Perhaps nobody told McKinley’s Martin Borja that baseball games are not supposed to go 25 innings.
On this date in 1967, Kamehameha beat McKinley 9-7 in 25 innings at Honolulu Stadium. Borja pitched 24 2/3 innings in the six hour, 12-minute affair only to lose. He faced more than 100 batters in the game, allowing 14 hits and walking 11. McKinley committed 10 errors, so Borja allowed only four earned runs in his 25 2/3 innings.
The effort is still a national high school record shared with Hayward and San Lorenzo in California in 1975, but that game was suspended for a month before finishing the final seven innings. McKinley and Kamehameha played their entire game in one day.
Borja, an exchange student from Saipan, pitched eight innings and gave up only two runs in another loss a week later. He finished his junior year 0-4 and did not appear to play his senior season for the Tigers.
Borja got two quick outs in the top of the 25th inning but allowed Larry Akina to reach on a single to left. McKinley catcher Steve Murakawa was behind the plate for the entire game (As was Kamehameha counterpart Jim Goeas) and the Warriors took advantage of it. Akina promptly stole second and took third on a wild pitch. Richard Perkins walked and also stole second before Jim Winchester plated both runs on a single and an error. Jerry Lum Lee added another RBI single to finally chase Borja and run the margin to three runs. Dana Sobieraj quickly got the third out for McKinley.
The Tigers refused to give up in their half of the 25th, though, with singles by Yasu Yorita and Steve Morikawa and two hit batsmen forcing a run home. McKinley’s Hiro Yorita grounded into a force play with two outs and the bases loaded to end the fracas.
John Salvia earned the victory for Kamehameha by holding McKinley scoreless for 15 innings before giving up the score in the fifth. He struck out eight batters and walked six. Dean Davis pitched the first seven innings for Kamehameha.
The game was supposed to be the second of an ILH doubleheader, but the third game between Iolani and Mid-Pacific had to be rescheduled.
Farrington beat Kaimuki 9-5 in the first game, which went the regulation nine innings. Charles Roxburgh, Ronald Kiaaina, Albert Amii and Neal Okimoto all drove in runs for the Governors. Nelson Juliano and Ronald Yano paired hits for Farrington and Bob Han did so for Kaimuki.
Kamehameha took the ILH lead with a 3-0 record after the marathon, moving a half game ahead of 2-0 Punahou. McKinley dropped to 1-2 and eventually missed the ILH playoffs with a 2-8 record. Kamehameha was the last team in at 6-3-1 to finish a half game ahead of Kalani.
Over in the OIA, the league slate opened with defending champion Waipahu topping Aiea 7-1 on a complete game by Gerald Bermijo and two hits from Andy Shimizu.
Campbell beat Kahuku 3-0 in 11 innings when Larry Perreira hit a double and Claude Tagawa followed with a single to back the masterful pitching of Dave Nelson over Dave Barney. Nelson struck out 12 batters and Barney struck out nine at Waialua. The game was moved there because Kahuku’s field was wet.
Leilehua shut out Radford 3-0 on a four-hitter by Dan Oshiro and Castle beat Waianae 4-0 on a two-hitter by Chappie Chapman and four hits by Babe Bollinger.
Kailua and Waialua were rained out.
Nice bit of Hawaii prep sports history. For Kamehameha, Perkins is a familiar name to me as is Jim Winchester, who went on to coach basketball for the Warriors in the 1980s and 90s.