It’s been 21 years since the Arkansas Travelers finished with the best overall regular-season record in the Texas League.
The odds of the Travelers ending that dry spell appear likely.
Even if the Tulsa Drillers — the team with the second-best overall record at 70-58 — win their remaining 11 games, Arkansas would still claim the league’s best record by winning 6 of its final 11 games.
The Travelers clinched a spot for next month’s playoffs by winning the first-half championship in June. Tulsa holds a one-game advantage over the Travelers in the second-half standings.
“Most years if you finish with a .500 record in the Texas League North Division, you’re having a good season,” Travelers General Manager Paul Allen said. “A couple of weeks ago I looked at the standings and we were 25 games above .500. That’s remarkable.”
Arkansas (75-52) has not earned the eight-team league’s best winning percentage since 1998 when the Travelers went 80-60. Arkansas won a franchise-best 82 games in 1968 — a mark that is also within reach of this year’s Travelers.
“That’s not something I was aware of but it’s absolutely something I want to see happen,” Travelers infielder Jordan Cowan said. “It would be great to have that record, but what’s more important is to continue play hard every game, every pitch.”
Arkansas has posted some of the league’s best pitching numbers. The Travelers lead the league in team earned run average (2.93), shutouts
(11), fewest runs allowed (413) and fewest home runs allowed (74).
The Travelers are in the middle of the pack in almost every team-hitting statistic. Individually, lead-off hitter Donnie Walton is fourth in the league in batting average (.300) and second in walks (62).
“We’re not relying on the same guy every night,” said Cowan, who has at least one hit in nine of his last 11 games. “One night it may be our starting pitcher who makes the difference. The next night it may be someone out of the bullpen. The same can be said of our hitters; a number of guys can come through.”
The Travelers are also on the verge of topping the 300,000 attendance mark for the 10th time in the last 12 years. After Thursday’s 4-2 loss to Corpus Christi, the Travelers have drawn 290,158 fans — an average of 4,464 a game — to Dickey-Stephens Park.
Allen expects the club to see one of its largest crowds of the season tonight. The popular Pyro in the Park fireworks promotion drew 9,787 fans in 2018.
“It’s been our biggest in-house promotion for the last three years,” Allen said. “You don’t anticipate a lot of large crowds this time of year. It’s hot, school’s back in session, everyone is wanting to talk about college football and what kind of football team the [University of Arkansas] is going to put on the field, but this fireworks show is like no other.”
Starting tonight, the Travelers have three home games remaining. They finish the regular season with four games at Corpus Christi and four games at Amarillo.
The division playoffs are scheduled to start Sept. 4. Arkansas will host the first two games. Tulsa will host games No. 3 and No. 4. If a fifth-game is necessary, the winner of the second-half standings will host.
The best-of-five championship series begins Sept. 10.
Travelers’ attendance
YEAR TOTAL AVG.
2019 290,158 4,464^
2018 296,847 4,498
2017 328,347 4,975
2016 306,570 4,716
2015 337,566 5,038
2014 326,179 5,097
2013 293,749 4,519
2012 308,109 4,531
2011 300,594 4,625
2010 326,066 4,940
2009 346,635 5,416
2008 377,997 5,559
2007 372,475 5,644
2006 207,507 3,294*
2005 196,366 3,021
^Through Thursday * denotes final year at Ray Winder Field