67 ERA and 228 strikeouts
The franchise began in 1947 as the Duncan Cementers
a comeback that inspired the 1949 Jimmy Stewart film "The Stratton Story
Their Three-I seasons were played out against the backdrop of wartime
Former big leaguer Max Butcher also pitched for the Miners in 1946 after a 10-year MLB career
Merced Bears T-Shirt (Heavyweight) - Vintage Defunct Baseball Teams - California Size:4XL 67 ERA and 228 strikeoutsThe Merced Bears, based in Merced, California, were a charter member of the California League, founded in 1941 as a Class C circuit, and were fittingly a farm club of the Boston Bees, as the Boston Braves were then briefly known. Merced was the smallest market among the eight founding cities, and the Bears struggled accordingly, finishing last at 50 86, a full 38 games behind pennant winning Fresno. That one season was the whole story. When World War