Travis Chambers saw seven seasons, made AAA in three

Travis Chambers had just given up a lead May 1, 1990, and Chambers responded by sitting at his locker staring at a ball, teammate Steve Fireovid wrote later in his diary of the season, The 26th Man.

The AAA Indianapolis Indians had been up 4-1 when Chambers came in. The Indians ended up losing 7-5, Fireovid wrote.

"(Chambers) just sat there and stared," Fireovid wrote, "like it was going to talk to him, like it was going to give him some answers."

The reliever ended up getting into 22 games for the Expos' AAA affiliate that year, picking up one win to three losses. He also posted an ERA of 4.55.

Chambers had just one more season left in a career that spanned seven seasons, but never saw the majors.

Chambers' career began in 1985, signed by the Phillies as an undrafted free agent out of Johnson County Community College.

He played that first year between single-A Spartanburg and Peninsula, serving as a starter at Peninsula and reliever at Spartanburg. At Spartanburg, Chambers posted a 2.13 ERA in 12 outings.

That June, with Spartanburg, Chambers helped complete a double play, the pitcher covering first.

Chambers played 1986 largely at single-A Clearwater, getting a brief look at AA Reading. Between the two, his ERA was 2.88.

At Clearwater, Chambers picked up nine starts in 41 appearances, going 5-7 overall. He picked up his first win in mid-April, going seven innings while giving up seven hits. With Reading, Chambers picked up a playoff win, with an inning of relief.

For 1987, Chambers moved to AAA Maine. In 64 outings, Chambers posted an ERA of 4.31. He picked up his first of five wins April 23, coming in and working out of a bases-loaded jam. In an August outing, Chambers went five-plus innings of relief, giving up one earned run.

By 1989, Chambers arrived in the Expos system, traded there in September 1988. He spent 1989 back in AA, at Jacksonville.

He moved to AAA Indianapolis for 1990, then spent one last season with the White Sox system in 1991.

Originally published Aug. 24, 2011

• Spartanburg Herald-Journal, June 22, 1985: Suns Hold Off Charleston
• Steve Fireovid and Mark Winegardner, Macmillan Publishing, 1991: The 26th Man: One Minor League Pitcher's Pursuit of a Dream, Page 62

More: The 1990 Indianapolis Indians