L.I. Pitcher Tosses One-Of-A-Kind No-Hitter -- With 21 Strikeouts
ELMONT, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- An Elmont High School pitcher made news earlier this week after doing something New York athletics hadn't seen in 42 years.
On Wednesday, Danny Aguilo threw a no-hitter – but what makes the feat particularly incredible is that he struck out 21 batters, the most strikeouts possible in a seven-inning game, reports CBS 2's Sean Hennessey.
It began as a typical game, but Aguilo quickly started having his way with batters. People who saw what came next said what ended up happening on that field was something extraordinary.
"In the first inning, I actually told him he was going to strike out every single batter that he faced today," teammate Kevin Santiago said.
Recording every out with a strikeout hadn't been done in New York since 1969, but that's what Aguilo was working on as he mowed down the Hempstead High School lineup.
"I set them up with a curveball and a splitter, and my fastball was overpowering them like crazy," Aguilo said.
"The umpire came over to me as I was taking pictures. He said, 'I've never seen this before, a kid striking out every batter,'" said Hector Aguilo, Danny's father.
As the end of the game approached, the pressure grew as Danny's right arm continued to throw strike after strike
"Throughout the game, he seemed to get a little nervous or a little excited, and I told him to take a breath, calm down," brother teammate Thomas Caraballo said.
By the final inning, history was beckoning. Aguilo's father leaned over to his mom.
"He said, 'one more kid, and he's going to set a record,'" mother Iris Aguilo said. "I stood up. I couldn't watch."
The final out was like every other – another strikeout.
"Once he threw that pitch and I heard everybody screamed, I turned around and nearly fainted," Iris said.
It was 21 outs – all strikeouts – and a no-hitter to boot, all recorded in the scorebook kept by Aguilo's coach.
"Knowing how hard something like this is, I don't think it'll be done again," Elmont baseball coach Robert Gates said.
"I couldn't even believe it," Danny Aguilo said. "I was shocked myself that nobody was hitting the ball."
"It was very impressive, and something I don't think I'll ever be part of ever again," Santiago added.
The league's batters are going to be seeing a whole lot more of Danny Aguilo, because he's only a sophomore who has dreams of one day playing college ball. First thing's first, though. He wants his team to make this season's sectional tournament.
The day after Aguilo's phenomenal performance, another Elmont pitcher threw another no-hitter – this one with 11 strikeouts.
Leave your congratulations for Danny in the comments section below.
