South Jersey Baseball History:
Dateline: May

Sunday, May 30, 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".

May 16, 1902.   Harry Gleason, Camden, NJ, third baseman for the Boston Somersets, hit his first major league home run. The blast came off the Philadelphia Athletics left-hander Snake Wiltse. Gleason would collect only 3 home runs during his two big league seasons of 1902 and 1905.

May 18, 1935.   Right-hander Max Manning of Pleasantville High, threw the first no-hitter in the school's history to defeat Holy Spirit High 10 to 0 in nine innings. Manning fanned 9 and walked 2 in tossing his masterpiece. His teammates stroked 11 hits in producing their 10 runs.

May 19, 1984.   Cherokee High pitchers, right-hander Kevin Burke and left-hander Mike Schick, combined to pitch a no-hitter, and slip past Pennsauken High 3 to 2. The Chiefs catcher Pat McCammitt ripped a key hit to produce the contest's winning run in the 8th frame.

May 20, 1921.   Earl Rapp was born in Corunna, Michigan. After starring at Swedesboro High, Rapp went on to play 3 years (1949-1952) in the big leagues. He lead the American League in pinch hits in 1952. Earl's lifetime numbers showed 73 hits, 16 doubles, and a.262 average.

May 23, 1956.   Burlington High's husky fire-baller Elwood "Woody" Comegys, fanned 18 batters and allowed only one hit in defeating Riverside High 4 to 0. Comegys threw a 9-inning complete game in leading his teammates to their 3rd straight Burlington County League championship.

May 25, 1960.   Egg Harbor High and Hammonton High set the all time record for the oldest, longest and continuous scholastic baseball series in South Jersey, when they met for the 122nd time. Hammonton won the contest 4 to 2, and now leads the series 85 to 37.

May 27, 1948.   Ralph Albers, Pitman High ace southpaw, hurled a magnificent no-hit, no-run game as he shut out Clayton High 12 to 0. Albers missed a perfect game when he hit a batter in the first inning. The victory gave Pitman an undefeated 10-0 Tri-County League record.

May 29, 1978.   Clearview High's Jim Sharp pitched one of the best games in South Jersey history, when he struck out the first 14 Overbrook High batters he faced. Sharp went on to hurl a no-bitter, and fan a total of 18. His complete game masterpiece resulted in a 4 to 0 victory.

May 31, 1986.   In Rancocas Valley Independent League action, teammates Jim Filotel went a perfect 5 for 5, and hard hitting Pete Dempsey went 5 for 6 in leading Cinnaminson to a 27 to 3 pounding of Mount Holly. In addition, Glenn Wasco blasted a grand slam homer in the 4th frame. Filotel collected 5 RBI's, and Dempsey add a homer with 2 RBI's.

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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