On This Date: Former College Hoopers Make Mark on August 9 MLB Games

August 9th, 2019 - 7:30

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 hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Former LSU hoopers Joe Adcock and Alvin Dark delivered significant National League hitting performances on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is an August 9 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

AUGUST 9

  • Milwaukee Braves 1B Joe Adcock (Louisiana State's leading basketball scorer in 1945-46) drilled two homers in an 8-3 setback against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1961.

  • In his first MLB at-bat, Seattle Mariners CF Mickey Brantley (averaged 10 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 5.4 apg for Columbia-Greene Community College SC in 1979-80) belted a first-inning triple off John Candelaria of the California Angels in 1986.

  • Detroit Tigers C Mickey Cochrane (Boston University hooper in early 1920s) collected four hits and five RBI against the St. Louis Browns in a 1934 game.

  • New York Mets RHP Roger Craig (forward with North Carolina State's 1949-50 freshman hoops team) ended his N.L. record-tying 18-game losing streak by beating the Chicago Cubs, 7-3, thanks to OF Jim Hickman's ninth-inning grand slam off RHP Lindy McDaniel (played for Oklahoma's 1954-55 freshman squad). Craig was on the losing end of a shutout nine times in 1963.

  • New York Giants SS Alvin Dark (hoops letterman for LSU and USL during World War II) extended his hitting streak to 17 games in 1951.

  • LHP Chubby Dean (reserve guard for Duke in 1936) awarded on waivers to the Cleveland Indians from the Philadelphia Athletics.

  • Chicago White Sox RHP Eddie Fisher (played for Oklahoma's 1954-55 freshman hoops squad) tossed a three-hit shutout against the Los Angeles Angels in 1962, igniting a personal streak of five straight triumphs.

  • New York Giants 3B Frankie Frisch (Fordham hoops captain) secured three extra-base hits against the St. Louis Cardinals in a 1923 outing. Nine years later as a Cards 2B, Frisch contributed four hits and four runs against the Philadelphia Phillies in a 1932 contest.

  • St. Louis Cardinals SS Charlie Gelbert (scored at least 125 points each of last three seasons in late 1920s for Lebanon Valley PA) generated four hits against the Philadelphia Phillies in a 1932 game.

  • Cincinnati Reds 1B Harvey Hendrick (Vanderbilt hoops letterman in 1918) delivered four hits in a 9-8 win against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1932.

  • Toronto Blue Jays 2B Garth Iorg (juco hooper with College of the Redwoods CA in mid-1970s) provided four hits in a 1983 game against the New York Yankees.

  • Cleveland Indians DH David Justice (Thomas More KY assists leader in 1984-85 while averaging 9.3 ppg and 3.5 rpg) smacked two homers against the Texas Rangers in the nightcap of a 1997 doubleheader.

  • Los Angeles Dodgers 2B Davey Lopes (NAIA All-District 15 selection for Iowa Wesleyan averaged 16.9 ppg as freshman in 1964-65 and 12.1 ppg as sophomore in 1965-66 before transferring with his coach to Washburn KS) set new MLB record by stealing his 32nd consecutive base without being caught in 1975.

  • Cleveland Indians 2B Dutch Meyer (TCU hoops letterman in 1934-35 and 1935-36) manufactured four hits in a 3-2 loss against the New York Yankees in 1945.

  • RF Bill Nicholson (hooper for Washington College MD in mid-1930s) traded by the Philadelphia Athletics to the Washington Senators in 1938.

  • Kansas City Athletics LF Norm Siebern (member of Southwest Missouri squads capturing back-to-back NAIA Tournament titles in 1952 and 1953) homered in both ends of a 1960 twinbill against the Washington Senators. Siebern stroked four hits and scored four runs the previous day against the Senators.

  • Boston Braves rookie C Ebba St. Claire (Colgate hoops letterman in 1941-42) tied a N.L. backstop standard by participating in three double plays in a single game in 1951.

  • Atlanta Braves LHP George Stone (averaged 14.7 ppg and 6.5 rpg for Louisiana Tech in 1964-65 and 1965-66) hurled a six-hit shutout against the Houston Astros in 1972.

  • Detroit Tigers 2B Gary Sutherland (averaged 7.4 ppg with USC in 1963-64) had his sixth straight multiple-hit outing in the midst of a career-high 15-game hitting streak.

  • Boston Red Sox rookie 3B Jim Tabor (Alabama hoops letterman in 1936-37) knocked in five runs in a 1938 contest against the Philadelphia Athletics.

  • Boston Red Sox 3B Billy Werber (first Duke hoops All-American in 1929-30) went 4-for-4 against the Washington Senators in a 1936 outing.