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South Jersey Baseball History: Friday, June 2, 2000
By Charlie Schick Throughout baseball history, there have been a number of great strikeout pitchers, but few if any, have ever averaged two strikeouts per innings pitched over an entire season. So when St. Joseph High of Hammonton ace Sal Ingemi's 1962 totals were finally calculated, he immediately established himself a place in the South Jersey baseball record books. Rightly so, because the big southpaw with the blazing fastball and crackling curve had just accomplished a feat that no area hurler had ever done. He ended up averaging 1.98 strikeouts per inning in his senior season. A closer look at Ingemi's final scholastic season indicates that within his deceiving 6-2-1 record, there was one no-hitter, one one-hitter, four two-hitters, and one three-hitter. In leading St. Joe to their best baseball season in the school's history, he pitched 64 innings allowing only 15 hits, approximately one every four innings and surrendered just five earned runs for a fantastic 0.55 earned run average. Not just a pitcher, the big lefty also wheeled a mean bat, as he led St. Joseph's in hitting with a .346 mark. In addition, Ingemi was team leader in RBIs and game-winning hits, as his safeties included 3 homeruns, 2 triples, and 2 doubles, resulted in winning seven of the parochial school's nine victories. But hitting will not be what the Hammonton baseball fans will remember for Sal Ingemi. For many years to come, they will fantasize and talk about his blazing fastball, and unbelievable strikeout ratio. And for good reason too, for they have witnessed the super southpaw fan over 300 opposing batters throughout his four varsity seasons at St. Joseph's. But more importantly, the South Jersey record books will forever remember him for his 127 strikeouts in 64 innings of work, and a 1.98 strikeouts per inning record seasonal performance.
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