Looking Back: Former Apache pitcher Doug Harris struck out 27 in 17-inning game

Published 5:00 pm Friday, June 23, 2023

Through Thursday’s Major League Baseball games, Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi leads with two complete games. In both the American League (10) and National League (5) there’s a total of 15.

What had me looking up this statistic was a call from one of our readers, Pat Moore from Emerald Bay. I have a covered a lot of games in my nearly 40 years of working at the Tyler Morning Telegraph, but Moore let me know about his buddy’s accomplishment while pitching for the Tyler Junior College Apaches in the 1960s.

He said Doug Harris, a native of Jacksonville, had put on quite a performance for the Apaches, striking out 27 batters in ONE game.

His phone call peaked my interest and between covering and rounding up baseball, softball and track meets in the spring, I started doing some research.

I found the article printed in the Tyler Courier-Times-Telegraph on April 16, 1967.

The feat Mr. Harris recorded that day is truly amazing — talk about a rubber arm.

He pitched all 17 innings for TJC and his coach Frank Martin in a 1-0 win over Grayson County that day at Municipal Stadium, which is now named Christus Trinity Mother Frances Mike Carter Field.

Mr. Harris struck out 27 batters (14 during the first nine innings) and walked only three (one intentionally) in recording all 51 outs. It was almost two complete games in one day. Also, he gave up just three hits, none after the 10th inning.

Martin said at the time, his pitcher was ready to return to the mound for the 18th inning, but his teammates made sure he did not have to do so.

Thanks to consecutive singles from Jimmy Rex, Donnie Gentry and Danny Wilson, TJC scored a 1-0 win over the Vikings.

Wilson drove in Rex for the game-winner as Grayson County’s Mike Madden was pitching into the 17th inning. Madden gave up eight hits and the one run while striking out 10 and walking three.

A pitching matchup like that is unheard in this day and age, although Wake Forest and LSU put on quite a pitching duel on Thursday (but they did use six pitchers).

In a span of the 14th, 15th and 16 innings on that day in 1967, Mr. Harris whiffed seven straight batters. At one-point he retired 24 consecutive batters until Greg Gatewood hit a two-out double in the ninth (the only extra base hit of the game). Gatewood also had a single to begin the game.

In the bottom of the 17th, Rex led off and hit a looping single to center, his second hit of the day. Gentry was next, working a 3-2 count before ripping a line drive to right-center that moved Rex to third. An intentional walk to Ray Mendiola loaded the bases.

That brought up Wilson, who had an infield single in the 10th. The count went to 3-2 and Wilson looped a single to center, scoring Rex with the winning run.

The only inning that Harris was in a jam was the 10th when he gave up a one-out single to Harold Kimball (the Vikings final hit of the game). He moved to second on a groundout. Then Gary Jenkins was issued an intentional free pass. Harris walked Jim Wiginton on a 3-2 count. But he got out of the situation by fanning Dan Groth.

Rex and Wilson got half of the Apaches’ eight hits that day with two each, while Gentry, Mendiola, Mike Crysup and Harris had one apiece.

Harris was a freshman from Jacksonville that season while being listed at 5-7 and 130 pounds. He struck out the side four times (sixth, ninth, 15th, 16th).

After retiring 24 consecutive batters, Harris started another streak, sitting down 16 batters in succession from the 11th through the first batter of the 17th.

Harris proved stellar throughout that season, earning All-Texas Eastern Conference first-team honors with an ERA of 0.37. Apaches joining Harris on the top team were outfielder Rex and first baseman Harvey Huffstetler.

The NJCAA record book only has an entry for a nine-inning, strikeout game of 24 set by Steve Nichols of Monroe (New York) Community College in 1969 and Henry Hyude of Mayfair (Illinois) College (now Harry S Turman College) in 1970.

The NCAA Division I record for strikeouts is 26 (also a nine-inning game) by Buddy Schultz of Miami (Ohio) against Wright State on April 3, 1971.

Maybe after 56 years, it is time Harris gets in the record books. He deserves it after that performance.