The Minor League Game of the Week
 Michael Collins hit three singles in the Travs’ July 26 game against Tulsa. |
July 26, 2007 — The Arkansas Travelers go twelve innings against the Tulsa Drillers.
This game was historic for reasons far more important than who won and who lost.
Four days earlier, on July 22, Tulsa first base coach Mike Coolbaugh was killed by a line drive in the 9th inning of a game at Arkansas. The schedule ironically brought Tulsa back to Dickey-Stephens Park four days later, having to return all too soon to where the tragedy occurred.
The baseball world rallied around Coolbaugh’s family and the Drillers. Before the July 26 game, Travs players stood at the ballpark entrance and collected donations. When Tulsa took the field defensively in the bottom of the 1st, the Travs fans gave them a standing ovation.
You can still donate to support the Coolbaugh family. Click Here to visit the MiLB.com Mike Coolbaugh Memorial Fund page.
The Travs came into this game with an eight-game winning streak, moving into the second-half divisional race. Starting for Arkansas was Brok Butcher, his third start after a promotion from Rancho Cucamonga. Butcher had allowed no earned runs in his first two starts, continuing a remarkable season with a 2.69 ERA for the Quakes in the California League.
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