Aguilo's performance was truly striking

Daniel Aguilo of Elmont did something very special last week. He struck out 21 batters and threw a no-hitter in a seven-inning game -- something never done before in Long Island high school baseball history.

Think about that for a moment. The defense did not have to make a single play. It was as simple as pitch and catch.

"It's just an outrageous accomplishment," said Jack White, the Nassau County high school sports historian. "He jumps right into the record book with that performance."

Aguilo's strikeout total topped the previous mark of 19 set by Levittown Division's Jesse Darcy in a win over Locust Valley in 2002.

Jim Chenevey of Levittown Memorial, pitching for coach Doug Robins Sr., set the Long Island record for strikeouts in a game with 25 in an 11-inning contest against Bethpage in 1983. Although Chenevey etched his name in the annals of Long Island baseball history, his performance went for naught. Bethpage beat Memorial, 5-3, in the opener of the Nassau finals.

"Imagine that,'' White said. "They still lost. Hard to believe."

Two other pitchers struck out 21 batters in a game. Jeff Carlin of Lawrence struck out 21 on April 25, 1922, in a regulation nine-inning game.

"They played nine innings back in the day," White said. "And Carlin was an all-around great athlete. He also set the basketball scoring record for Nassau and led the county in scoring in football in 1922."

Joe Rollo of Freeport struck out 21 against Hempstead on April 26, 1923, in a 14-inning game. Rollo got a no-decision as opposing starter Jesse Conklin struck out 18 and pitched a 14-inning no-hitter in a game that ended in a 0-0 tie. It is the longest no-hitter in state history.

The Suffolk record for strikeouts in a seven-inning game is 20. That distinction is held by Sachem standout Neal Heaton, who mowed down Ward Melville in 1978. Heaton missed a perfect game by one batter. He allowed one baserunner, a base hit by Steve Peruso, who later became a Yankees farmhand.

"You don't forget a game like that one," said Heaton, who had a 12-year major-league career with seven different teams, including the 1993 Yankees. "It's funny; I didn't really pay attention to stats when I played in high school. I realized the strikeout total in the seventh inning when a teammate said I could get to 20 by striking out the side."

So he struck out the side and inked his name in the annals of Long Island baseball history. Heaton, who went on to play for the University of Miami, was a 1990 All-Star with Pittsburgh. He spends his retirement teaching the finer points of pitching at a local baseball academy.

"I love teaching kids how to pitch," Heaton said. "I love it when they have the passion to learn and develop. Strikeouts are overrated. People should be paying attention to kids who can get people out, because that's really the bottom line."

Deer Park graduate Tom Migliozzi tied Heaton's total in 1987 but needed 10 innings to accomplish the feat. Migliozzi outlasted Smithtown West in a Suffolk playoff game with 20 strikeouts in a winning 2-1 effort. He walked one and allowed three hits in a 195-pitch outing. The former Texas Rangers farmhand also struck out 18 in a 6-0 victory over Kings Park earlier that season. Only two balls were put in play.

"The Kings Park game was pretty cool," Migliozzi said. "I had a comebacker for one out and we turned a pitcher-to-second-to-first double play for the only balls that were put in play.''

He added, "What Aguilo did was amazing. To not have a batter put the ball in play, not even a bunt, is incredible. It's just unbelievable."