On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Make News in September 29 MLB Games

September 29th, 2020 - 8:25

Extra! Extra! Unless you're a cardboard cut-out, you can 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 San Diego State hoop regulars Tony Clark, Tony Gwynn and Graig Nettles supplied significant MLB performances on this date. Ditto pitchers Bob Gibson and Dennis Rasmussen after meaningful hoop careers with Creighton. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a September 29 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

SEPTEMBER 29

  • Cincinnati Reds RF Frank Baumholtz (MVP in 1941 NIT and first basketball player in Ohio University history to reach 1,000-point plateau) banged out four hits against the Chicago Cubs in a 1948 contest.

  • Rookie 1B Ed Bouchee (freshman hooper for Washington State in 1951-52) blasted two-run homer off Roger Craig (member of North Carolina State freshman basketball squad in 1949-50) in bottom of the sixth inning to give the Philadelphia Phillies a 2-1 win against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1957 season finale.

  • Detroit Tigers rookie 1B Tony Clark (San Diego State's leading scorer in WAC games in 1991-92) cracked two homers for the second time in last 13 games of 1996 campaign.

  • In opener of a 1934 doubleheader, Washington Senators LHP Syd Cohen (Alabama letterman in 1927) became last A.L. hurler to strike out New York Yankees legend Babe Ruth and allow the Bambino a home run.

  • Boston Red Sox C Gene Desautels (Holy Cross hoops letterman in 1929 and 1930) closed out the 1940 campaign with a career-high nine-game hitting streak.

  • Light-hitting Chicago White Sox SS Sammy Esposito (averaged 7 ppg in 1951-52 as starting guard under Indiana coach Branch McCracken) closed out the 1957 campaign with at least one walk in his last seven games.

  • 3B Gene Freese (hoops captain of 1952 NAIA Tournament team for West Liberty WV) traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the Philadelphia Phillies for player-manager Solly Hemus in 1958.

  • St. Louis Cardinals RHP Bob Gibson (Creighton's leading scorer in 1955-56 and 1956-57) went 3-for-4, including his fifth homer of the 1965 campaign, in an 8-6 win against the San Francisco Giants.

  • San Diego Padres RF Tony Gwynn (All-WAC second-team selection with San Diego State in 1979-80 and 1980-81) provided seven hits in a 1999 doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals.

  • Mike Hargrove (Northwestern Oklahoma State hoops letterman) fired as Baltimore Orioles manager in 2003.

  • Chicago White Sox C Duane Josephson (led Northern Iowa in scoring in 1962-63 and 1963-64 under coach Norm Stewart) closed out the 1968 campaign with his fifth two-hit game in final nine contests.

  • In 1966, Los Angeles Dodgers LHP Sandy Koufax (Cincinnati's freshman hoops squad in 1953-54) became the first MLB hurler in 20th Century to achieve a third 300-strikeout season.

  • Boston Braves RF Joe Mowry (Iowa letterman in 1929-30 and 1930-31) went 3-for-3 against the New York Giants in opener of a 1935 twinbill.

  • Washington Senators 2B Buddy Myer (Mississippi State letterman in 1923-24) went 4-for-5 against the Philadelphia Athletics to capture the 1935 A.L. batting championship (.349).

  • New York Yankees 3B Graig Nettles (shot 87.8% from free-throw line for San Diego State in 1963-64) lashed two homers against the Cleveland Indians in 1974. Two years later, Nettles collected two doubles, two round-trippers and six RBI against the Boston Red Sox in a 9-6 win in 1976.

  • Detroit Tigers OF Jim Northrup (second-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder for Alma MI in 1958-59) went 4-for-4 with five RBI against the Milwaukee Brewers in a 1972 outing.

  • Los Angeles Dodgers SS Paul Popovich (averaged 3.3 ppg for West Virginia's 1960 NCAA playoff team) closed out the 1968 campaign by going 10-for-18 on a five-game road trip to Chicago and Atlanta.

  • Kansas City Royals LHP Dennis Rasmussen (sixth-man for Creighton averaged 5.1 ppg in three seasons from 1977-78 through 1979-80) hurled a one-hit shutout against the California Angels in 1992.

  • LHP Preacher Roe (Harding AR hooper in late 1930s) purchased from the St. Louis Cardinals by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1943.

  • New York Yankees rookie 3B Red Rolfe (played hoops briefly with Dartmouth in 1927-28 and 1929-30) registered four hits against the Washington Senators in nightcap of a 1934 doubleheader.

  • Birdie Tebbetts (Providence hooper in 1932) named Cincinnati Reds manager in 1953.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Kent Tekulve (freshman hooper in mid-1960s for Marietta OH) won both ends of a 1978 doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies.