 9-7, in Game 7 of the 1925 World Series.

  • OF Bob Cerv (ranked fourth on Nebraska's career scoring list in 1949-50 when finishing his career) purchased from the New York Yankees by the Kansas City Athletics in 1956.

  • In 1957, 2B Jack Dittmer (played for Iowa in 1949-50) traded by the Detroit Tigers to the New York Giants for 2B Wayne Terwilliger (two-year letterman for Western Michigan in late 1940s).

  • St. Louis Cardinals RHP Bob Gibson (Creighton's leading scorer in 1955-56 and 1956-57) won decisive Game 7 against the New York Yankees in the 1964 World Series.

  • Dallas Green (Delaware's second-leading scorer and rebounder in 1954-55) stepped down as Philadelphia Phillies manager to become general manager of the Chicago Cubs in 1981.

  • OF Hinkey Haines (Penn State letterman in 1919-20 and 1920-21) scored the tying run as a pinch-runner in the eighth inning as the New York Yankees came from behind with three tallies to beat the New York Giants, 6-4, and clinch the 1923 World Series.

  • RHP Rich Hand (averaged 6.2 ppg for Puget Sound WA in 1967-68) shipped by the California Angels to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1974 to complete an earlier deal.

  • Mike Hargrove (Northwestern Oklahoma State letterman) fired as Cleveland Indians manager in 1999.

  • Baltimore Orioles 2B Davey Johnson (averaged 1.7 ppg in 1961-62 with Texas A&M) supplied a postseason career-high three hits, including a pair of run-producing safeties, against the Cincinnati Reds in Game 5 of the 1970 World Series.

  • In 2001 ALDS, OF David Justice (led Thomas More KY in assists in 1984-85 while averaging 9.3 ppg) whacked a pinch-hit homer to help the New York Yankees defeat the Oakland A's and become the first team ever to capture a best-of-5 series after dropping the first two contests at home.

  • RHP Don Kaiser (one semester on scholarship at East Central OK) traded by the Milwaukee Braves to the Detroit Tigers in 1959.

  • New York Yankees 3B Graig Nettles (shot 87.8% from free-throw line for San Diego State in 1963-64) notched three RBI in each of three ALCS games against the Oakland Athletics in 1981.

  • Philadelphia Phillies RHP Ron Reed (Notre Dame's leading rebounder in 1963-64 and 1964-65) earned the save in a 6-4 verdict over the Kansas City Royals in Game 2 of the 1980 World Series.

  • New York Yankees RHP Rollie Sheldon (third-leading scorer as sophomore for Connecticut's 1960 NCAA Tournament team) retired all six St. Louis Cardinals batters he faced in Game 7 of the 1964 World Series.