On This Date: Former College Hoopers Make Mark on August 18 MLB Games

August 18th, 2019 - 9:03

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 Texas Christian hoopers Harry Kinzy and Dutch Meyer delivered significant American League performances on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is an August 18 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

AUGUST 18

  • In the midst of a 21-game hitting streak, St. Louis Browns RF Beau Bell (two-year basketball letterman for Texas A&M in early 1930s) went 5-for-5 in the opener of a 1936 doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers.

  • RHP Ray Burris (Southwestern Oklahoma State hooper) purchased from the New York Yankees by the New York Mets in 1979.

  • Philadelphia Athletics C Mickey Cochrane (Boston University hooper in early 1920s) went 4-for-4 against the Detroit Tigers in a 1933 game.

  • St. Louis Browns C Rick Ferrell (played forward for Guilford NC before graduating in 1928) capped off a career-high 20-game hitting streak with four safeties against the Boston Red Sox in 1932. Four years later, Ferrell supplied three extra-base hits against the Philadelphia Athletics in a 1936 contest.

  • St. Louis Cardinals 2B Frankie Frisch (Fordham hoops captain) smacked two homers against the Philadelphia Phillies in the opener of a 1932 twinbill.

  • INF Charlie Gelbert (scored at least 125 points each of his last three seasons with Lebanon Valley PA in late 1920s) awarded on waivers from the Washington Senators to the Boston Red Sox in 1940.

  • Dallas Green (Delaware's second-leading scorer and rebounder in 1954-55) fired as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies in 1989.

  • Chicago White Sox RHP Harry Kinzy (starting forward for TCU from 1931-32 through 1933-34) lost his lone MLB decision and complete game when walking 10 Washington Senators batters in 1934.

  • Cleveland Indians RF Harvey Kuenn (played hoops briefly for Wisconsin in 1951-52 after competing on JV squad previous season) went 4-for-4 against the Chicago White Sox in a 1960 game.

  • Chicago White Sox 3B Vance Law (averaged 6.8 ppg for Brigham Young from 1974-75 through 1976-77) went 3-for-3, including logging the decisive RBI in the bottom of the eighth inning, in a 7-6 win against the Toronto Blue Jays in 1984.

  • New York Giants CF Hank Leiber (Arizona hooper in 1931) collected a homer, triple and two doubles in an 8-4 triumph against the Cincinnati Reds in 1935.

  • Philadelphia Phillies LF Danny Litwhiler (member of JV hoops squad with Bloomsburg PA in mid-1930s) smacked two triples against the Cincinnati Reds in the opener of a 1941 doubleheader.

  • Milwaukee Braves SS Johnny Logan (Binghamton hooper in 1948-49) doubled in his fifth consecutive contest in 1956.

  • Chicago Cubs CF Les Mann (Springfield MA hooper in 1913 and 1914) went 7-for-8 in 1916 doubleheader split against the New York Giants.

  • Cleveland Indians 2B Dutch Meyer (TCU hoops letterman in 1934-35 and 1935-36) went 4-for-4 in a 7-4 victory against the Philadelphia Athletics in 1945.

  • Oakland Athletics CF Billy North (played hoops briefly for Central Washington in 1967-68) stroked four hits in a 6-3 win against the Milwaukee Brewers in 1973.

  • RHP Claude Passeau (hooper for Millsaps MS in late 1920s and early 1930s) tossed a three-hit shutout as the Philadelphia Phillies ended a 14-game losing streak with a 7-0 verdict over the Boston Bees in 1936.

  • RHP Steve Renko (averaged 9.9 ppg and 5.8 rpg as Kansas sophomore in 1963-64) traded by the Chicago Cubs to the Chicago White Sox in 1977.

  • Detroit Tigers C Birdie Tebbetts (Providence hooper in 1932) went 4-for-4 in a 1940 game against the Chicago White Sox.

  • Cleveland Indians 3B Jim Thome (played junior-college hoops for Illinois Central in 1988-89) collected two homers and six RBI in a 1996 outing against the Detroit Tigers. Eleven years later as Chicago White Sox DH, he smacked two round-trippers in 2007 contest against the Seattle Mariners.

  • OF Will Venable (All-Ivy League first-team selection as junior and second-team choice as senior averaged 9.3 ppg under Princeton coach John Thompson III from 2001-02 through 2004-05) traded by the San Diego Padres to the Texas Rangers in 2015.

  • Cincinnati Reds 3B Billy Werber (first Duke hoops All-American in 1929-30) knocked in five runs against the Philadelphia Phillies in the opener of a 1941 twinbill.