On This Date: Former College Hoopers Make Mark on October 27 MLB Games

October 27th, 2015 - 7:46

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 27 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

OCTOBER 27

  • SS Dick Groat (two-time basketball All-American with Duke in 1950-51 and 1951-52 when finishing among nation's top five scorers each season) traded with 1B Bill White (played two years with Hiram OH in early 1950s) and C Bob Uecker by the St. Louis Cardinals to the Philadelphia Phillies for C Pat Corrales, OF Alex Johnson and P Art Mahaffey in 1965.

  • In the longest opener in World Series history (14 innings), Kansas City Royals RHP Chris Young (All-Ivy League first-team selection as Princeton's leading scorer and rebounder in 1999-00) fanned the side in the 12th en route to three hitless frames and becoming the winner against the New York Mets, 5-4, in 2015.