On This Date: Former College Hoopers Generating MLB Headlines on June 13

June 13th, 2022 - 9:36

Extra! Extra! Instead of wondering why it's impossible to erase from your mind the feeble ceremonial first pitches by Community Organizer Barry "Mom Jeans" Obama and masked "Mr. Science" deity Dr. Fraudci (might be time for gender-check exam after Jenny Sock-it-to-me exhibited better delivery), you can read news 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.

After playing hoops against each other in Bedlam rivalry in 1956-57, Jerry Adair (Oklahoma State) and Don Schwall (Oklahoma) made news in the American League on this date. Former juco hoopers Darrell Evans (Pasadena City CA), Jerry Martin (Spartanburg SC) and Larry Wolfe (Sacramento City CA) also generated MLB headlines on this date. Ditto ex-NYU hoopers Sam Mele and Eddie Yost. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a June 13 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JUNE 13

  • 2B Jerry Adair (one of Oklahoma State's three leading basketball scorers in 1956-57 and 1957-58 while ranking among the nation's top 12 free-throw shooters each season) traded by the Baltimore Orioles to the Chicago White Sox in 1966.

  • 1B Dale Alexander (starting hoops center in mid-1920s for Milligan TN) traded by the Detroit Tigers to the Boston Red Sox in 1932.

  • RHP Jim Bibby (Fayetteville State NC backup hooper and brother of UCLA All-American Henry Bibby) traded by the Texas Rangers to the Cleveland Indians in 1975.

  • Chicago White Sox 1B Zeke Bonura (best basketball forward for Loyola LA in late 1920s and early 1930s) blasted two homers against the Washington Senators in opener of 1937 doubleheader.

  • Philadelphia Phillies rookie 1B Ed Bouchee (freshman hooper for Washington State in 1951-52) capped off a career-long 13-game hitting streak with RBI safeties in back-to-back innings in 8-1 decision over the St. Louis Cardinals in 1957 outing.

  • Philadelphia Athletics C Mickey Cochrane (Boston University hooper in early 1920s) manufactured three hits and four RBI for the second time in a four-game span in 1927. Two years later, Cochrane contributed four hits against the Cleveland Indians in a 1929 contest.

  • Philadelphia Athletics RHP George Earnshaw (Swarthmore PA hooper in 1921-22) contributed four hits at the plate in each of back-to-back games in 1931.

  • 1B Darrell Evans (member of Jerry Tarkanian-coached Pasadena City CA club winning 1967 state community college crown) traded by the Atlanta Braves to the San Francisco Giants in 1976.

  • St. Louis Browns C Rick Ferrell (played forward for Guilford NC before graduating in 1928) went 3-for-3, including his lone homer in first 216 MLB games, and added four RBI in a 5-4 win against the Washington Senators in 1930.

  • RHP Eddie Fisher (hooper for Oklahoma's 1954-55 freshman squad) traded by the Chicago White Sox to the Baltimore Orioles in 1966.

  • Kansas City Royals rookie RHP Rich Gale (led New Hampshire with 7.2 rpg in 1975-76) hurled a one-hit shutout against the Texas Rangers in 1978.

  • Rookie OF Joe Gallagher (Manhattan varsity hooper in 1934-35) was traded by the New York Yankees to St. Louis Browns in 1939.

  • In his first game with the Cleveland Indians, SS Billy Hunter (multi-sport athlete for Indiana PA post-WWII) contributed four hits (including pair of doubles) in a 1958 game against the Washington Senators. Hunter was coming off a 4-for-40 slump before going 2-for-4 in his final contest with the Kansas City Athletics. He hit an anemic .173 in his last 72 outings with the Tribe.

  • In 1962, Los Angeles Dodgers LHP Sandy Koufax (Cincinnati's freshman hoops squad in 1953-54) whacked his first MLB homer (off fellow Hall of Fame lefthander Warren Spahn of Milwaukee Braves). Koufax went on to collect one more career round-tripper.

  • St. Louis Cardinals LF Danny Litwhiler (member of JV hoops squad with Bloomsburg PA in mid-1930s) logged three doubles against the Chicago Cubs in a 1944 outing.

  • Milwaukee Braves SS Johnny Logan (Binghamton hooper in 1948-49) contributed five RBI in a 12-5 win against the San Francisco Giants in 1960.

  • In 1979, 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 and becoming All-CIC choice for 1968 NAIA Tournament team) hammered a homer in the fifth game of his last seven contests.

  • Philadelphia Phillies 1B Tony Lupien (Harvard hoops captain in 1938-39) lashed two triples among his four hits against the Boston Braves in the nightcap of a 1944 doubleheader.

  • A grand slam by rookie CF Jerry Martin (1971 Southern Conference MVP after being Furman's runner-up in scoring in previous season) propelled the Philadelphia Phillies to a 5-1 triumph against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1975.

  • New York Giants RHP Christy Mathewson (Bucknell hooper at turn of 20th Century) fired a no-hitter against Chicago in a 1-0 win in 1905.

  • OF Sam Mele (NYU's leading scorer in 1943 NCAA playoffs) traded by the Boston Red Sox to the Washington Senators in 1949.

  • New York Yankees SS Gene Michael (Kent State's leading scorer with 14 ppg in 1957-58) pulled hidden-ball trick for the first of two times in a six-week span in 1970.

  • St. Louis Cardinals LF Rip Repulski (started several hoops games for St. Cloud State MN) stroked two hits in each game of a 1954 doubleheader sweep against the Pittsburgh Pirates, triggering a streak of 10 consecutive contests with two or more safeties.

  • Philadelphia Phillies Hall of Fame RHP Robin Roberts (Michigan State's second-leading scorer in 1945-46 and 1946-47) yielded three consecutive triples to INF Danny O'Connell of the Milwaukee Braves in 1956.

  • Chicago White Sox rookie RHP Charlie Robertson (Austin College TX hooper before joining U.S. Army during WWI) hurled a two-hit shutout against the Boston Red Sox in 1922.

  • Boston Red Sox RHP Don Schwall (All-Big Seven Conference second-team selection led Oklahoma in rebounding in 1956-57) tossed a two-hit shutout against the Baltimore Orioles in 1962.

  • Cincinnati Reds RHP Jeff Shaw (freshman guard for Rio Grande OH squad compiling 31-5 record and reaching second round of 1985 NAIA Tournament) notched his 19th consecutive relief appearance without yielding an earned run in 1998.

  • RHP Rollie Sheldon (third-leading scorer as a sophomore for Connecticut's 1960 NCAA Tournament team) traded by the Kansas City Athletics to the Boston Red Sox in a six-player swap in 1966.

  • INF Gary Sutherland (Southern California's fifth-leading scorer in 1963-64 when averaging 7.4 ppg) purchased from the Montreal Expos by the Houston Astros in 1972.

  • St. Louis Browns rookie SS Herb Upton (All-EIBL first-team selection with Penn in 1945-46 before pacing Southeast Missouri State in scoring three years last half of 1940s and finishing as SEMO's career scoring leader) provided two triples in a 6-1 win against the Washington Senators in the nightcap of a 1950 doubleheader.

  • Boston Red Sox 3B Billy Werber (first Duke All-American in 1929-30) knocked in five runs in a 1934 outing against the Detroit Tigers.

  • New York Yankees RF Dave Winfield (starting forward for Minnesota's first NCAA playoff team in 1972) contributed three extra-base hits in a 1984 game against the Boston Red Sox.

  • Boston Red Sox 3B Larry Wolfe (juco letterman in 1971-72 and 1972-73 for Sacramento City College CA scored career-high 33 points against Santa Rosa on 12-17-71) whacked two homers in a 1979 game against the Kansas City Royals.

  • In the midst of receiving at least one free pass in nine consecutive contests, Washington Senators 3B Eddie Yost (NYU freshman hooper in 1943-44 under coach Howard Cann) drew five walks in a 1954 twinbill split against the Baltimore Orioles.