50 years ago, Travs played long ball

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

— The Arkansas Travelers’ first Class AAA team, in 1963, was only a modest success but it featured bombers like Dick Allen, Cal Emery and John Hernstein. That club hit more home runs than any previous Travs team, but the Philadelphia Phillies, who supplied the players and called the shots, assured the Travelers that 1964 would be different.

They said the club could be good enough to win, but it must do it with pitching, defense and line drive hitting. The Travs shrugged it off and hit 208 home runs.

The day after the 1964 playoffs ended, Arkansas Manager Frank Lucchesi looked back in wonderment.

“I’ll always remember the way the club was in July,” he said.”There was [Norm] Gigon, leading off, already with 20 home runs and headed for 30. [Wayne] Graham, on third base, batting second, leading the league in base hits. Then you had [Alex] Johnson, [Costen] Shockley, [Bill] Sorrell and [ Adolpho] Phillips for the Western trip in our power slots. [Those four hit 108 home runs among them.] Then [Lee] Elia, probably the strongest seventh-place hitter in the league. Then [Pat] Corrales hitting eighth at .330.

The lineup that finished the season, won the East Division of the Pacific Coast League and opposed San Diego in the playoff was much different due to injuries and call ups from the parent Phillies.

Lucchesi said, “I’m always trying to think between innings, who’s coming up and what are the chances of getting something started, but it didn’t matter with that lineup.”

The Phillies had signed a three year player development contract with the Travelers covering 1963-1965. The Travelers jumped back down to Class AA baseball in the Texas League in 1966, where they have remained ever since.

Fans were somewhat puzzled early in the 1964 season. The Travelers struggled, but won more often than not. Then they dominated the Western clubs on a two-week trip. Back at Little Rock, they filled up for the opener, but the game was rained out. That was about the time the big-league Phillies summoned the power-hitting Johnson.

In the next several weeks, Philadelphia took Graham (and promptly traded him). Center fielder Phillips (.304, 29 home runs) was called up by the Phillies by Sept 1. Catcher Corrales (.304 by now) was back at Little Rock after spending a few days with the Phillies in midseason. First baseman Shockley led the league with36 home runs and 112 RBI.

By that point, the leading Travelers pitchers were Bobby Locke (11-3), John Boozer (8-1), Morrie Stevens (8-1), Len Clendenin (11-6), reliever Harry Oliver (11-6), Gary Kroll (11-7) and Joel Gibson (10-7). Locke, Boozer and Kroll were called up along the way. The Phillies took Stevens off a plane at the LA airport, right in the middle of an Arkansas-San Diego playoff series in the Pacific Coast League.

Travs fans thought (or hoped) it was true that major-league clubs would not be permitted to bring up minor leaguers after July 31. Heck, the Phillies sent for Stevens deep in September.

Other than Dallas Green (4-1) down from Philadelphia, and Fergie Jenkins (5-5) up from Chattanooga, replacements were not of the same caliber that year, it seemed.

Next year, at least a small group of the “Boom-Boom” Travelers will surely gather somewhere. It’ll be their 50th anniversary.

Sports, Pages 20 on 02/05/2013