On This Date: Former College Hoopers Make News on July 4 MLB Games

June 30th, 2020 - 12:22

Extra! Extra! If spittin' mad regarding COVID-19 season postponement and prolonged negotiations commencing campaign, you have time to read news 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 Maryland hoopers Bosey Berger and Charlie Keller provided the fireworks by manufacturing significant American League performances on this date. Ex-juco hoopers Darrell Evans (Pasadena City CA), Bob Oliver (American River CA), Tony Phillips (New Mexico Military) and Carl Reynolds (Lon Morris TX) also had outstanding offensive outings. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a July 4 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JULY 4

  • Cleveland Indians 2B Bosey Berger (Maryland's first basketball All-American led Southern Conference in scoring in league competition in 1930-31) banged out four hits against the Detroit Tigers in the opener of a 1935 doubleheader.

  • 1B-OF Larry Biittner (runner-up in scoring and rebounding for Buena Vista IA in 1966-67) hurled the final 1 1/3 innings for the Chicago Cubs in the opener of a 1977 doubleheader against the Montreal Expos.

  • Cleveland Indians SS Lou Boudreau (leading scorer for Illinois' 1937 Big Ten Conference co-champion) contributed four hits against the Detroit Tigers in nightcap of a 1946 twinbill.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates 1B Donn Clendenon (four-sport letterman with Morehouse GA) cracked two homers against the Chicago Cubs in nightcap of a 1966 doubleheader. Clendenon also homered each of next two days against the Cubs.

  • Philadelphia Athletics C Mickey Cochrane (Boston University hooper in early 1920s) went 4-for-4, including three doubles and a homer, against the Boston Red Sox in the opener of a 1929 doubleheader. Six years later with the Detroit Tigers, Cochrane stroked four hits for the second time in a four-game span in 1935.

  • RHP Jack Coombs (captain and starting hoops center for Colby ME) overcame seven Brooklyn Dodgers errors to nip the New York Giants, 4-3, in the nightcap of a 1918 twinbill. Coombs scored the winning run after drilling a 10th-inning triple (his third hit of contest).

  • In 1957, Cincinnati Reds 1B George Crowe (four-year letterman from 1939-40 through 1942-43 for Indiana Central after becoming first high schooler named state's "Mr. Basketball") went 5-for-5, driving in six runs, but it wasn't enough to prevent a 10-7 loss against his original team (Milwaukee Braves).

  • New York Giants SS Alvin Dark (hoops letterman for LSU and USL during World War II) homered in each end of a 1950 doubleheader split with the Brooklyn Dodgers, extending his streak of games with a round-tripper to four in a row.

  • St. Louis Cardinals CF Taylor Douthit (California hoops letterman from 1922 through 1924) went 5-for-7 and scored five runs in a 1928 twinbill split against the Chicago Cubs.

  • Baltimore Orioles 1B Walt Dropo (first player in Connecticut history to average 20 ppg in single season with 21.7 in 1942-43) homered twice in a 1959 game against the Boston Red Sox.

  • Washington Senators LHP Joe Engel (hooper for Mount St. Mary's in 1910-11 and 1911-12) hurled a complete game but lost, 1-0, against the Boston Red Sox on an unearned run in the opener of a 1914 doubleheader.

  • Detroit Tigers 1B Darrell Evans (member of Jerry Tarkanian-coached Pasadena City CA club winning 1967 state community college hoops crown) homered in his third consecutive contest for the second time in less than two weeks in 1987.

  • Chicago Cubs LHP Darcy Fast (all-conference hooper for Warner Pacific OR in 1965-66 and 1966-67) lost his lone MLB decision (7-4 against Philadelphia Phillies in nightcap of 1968 twinbill).

  • Boston Red Sox C Rick Ferrell (hoops forward for Guilford NC before graduating in 1928) went 4-for-4 against the Philadelphia Athletics in the nightcap of a 1933 doubleheader.

  • RHP Bob Garibaldi (starting forward for Santa Clara in 1961-62 when averaging 10.6 ppg and 5.6 rpg) signed with the San Francisco Giants for a $150,000 bonus in 1962 after receiving award as College World Series Most Outstanding Player.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates SS Dick Groat (two-time All-American with Duke in 1950-51 and 1951-52 when finishing among nation's top five scorers each season) provided three hits in each game of a 1956 twinbill split against the Philadelphia Phillies.

  • Cincinnati Reds RHP Jay Hook (Northwestern's third-leading scorer as sophomore in 1955-56) hurled a four-hit shutout against the Philadelphia Phillies in 1960.

  • Los Angeles Dodgers RF Frank Howard (two-time All-Big Ten Conference first-team selection in 1956-57 and 1957-58) furnished five RBI against the Philadelphia Phillies in the opener of a 1962 twinbill.

  • Atlanta Braves 2B Davey Johnson (averaged 1.7 ppg with Texas A&M in 1961-62) laced two homers against the Houston Astros in the nightcap of a 1973 doubleheader.

  • New York Yankees RF Charlie Keller (Maryland three-year hoops letterman from 1934-35 through 1936-37) clobbered two homers against the Boston Red Sox in the opener of a 1940 twinbill.

  • Cleveland Indians SS Jerry Kindall (averaged 6.9 ppg for Minnesota as junior in 1955-56) cracked a homer in both ends of a 1963 doubleheader sweep against the Boston Red Sox. Kindall collected a walk-off round-tripper in the bottom of the 14th inning in the opener.

  • Chicago Cubs OF Hank Leiber (Arizona hooper in 1931) hammered three homers against the St. Louis Cardinals in the opener of a 1939 twinbill.

  • Cleveland Indians RHP Dutch Levsen (Iowa State hoops letterman in 1918-19) tossed a two-hit shutout against the Chicago White Sox in the opener of a 1927 doubleheader.

  • Chicago White Sox 1B Tony Lupien (Harvard hoops captain in 1938-39) went 7-for-10 in a 1948 doubleheader split against the Detroit Tigers.

  • Cleveland Indians rookie CF Ed Morgan (Tulane hoops letterman from 1923-24 through 1925-26), raising his batting average to .378, manufactured four hits against the Detroit Tigers in the opener of a 1928 twinbill.

  • Chicago Cubs RF Bill Nicholson (Washington College MD hoops guard for two years in mid-1930s) whacked two homers against the Boston Braves in the nightcap of a 1945 doubleheader.

  • Oakland Athletics CF Billy North (played hoops briefly for Central Washington in 1967-68) stole three bases against the California Angels in a 1973 game.

  • Detroit Tigers RF Jim Northrup (second-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder for Alma MI in 1958-59) collected two homers, a triple and five RBI in a 13-10 victory over the California Angels in 1968.

  • Rookie 3B Bob Oliver (All-Valley Conference basketball choice for American River Community College CA in 1962) supplied the expansion Kansas City Royals' first grand slam in franchise history in the opener of a 1969 twinbill (off Jim Bouton of Seattle Pilots).

  • Chicago White Sox RF Carl Reynolds (Southwestern TX hoops MVP and captain in mid-1920s) went 5-for-5 in the opener of a 1929 doubleheader against the Cleveland Indians. It was the second straight contest for Reynolds with three doubles.

  • LHP Preacher Roe (Harding AR hooper in late 1930s) and RHP Ralph Branca (sixth-leading scorer for NYU in 1943-44) are the winning hurlers as the Brooklyn Dodgers sweep a 1951 twinbill against the New York Giants.

  • RHP Jeff Shaw (freshman guard for 31-5 Rio Grande OH team participating in 1985 NAIA Tournament) traded by the Cincinnati Reds to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1968. He became the first reliever in MLB history to lead two different clubs in saves in the same season (23 with Reds and 25 with Dodgers).

  • New York Yankees LF Norm Siebern (member of Southwest Missouri State squads capturing back-to-back NAIA Tournament hoops titles in 1952 and 1953) went 5-for-5 against the Washington Senators in the nightcap of a 1958 doubleheader.

  • Boston Red Sox rookie 3B Jim Tabor (Alabama hoops letterman in 1936-37) socked four homers in a 1939 twinbill against the Philadelphia Athletics, collecting 19 total bases and 11 RBI. Three of Tabor's round-trippers came in the nightcap, including a record-tying two grand slams in back-to-back innings.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates CF Bill Virdon (Drury MO hooper in 1949) doubled and homered in both ends of a 1958 doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds.

  • New York Yankees LHP Ed Wells (multi-sport athlete graduated in 1924 from Bethany WV) incurred his lone defeat in the midst of 10 victories from the end of May to early August in 1930.

  • Philadelphia Phillies 1B Bill White (two-year Hiram OH hooper in early 1950s) stroked two triples in the opener of a 1966 twinbill against the New York Mets.

  • Boston Braves LF Ab Wright (Oklahoma A&M hoops etterman in 1928-29) went hitless for the only time in a 14-game span in 1944.

  • Washington Senators 3B Eddie Yost (NYU freshman hooper in 1943-44 under coach Howard Cann) homered in both ends of a 1953 doubleheader split against the Boston Red Sox.