South Jersey Baseball History:
Dateline: April

Sunday, April 25, 1999

By Charlie Schick
South Jersey Baseball Historical Society

Dateline is a diary of South Jersey baseball that highlights area players, games, events, and outstanding accomplishments in the past history of the great game of baseball. The dates and facts listed below are taken from the manuscript entitled "A Day's Walk Through South Jersey Baseball".

April 17, 1922.   The Philadelphia Athletics traded Whitey Witt, Salem County, NJ, to the New York Yankees. Witt would go on to play four years for the Yankees, become a consistent .300 hitter, and lead the American League in bases on balls with 89 in 1922. In Witt's ten-year big league career, he would collect 1,195 hits and a .287 lifetime average.

April 18, 1944.   Mount Holly High ace hurler Bill Pettit fanned 21 Pemberton High batters, as he led his mates to a one sided 20-2 victory. The Hollies pounded out 18 hits, led by shortstop Bob Parker's 4 for 5 day. The winner's offense also featured Frank Smith's home run and triple.

April 21, 1950.   Bordentown Military Institute broke St. Benedicts Prep of Newark fabulous 64-game winning streak when they defeated them 5 to 3. The Gray Bees of St. Benedicts unbelievable win streak covered a four-year span. Bordentown's ace pitcher Vince Arena, formally Holy Spirit High, was the winning pitcher.

April 22, 1876.   The opening game of the National League's first ever season, saw the Boston Red Caps come out ahead of the Philadelphia Athletics by the count of 6 to 5. Athletics first baseman Wes Fisler, Camden, NJ, scores the first run in the National League history. Joe Borden, Jacobstown, NJ, for the Boston nine was the winning pitcher.

April 24, 1938.   Salem, New Jersey's Goose Goslin, Washington Senators outfielder, set a new American League record when he hit a pinch-hit home run in the Senators' 4-3 loss to the New York Yankees. It was Goslin's 5th career pinch homer, thus setting the league record.

April 25, 1964.   Les Fulleylove, ace left-handed pitcher for Edgewood High, hurled a perfect game to blank West Deptford High 1 to 0. Fulleylove was credited with 19 strikeouts in the seven-inning game. In his firs four games of the season, he had allowed only 3 hits and owned a 4-0 record.

April 27, 1951.   Camden Catholic High's big first baseman, Don McComb hit for the cycle to help his squad destroy Camden High 19 to 7. McComb's outstanding day at the plate was part of Catholic's 18-hit offensive. Roy Swissler was the winning pitcher.

April 29, 1941.   Lower Camden Regional High's Bill Walker tossed a no-hitter to defeat Gloucester Catholic High 12-1. Walker fanned 10 batters and lost his no-run game in the 7th frame when he lost his control. An infield error resulted in Gloucester's only tally.

April 30, 1973.   Cinnaminson High's Dave Faley pitched a no-hit, no run game to shutout Palmyra High 6-0. The fire-balling right-hander fanned 17 batters and walked just two in tossing his classic. Faley helped his own cause with his bat as he stroked a double and homerun.

This is just a sample of South Jersey's baseball history, but I hope you enjoyed it half as much as I did researching these outstanding scholastic, college and major leaguers from our area.

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