Penn Soph Ties Strikeout Record

Penn Soph Whiffs 21,
Ties City Record

   This story appeared in the Daily News on 5/4/06, but was cut due to space limitations.
   Here's the full version.
   *To clarify: the overall record for strikeouts is 22, by Dobbins' T.J. Brunson in 2000. He got those in an eight-inning game.*

By Ted Silary

City baseball's one-game strikeout record for a regulation game has been tied for the second consecutive season.
  Lefthander Guiceppy Cruz, a 6-2, 170-pound sophomore who earlier this spring was clocked at 80 mph, yesterday recorded all 21 outs on strikeouts in a seven-walk no-hitter as William Penn edged Delaware Valley Charter, 3-2, in a Public League game at 11th and Cecil B. Moore.
  Southern soph Miguel "Mike" Perez, a righthander no longer enrolled at the school, last year bagged 21 of 22 outs on whiffs in a 13-5 win over Alvin Swenson. One of the strikeout victims reached base and the non-K out came at the plate on what would have been a wild pitch.
  The first hurler to fan 21 was Southern lefty George Riley, who reached the majors. His gem came against West Philadelphia in 1974, with the final out being recorded on a fouled-off bunt attempt.
DV's runs scored on a bases-loaded walk and an errant pickoff throw. The Lions erased a 2-1 deficit in the home sixth on RBI singles by

Guiceppy Cruz

Jerome Belein and Andre Wessels.
"With Guiceppy pitching so great, you sure don't want to lose," Penn coach Michael Alexander said. "He threw a lot of fastballs, but he had everything clicking, really. One of their kids had a good at-bat, hitting maybe five fouls after being down 0-2. One was close to a hit down the leftfield line.
"At first, probably because the walks were mixed in, I don't think the kids knew about every out being a strikeout." He laughed. "They did figure it out. Guiceppy, like always after each inning, kept asking me, 'How am I doing?' I didn't mention the strikeouts.
  "They rushed to him when it ended. They pounded him on the head and gave out a L-i-o-n-s cheer. It was very exciting."
  Cruz is a Philly native, but has spent chunks of the time in the Dominican Republic. He has participated in baseball academies headed by former major leaguers.
  DV righty Stefan Parker also pitched well, fanning 11.