On This Date: Former College Hoopers Generating MLB Headlines on July 25

July 25th, 2022 - 7:15

Extra! Extra! Instead of debating whether first "positive results" of Plagiarist Bidumb's tenure could have been avoided by a fifth COVID jab, you might want to 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.

Former Alabama hoopers Riggs Stephenson and Jim Tabor each contributed four hits in a MLB game on this date. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a July 25 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

JULY 25

  • Joey Amalfitano (Loyola Marymount hooper in 1952-53) became manager of the Chicago Cubs in 1980.

  • OF Ken Berry (freshman hooper for Wichita in 1959-60) belted a game-winning, two-run homer in bottom of 16th inning to give the Chicago White Sox a 6-5 success against the Cleveland Indians in 1967.

  • In his second MLB start, California Angels 1B Bruce Bochte (starting forward for Santa Clara's NCAA playoff team in 1969-70 when averaging 7.4 ppg and 4 rpg) banged out four hits against the Kansas City Royals in a 1974 game.

  • Brooklyn Dodgers RHP Ralph Branca (sixth-leading scorer for NYU in 1943-44) banged out two hits at the plate in his third straight start in 1948.

  • Detroit Tigers 1B Tony Clark (San Diego State's leading scorer in WAC games in 1991-92) homered from each side of the plate for the second time in 1999 season in a 9-1 triumph against the Boston Red Sox.

  • LHP Patrick Corbin (hooper for Mohawk Valley Community College NY in 2007-08) traded by the Los Angeles Angels to Arizona Diamondbacks in 2010.

  • In first inning (seventh) of his lone MLB game, Chicago White Sox C Bill "Dutch" Fehring (teammate of hoop All-Americans Norm Cottom, Ed Shaver and John Wooden averaged 4.7 ppg for Purdue from 1931-32 through 1933-34) tagged out New York Yankees Hall of Fame 1B Lou Gehrig attempting an inside-the-park homer in 1934.

  • Los Angeles Dodgers RF Joe Ferguson (hooper in 1967 NCAA playoffs with Pacific) knocked in five runs against the Philadelphia Phillies in a 1979 contest.

  • Philadelphia Athletics RF Walt French (hoops letterman for Rutgers and Army) supplied four hits against the Detroit Tigers in a 1927 outing.

  • St. Louis Cardinals rookie SS Charlie Gelbert (scored at least 125 points each of last three seasons in late 1920s for Lebanon Valley PA) went 4-for-4 against the Philadelphia Phillies in a 1929 game.

  • RF David Justice (Thomas More KY assists leader in 1984-85 while averaging 9.3 ppg and 3.5 rpg) jacked a home run to account for the Atlanta Braves' lone hit and game's only run in a 1-0 victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1992.

  • San Francisco Giants rookie RHP Frank Linzy (listed on Oklahoma State's freshman hoops roster in 1959-60) posted his third of back-to-back-to-back saves in 1965 against the Milwaukee Braves featuring a lineup including Henry Aaron/Joe Torre/Eddie Mathews.

  • Boston Red Sox 1B Tony Lupien (Harvard hoops captain in 1938-39) went 5-for-6, including three extra-base hits, in a 9-8 win against the Louis Browns in 1942.

  • Cleveland Indians rookie 1B Ed Morgan (Tulane hoops letterman from 1923-24 through 1925-26) manufactured five RBI in a 15-5 win against the Boston Red Sox in the nightcap of a 1928 doubleheader.

  • Detroit Tigers RF Jim Northrup (second-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder for Alma MI in 1958-59) launched two homers against the Washington Senators in a 1968 contest.

  • New York Yankees rookie LHP Dennis Rasmussen (sixth-man for Creighton averaged 5.1 ppg from 1977-78 through 1979-80) blanked the Milwaukee Brewers over seven innings en route to one of his six straight winning decisions in 1984.

  • Seattle Mariners RF Leon Roberts (grabbed one rebound in four basketball games for Michigan in 1970-71 under coach Johnny Orr) lashed a decisive two-run homer in top of ninth inning in 4-2 win against the Toronto Blue Jays in 1978.

  • Philadelphia Phillies RHP Robin Roberts (Michigan State's second-leading scorer in 1945-46 and 1946-47) fired the second of back-to-back shutouts in 1951.

  • OF Dave Robertson (one of two reserves on North Carolina State's first basketball team in 1911) traded by the New York Giants to Chicago Cubs in 1919.

  • Cleveland Indians 2B Freddy Spurgeon (Kalamazoo MI hooper in 1921-22) stroked four hits against the St. Louis Browns in 1926. The next year, Spurgeon extended his career-high hitting streak to 14 games in a row.

  • Chicago Cubs INF-OF Riggs Stephenson (Alabama hoops letterman in 1920) contributed four hits in a 9-5 win against the Philadelphia Phillies in 1930.

  • Cleveland Indians C Billy Sullivan Jr. (Portland hoops letterman in 1927-28) collected four safeties against the Philadelphia Athletics in a 1936 contest.

  • Cincinnati Reds rookie LF Evar Swanson (played all five positions for Knox IL) went 5-for-6 against the Boston Braves in a 1929 outing.

  • Boston Red Sox 3B Jim Tabor (Alabama hoops letterman in 1936-37) blasted two homers against the Chicago White in a 1940 game and the Cleveland Indians in a 1941 contest. In a 1944 outing, Tabor went 4-for-4 against the Detroit Tigers.