THE YEARS 1938-1939
1938
May 18, 1938
Yaphank Takes a 4-1 Victory From Hagerman on Latter's Field
Supplementing a three hit game with ten strikeouts, Mervin Tillinghast, Yaphank twirler enabled the Yaphank nine to score a 4-1 victory over Hagerman at the latter's diamond Sunday and entrench themselves more firmly in the tie for first place in the Brookhaven Town Firemen's league.
It was the third straight victory for undefeated Yaphankers. Tillinghast, who pitched the Yaphank aggregation to the league pennant last year, limited the Hagerman batters to three singles, with Yaphank helping itself to eight safeties, four of them two-baggers.
Yaphank's base running in the game was of the type that would have done credit to the Brooklyn Dodgers. The feature of the game was a catch against the fence by Hagerman's centerfielder, C. Stephani.
Even though Middle Island and Coram did not play in the Firemen's league at this time, they played sandlot ball. The Middle Island team was called the Eagles. On May 18th they played a game against the Brookhaven Highway team and lost by a score of 8 to 5.
May 25th 1938
Yaphank Takes Fourth Straight Game Beating Holtsville by 6 to 3
Winning its fourth straight game in as many starts, the Yaphank nine took undisputed possession of first place in the Brookhaven Firemen's Baseball league at Yaphank Sunday by whipping Holtsville 6-3
With Mervin Tillinghast on the mound, the Yaphankers took the lead with a two run rally in the fourth, and held the lead throughout, despite belated attempts on the part of the Holtsvillagers to come back in the latter part of the game.
Joe Scesny hit a homerun for Yaphank.
May 25th saw the Coram Juveniles play their second game of the season versus Miller Place. Coram won by a score of 11-10. Joseph Risley of Coram pitched a one run game until the seventh inning when the Miller Place boys went on an eight run rally. Risley regained his control in the eighth to finish the game in a Coram victory.
June 1, 1938
Yaphank Remains On Top Defeating Bayport by 8-6
Bunching its hits off Vignato in the second and fourth innings, the Yaphank nine continued its march toward the Brookhaven Firemen's league 1938 pennant at Bayport Sunday by defeating the home team 8-6
On June 1st the Coram F.D. nine played a ball game with Nature's Gardens at Selden. Coram won by a score of 12-6
Bing Miller pitched for the Nature's Gardens while George Gehrig and Ted Risley pitched for Coram.
A return game was played between the two teams on Memorial day and Coram was again victorious. Nature's Gardens was ahead 11-8 until the ninth inning when Coram went on an eight run rally. The final score was 16-12 for Coram.
June 8, 1938
Yaphank's Perfect Record Intact As Blue Point Is Defeated 7-1
"Red" Tillinghast, catcher member of Yaphank's famed brother battery walked off with honors at Blue Point Sunday, when he accounted for three hits, three runs and three stolen bases to help his team extend its winning streak to six games by scoring a 7-1 victory over Blue Point.
As a result of the game, Yaphank took a firmer hold on first place in the Brookhaven Town Firemen's league with no defeats in six starts this season. Mervin Tillinghast, on the mound for Yaphank allowed the Bluepointers six hits, all singles.
Coram Weasels defeated by Holtsville Cards by 8-2
The Holtsville Cards Baseball team continued its winning streak by defeating the Coram Weasels Sunday at Holtsville, scoring 8-2
June 15, 1938
The Medford nine, victims of a series of heart breaking games so far this season, added another such contest to their discouraging record at Yaphank Sunday, when they lost to Yaphank for the latter's seventh straight victory of the season. The score, 2-0
The Yaphankers scored their first run in the second on a double by E. Glover, who scored a moment later on a single off the bat of Zebrowski. In the fifth frame, Zebrowski reached first on the only error in the game, stole second and scored on Hoeffner's bingle.
Mervin Tillinghast, Yaphank twirler struck out nine. The Yaphank nine with seven victories and no defeats, holds undisputed possession of first place in the Brookhaven Firemen's league.
June 22, 1938
Yaphank Garners Eight Straight, Whips Hagerman
A home run by Scesny, Yaphank third sacker, over the leftfield fence, and the fielding of Ed Glover in center featured a game at Yaphank Sunday, when the undefeated home nine extended its winning streak to eight straight by overwhelming Hagerman 6-1.
June 29th 1938
Yaphank upsets Holtsville 6-3
In an exciting game, in which it appeared several times that fists would fly, the Holtsville nine, closest contender to Yaphank in the Brookhaven Firemen's league, went down to a 6-3 defeat at the hands of Yaphank on the Holtsville diamond Sunday. The victory clinched the league's first half title for Yaphank
Even if Yaphank loses next week, it will still remain in first place position and will play the winner of the second half-season for the league championship.
Sunday's tilt was also the ninth straight victory for bespectacled Mervin Tillinghast, Yaphank hurler. Active in both offense and defense, Tillinghast accounted for three of his team's 10 hits.
July 6, 1938
Yaphank's winning streak broken by Bayport Sunday, score 7-1
After winning nine straight victories, Yaphank lost to Bayport with a score of 7-1 Sunday at Yaphank.
Orville Meyer, former Patchogue High school pitcher, was in the box for Bayport, playing a splendid game, and receiving fine co-operation from his team.
July 20th, 1938
Yaphank Whips Blue Point nine
The Yaphank nine, title winners for the first half-season in the Brookhaven Town Firemen's league, started the second half-season last Sunday by applying a generous coat of shellac to Blue Point Sunday on the Yaphank diamond. The score, 17-2
August 10, 1938
Bayporters Lose to Yaphank, 3-2
In one of the best games of the current season, Yaphank nosed out Bayport at Bayport Sunday, 3-2. Mervin Tillinghast, Yaphank twirler, and O. Meyer, Bayport pitching ace, engaged in a mound duel in which the former allowed eight hits, against six given by Meyer. Each was credited with nine strikeouts.
August 24, 1938
Yaphank Blanks Medford Nine, 1-0
Hits were scarce but there was an abundance of good pitching and fielding at Yaphank Sunday, when the local nine continued its relentless drive for a perfect record in the second half-season, was played in one hour and 25 minutes.
Each pitcher allowed but two hits, and had five strikeouts. Yaphank scored its lone run on an error, a hit and a wild pitch. Each team got only four men on first.
August 31, 1938
Yaphank Takes County Baseball Series at Fair- Wallops Sayville
As far as the Sayville nine team is concerned, it probably was a cross between a tornado and a cyclone that struck them Friday afternoon at the County Fair Grounds diamond, Riverhead, but the scorebook shows it was merely the fast traveling Yaphank team battering its way to the 1938 Suffolk County title. The score 9-1.
Battering is a mild term. The Yaphankers hit Sayville with everything from the water can to the planks in the grandstand.
Johnny Kashata, who less than a month ago brought honors upon himself by hurling a no-hit, no -run game, at West Patchogue, took the mound for Sayville. At the end of nine innings, the Kashata pitching reputation was slightly tarnished and well bruised. In fact it was suffering from a possible fracture.
The Yaphankers garnered 12 hits, including four doubles, off Kashata's deliveries. Meanwhile Mervin Tillinghast, Yaphank's ace was limiting the Sayvillains to a well scattered seven hits.
In the first game of the elimination series for the County title, Yaphank defeated Huntington, 9-8 at the Fair Grounds. The game was played last Tuesday.
The trophy that went with the county title, won by Yaphank, is now on display in the show window of Brall's Stationery store on East Main street, Patchogue.
August 31, 1938
Yaphank Blanks Hagerman, 12-0
Two homers by J. Scesny, Yaphank third sacker, air tight pitching by Brown, Yaphank twirler, and all around good fielding combined to heap humiliation on the Hagerman nine at Yaphank Sunday, when the local nine walked off the field at the end of nine innings with a 12-0 decision and its winning streak intact.
September 7, 1938
Revenge is sweet to Holtsvillains As They Whip Yaphank, Co. Champs
Whatever defeats or other setbacks were encountered by the Holtsville nine during the past season were offset on their home diamond Sunday, when they handed Yaphank, the Suffolk champs, a three hit defeat, winning by a score of 3-1.
Until the eighth inning it was a pitchers battle between Mason and Tillinghast.
Yaphank's only score came on a Scesny home run.
September 14, 1938
Yaphank Placed On Goose Egg Diet as Meyer Hurls Bayporters to Victory
The Yaphank nine, Suffolk diamond champs, took their second consecutive licking and their first shutout on their home diamond Sunday, when Orville Meyer, Bayport ace twirler, held them scoreless for nine innings and made the hit that sent Bayport's only run across the plate. The score 1-0.
September 28, 1938
Hagerman Trims Yaphank by 4-0 Makes Triple Tie
A triple tie for first place in the second half-season schedule of the Brookhaven Town Firemen's league was created at Hagerman Sunday, when the local nine shellacked Yaphank, winner of the first half-season's pennant. The score 4-0.
The victory placed Hagerman, Yaphank and Holtsville in a tie for top honors and will necessitate a play off series, the winner which will meet Yaphank for the season's pennant.
October 19, 1938
Holtsville Beats Yaphank 8-4
Takes League Crown From the Former Firemen Champs
The Holtsville nine, winners of the triple-tie playoff series for the pennant in the second half-season added the leagues crown to their laurels on the home diamond Sunday, when they waged an uphill battle to defeat Yaphank, former league champs, in the season's deciding game. The score 8-4
And what a game it was!
Starting off with a two run score in the opening frame, the Holtsvillains dropped behind in the next stanza, when Yaphank, which had scored one in the first, came back to score three more runs. The best Holtsville could do until the seventh was to score one in the third and another in the sixth to tie the score at four all.
Then came the sad seventh. A couple of bingles brought in one run across to put the home team in the lead, then with two mates aboard, Jimmy Hope, blasted one out of the park. From then on Yaphank was an also-ran.
The 1938 Yaphank Baseball Team
1939 Season
Feb. 22 1939
Joe Scesny of Yaphank signs contract with Florida league.
May 8, 1939
Five homeruns as Yaphank Team Lose to Blue Pt.
Four home runs, one of which by McMahon came on the first ball sent across the plate by Tillinghast, Yaphank ace, were included among 15 hits with which the Manatasquott nine of Blue point upset Yaphank 13-9 in the opening game of the season Sunday on the Blue Point diamond.
Before the game, the two teams led by Perry Smith's Blue Point Community band, marched to centerfield for the flag raising. They spent the rest of the afternoon marching around the bases. Even the Yaphank fans cheered Blue Points quartet of four baggers, although Albin, Yaphank's catcher, helped himself to a homer too by clouting a wallop into Hen Swezey's cornfield.
Tillinghast pitched good ball, but Blue Point bats were too hot to be stopped.