1938 Baseball, Looking Back: Strange, Disappointing Ending for Hilltoppers
Originally published Oct. 25, 2024.
San Diego’s march to a Southern Section championship was derailed by Glendale in the most confusing finish in the 20-season career of coach Mike Morrow.
“Bait and switch” is a often-used political term for what happened to the Hilltoppers.
They were told by CIF boss Seth Van Patten that a victory over Norwalk Excelsior in their second playoff (semifinal) would result in a championship encounter the following week at Lane Field against Compton.
Days later coach Mike Morrow’s team was forced to a second playoff semifinal, which it lost to Glendale, 3-2.
STEADY DUO
All-Southern California selection Al Olsen and Chet Kehn were the pitchers who delivered most of the Hillers’ success.
Olsen would spend much of 11 seasons pitching for the San Diego Padres and later was athletic director at San Diego State and a California senior tennis champion.
Morrow said of his lefthanded ace: “I never saw a high school pitcher with as much real stuff. He puts something on each pitch. In the two years Olsen pitched for me I never saw him throw a straight fast ball. It always has a hop or zip on it. He has wrapped his curve ball around more than one hitter’s neck.”
“Kehn has about the fastest breaking curve ball I ever saw,” added Morrow.
4/1/38
Lefthander Al Olsen gave up three hits and a run in the first inning to Alhambra, but recovered to strike out 15 batters and pitch San Diego to an 8-4 Coast League win over the visiting Moors.
Olsen also was 2 for 4 at the plate and scored two runs. First baseman Ted Kerr added three hits..
—Burt Kenmuir allowed only four hits, but Long Beach Wilson scored the first half of a weekend sweep with a 1-0 win at Hoover in the afternoon before Wilson’s under-the-lights, dual meet victory in track.
—Sweetwater’s Boyd McGee shut out Point Loma on three hits, 6-0, in a Metropolitan League game on the Red Devils’ diamond.
—The brothers Galindo did it all in a 12-0 Escondido victory at Oceanside. Adon (Don) Galindo handcuffed the Pirates on two hits, struck out nine, and hit two doubles and a single. Battery mate Ursulo had three hits, and first baseman Pete doubled twice and homered.
4/5/38
San Diego Padres owner Bill Lane allowed use of Lane Field to Hoover and San Diego for a night game, which was a preview for Hilltoppers pitcher Al Olsen, who later would go on to an 11-season career with the PCL San Diego Padres.
Olsen struck out 17 Cardinals, gave up two hits to third baseman Ed Neumeister, and hurled a 7-4 victory.
Olsen recovered from a shaky second inning when Hoover scored three runs on five walks, a wild pitch, passed ball, and Neumeister’s double.
The Coast League game drew an estimated 3,200 persons, according to The San Diego Union writer Mitch Angus.
—The Marine Corps Recruit Depot Devildogs overcame a 4-3 San Diego lead with four runs in the seventh inning, driving pitcher Duane Pillette from the mound, and two more in the eighth for a 9-6 victory.
Manuel (Nay) Hernandez and Al Olsen each had three hits for the visitors.
4/8/38
John (Red) Keogh pitched St. Augustine to a 6-4 victory over the San Diego State freshmen at Central Elementary playground. Keogh’s catcher was Benny Hemus, older brother of future major league player and manager Solly Hemus.
—Hoover beat Oceanside Junior College, 11-1, as pitcher Jerry Henlon, exiled for almost eight months in an eligibility beef with the CIF, went the distance on the mound, allowing four hits.
Cardinals outfielder Doug Donnan led the way with three hits in three times at bat.
—San Diego amassed 17 hits and won, 14-6, at Long Beach Wilson. Fred Martinez collected four hits and Chet Kehn went all the way on the mound despite giving up 13 hits.
—An eighth-inning base on balls deprived Escondido’s Adon (Don) Galindo of a perfect game. Galindo did not allow a hit and shut out Grossmont, 10-0. Adon and his battery mate catcher and brother Ursulo each had two hits.
—Boyd McGee walked seven and hit two batters but pitched seven innings of Sweetwater’s 16-6 win at Oceanside.
4/9/38
Al Olsen and guest San Diego High pounded out 17 hits and defeated the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, 13-9. Olsen staggered the distance, giving up 12 hits, but shut out the Devildogs in the last four innings.
Chet Kehn and Stan Sharp homered or the Hilltoppers.
4/13/38
Three San Diego County squads were among the 43 schools entered in the Pomona 20-30 Rotary Club tournament, with Escondido, the defending champion, arriving a day earlier, followed by St. Augustine and San Diego.
Hoover and Sweetwater passed on the event. The Red Devils cited a lack of players.
—Hoover was not idle, dropping a 3-2 decision to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot on the base diamond when Bob (The Clown) Trometter* tripled in two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning.
*Trometter was better known later as Robert (Bull) Trometter, the no-nonsense and respected football coach of the Devildogs and the University of San Diego High.
4/14/38-4/16/38
San Diego reached the semifinals of the Pomona 20-30 Rotary Club tournament but fell to Long Beach Wilson, 3-2. Wilson lost to Long Beach Poly, 8-1, in the championship game.
San Diego had advanced by defeating the Riverside Sherman Indians, 7-1; Pomona Fremont Junior High, 10-0, and Pomona, 15-2.
Manuel (Nay) Hernandez struck four singles, double, triple, and 2 home runs in the four games.
Defending champion Escondido defeated Azusa Citrus, 2-0, and Huntington Beach, 8-0, but lost to Long Beach Poly, 7-1. St. Augustine, after 6-5 and 2-1 victories over Brea-Olinda and Bonita, respectively, dropped a 5-4 decision to Norwalk Excelsior.
4/22/38
Escondido’s Don Galindo gave up one hit and the Cougars claimed their second straight Metropolitan League championship, 8-0, over visiting La Jolla.
In five league victories this season, Galindo gave up one run and five hits in 45 innings, which included a no-hitter versus Grossmont.
—Point Loma won its first Metropolitan League game, 8-2, over Oceanside at Golden Hill playground. The Pointers’ Chaffey Keiber struck out 10 and gave up four hits.
—San Diego took a two-run lead into the ninth inning at Long Beach Poly, but the Jackrabbits dealt the Hillers their first Coast League defeat, 7-6.
—Pitchers Jerry Henlon and Dell Oliver also homered and Alhambra was faced with a long ride home after the Cardinals, beginning with eight runs in the first inning, cruised to a 16-hit, 16-5 victory.
4/29/38
San Diego was silent for eight innings and then parlayed three hits, two errors, and walk in the top of the ninth inning for a 5-4 victory at Alhambra. Sore-armed Al Olsen started for the Hilltoppers., but was relieved by Bill Morales, and Chet Kehn, who got the win.
—Point Loma struck 15 hits in a 19-6 Metropolitan League victory at Grossmont. Chaffey Keiber pitched the victory and Peebles, Paul (Red) Isom, and Mathis combined to contribute 10 hits for the Pointers.
5/1/38
San Diego’s Al Olsen and Manuel (Nan) Hernandez were honored with other high school and collegiate athletes between games of a Hollywood Stars-L.A. Angels Pacific Coast League doubleheader at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles.
Olsen was named most-valuable player in the district, according to Bill Schroeder of the sponsoring Helms Athletic Foundation, although the honor of the first CIF Southern Section player of the year went to Long Beach Wilson’s Bob Lemon.
5/2/38
San Diego clinched its second consecutive Coast League title and 10th in the last 11 years, 11-3, over Hoover.
The Hilltoppers greeted Cardinals pitcher Jerry Henlon, who transferred from San Diego at the start of the school year, with a five-run outburst in the first inning.
Bert Kenmuir relieved Henlon and gave up two more runs as the Hillers totaled seven on four hits and two errors.
Chet Kehn pitched for San Diego and stranded 13 baserunners while allowing eight hits. Del Oliver hurled the final eight innings for Hoover, allowing four runs and eight hits.
About 10 donkeys, used in softball games, roamed the outfield, according to Mitch Angus of The San Diego Union. The asses generally were not intrusive except when Cardinals leftfielder Jim Moore found himself in their midst chasing a triple by Mel Skelley.
Originally scheduled at Lane Field, the second Hoover-San Diego game was moved to Hoover and the Monroe Avenue diamond. The change was necessitated because of a Lane Field boxing card and installation of a ring.
5/3/38
St. Augustine’s Ed Vitalich gave up one hit at Golden Hill Playground enroute to the Saints’ 5-0 victory over Point Loma. The safety was a single in the last of the seventh inning by the Pointers’ Peebles.
5/6/38
John (Red) Keogh homered and the battery of Ed Vitalich and Benny Hemus led St. Augustine to a 5-1 victory over the Naval Hospital team at Golden Hill Playground.
5/14/38
Visiting San Diego collected 11 hits off Don Galindo and took advantage of seven errors to defeat Escondido, 4-0, in the opening round of the CIF playoffs on the Cougars’ diamond.
Manuel (Nan) Hernandez’ home run, followed by Al Olsen’s triple and Tony Angeles’ base hit gave the Hilltoppers a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Olsen singled in Hernandez an inning later.
Olsen worked his way out of a bases loaded jam in the first inning and gave up three hits in his nine-inning complete game.
5/15/38
Ed Vitalich took a two-hitter into the bottom of the ninth inning, tied with San Diego, 3-3, but the Hilltoppers’ Hal Summers doubled and scored on Freddie Martinez’ single for a 4-3 loss for the St. Augustine hurler.
Chet Kehn gave up four hits and was the winning pitcher.
5/24/38
First baseman Ted Kerr was named winner of The San Diego Union trophy as most-valuable player on the San Diego High team.
Kerr led the Hilltoppers with a .328 batting average and was cited for being a leader in citizenship, scholarship, and sportsmanship.
5/28/38
Gamesmanship prevailed in the semifinals playoff game at Lane Field.
San Diego defeated Norwalk Excelsior, 10-5, as “petty squabbles enlivened the game from the spectators’ viewpoint,” wrote Mitch Angus of The Union.
Section commissioner Seth Van Patten assigned the two umpires after Excelsior said it would not play in San Diego with umpires from the San Diego association.
Plate arbiter Sugar Cain heard complaints from both dugouts. Base umpire E.Y. Johnson also was under fire.
Excelsior pitcher Carl Barnes dug virtual gopher holes in front of the mound rubber. Hilltoppers pitcher Al Olsen would take his time to cover the holes when he took the mound each inning.
Other than nine bases on balls, Barnes also was charged with a hit batter and six wild pitches, which provided the Hillers with two runs.
Olsen gave up eight hits and weathered a storm in the third inning, when the Pilots took a 5-0 lead on four hits, including a bases loaded triple by Bob Whitts.
The victory sent the Hilltoppers into next week’s finals against Compton.
6/1/38
CIF honcho Seth Van Patten informed the Hillers that they would have to play a “second” semifinal playoff game. No published reason was given other than that San Diego officials were baffled and slightly miffed.
The game would be against Glendale at Brookside Park in Pasadena, with the winner advancing to a championship game against Compton.
6/3/38
The “second” semifinal was disastrous. Glendale scored a 3-2 victory over San Diego.
Four errors, lack of hits with men on base, and carelessness on the base paths doomed the Hilltoppers, whose runners were picked off base three times.
Losing pitcher Al Olsen gave up four hits in his final game (Olsen would graduate in January, 1939) and the Hilltoppers ended their season with an 18-4-1 record.
