Auburn Phillies

New York-Penn League (1972-1977)

Background

The Auburn Phillies were a Class A farm club of the Philadelphia Phillies during the mid-1970’s. As a member of New York-Penn League, a short season (72-game) circuit designed for first-year players transitioning to the grind of the longer pro calendar, Auburn clubs were largely composed of teenage prospects newly drafted out of high school by Philadelphia.

Fleet-footed outfielder Lonnie Smith (Auburn ’74) and pitcher Dickie Noles (Auburn ’75) both developed into key contributors on Philadelphia’s 1980 World Series championship club. Pitcher Randy Lerch (Auburn ’73) had several strong seasons for Philadelphia in the late 1970’s and was a fixture in the starting rotation for the vaunted 1980 team as well, but was left off the postseason roster after posting a team-high 14 losses.

Other notable Auburn Phillies alumni included catcher Ozzie Virgil Jr. (Auburn ”76) and first baseman Greg Walker (Auburn ’77). Virgil developed into a two-time National League All-Star with the Phillies and the Atlanta Braves during the 1980’s. Walker slugged 113 home runs for the Chicago White Sox between 1982 and 1990.

Lonnie Smith was the last active member of the Auburn Phillies in professional baseball when he played his final game for the Baltimore Orioles in 1994. After being part of Philadelphia’s world championship team in 1980, Smith won two more World Series with St. Louis in 1982 and Kansas City in 1985.

Bernice Gera

Auburn’s first game as a Phillies affiliate took place on June 24th, 1972 in Geneva, New York. It was a double header, as the previous evening’s season opener between the Phillies and the Geneva Rangers had been postponed by rain.

The game also marked the denouement of a years-long battle by 40-year old Bernice Gera to earn employment as the first female umpire in professional baseball. Gera, who completed an umpiring course at a Florida baseball school in 1967, fought for several years to gain employment in the New York-Penn League. She was denied under various age and body composition requirements and ultimately filed a gender discrimination suit against Minor League Baseball’s governing body, the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues. On January 14th, 1972 the New York State Court of Appeals ruled in Gera’s favor in a case that garnered nationwide headlines.

Gera hired on with the New York-Penn League and was set to make her debut in the season-opening Geneva-Auburn doubleheader. She would serve as a base umpire for Game 1 and the move behind the plate for Game 2.

Gera never made it to Game 2. During the 4th inning of the first game, Gera (correctly) reversed herself on a double play call at second base. That drew Auburn manager Nolan Campbell – described by Boston Globe scribe Leigh Montville as “a 32-year old tobacco-chewing managerial stereotype” from his dugout.¹Montville, Leigh. “It’s Official! … Mrs. Gera quits in tears after debut”. The Globe (Boston, MA). June 25, 1972 Gera told Campbell she had made a mistake. “That’s two mistakes you’ve made,” Campbell retorted. “The first was putting on your uniform.”²ASSOCIATED PRESS. “One Stormy Game … That’s It for Bernice”. The Press and Sun Bulletin (Binghamton, NY). June 25, 1972 Gera ejected Campbell from the game.

Between games Gera abruptly tendered her resignation to Geneva general Manager Joseph McDonough. Gera never sought to officiate another professional baseball game, though she did work in the New York Mets front office during the late 1970’s.

“Everybody thought I quit because of a bad call,” Gera told Kansas City sportswriter Mike McKenzie in 1979.³McKenzie, Mike. “First Woman Umpire Wasn’t a Libber, Just a Baseball Lover”. The Times (Kansas City, MO). August 2, 1979. “That had nothing to do with it. Before I went to the stadium, I had packed my bags. I didn’t want to work that game but friends and relatives talked me into because I’d come that far … I was totally broke and drained.”

Phillies Exit & Aftermath

The Philadelphia Phillies departed Auburn after six seasons at the end of 1977. Auburn limped along in the New York-Penn League for the next three seasons but was unable to secure a new Player Development Contract with a Major League sponsor. The ball club cycled through three names (Sunsets, Red Stars, Americans) during the next three years, fielding a roster of cast aways unwanted by Major League organizations. After sitting out the 1981 season altogether, Auburn re-enterered the New York-Penn League in 1982 as a Houston Astros farm team and remained a steady fixture in the circuit until Major League Baseball eliminated the New York-Penn League as part of its re-organization of the Minors in 2020.

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Links

New York-Penn League Media Guides

New York-Penn League Programs

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