The Oil City Oilers was a minor league baseball team located in

Oil City, Pennsylvania Oil City is a city in Venango County, Pennsylvania known for its prominence in the initial exploration and development of the petroleum industry. It is located at a bend in the Allegheny River at the mouth of Oil Creek. Initial settlement of Oi ...

between 1940 and 1951. The team played in the

Pennsylvania State Association The Pennsylvania State Association was a class D level league of minor league baseball that existed from 1934 until 1942. The league franchised were entirely based in Western Pennsylvania. History The Pennsylvania State Association was compose ...

from 1940 to 1942, and later moved to the

Middle Atlantic League The Middle Atlantic League (or Mid-Atlantic League) was a lower-level circuit in American minor league baseball that played during the second quarter of the 20th century. History The Middle Atlantic League played from 1925 through 1951, with t ...

after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

ended. The team began in 1940 when the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

relocated their affiliate, the McKeesport Little Braves, to Oil City. The team stayed affiliated with the Pirates until 1947, when it began an affiliation with the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

. That year, the team's name was changed to the Oil City Refiners. The team's name was changed one last time to the Oil City A's, when they merged with the Youngstown A's, in 1951. The team the folded, along with the league, at the end of that season. The Oilers name originated from an earlier team that represented the city between 1895 and 1907, in the

Iron And Oil League The Iron and Oil League was a minor league baseball league that played in the 1895 and 1898 seasons. League teams were based in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York (state), New York and West Virginia. History The Iron and Oil League was a minor league ...

and the

Interstate League The Interstate League was the name of five different American minor baseball leagues that played intermittently from 1896 through 1952. Early leagues Earlier versions of the Interstate League, with years active: *1896–1901: an unclassified ...

."Oil City, Pennsylvania Minor League History"
baseball-reference.com. Retrieved June 20, 2013.

Notable alumni

Otto Denning Otto George Denning (December 28, 1912 – May 25, 1992) was an American professional baseball player and manager. His 20-year (1932–51) career was confined to minor league baseball except for 129 games at the Major League level during the W ...

Mike Garbark Nathaniel Michael Garbark (February 3, 1916 – August 31, 1994) was a Major League Baseball player. Garbark played for the New York Yankees in and . He batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Houston, Texas and died in Charlotte, North C ...

Al Gionfriddo Albert Francis Gionfriddo (March 8, 1922 – March 14, 2003) was an American professional baseball player who played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder. Career Gionfriddo made his major league debut on September 23, at the age of 22 with ...

Elmer Klumpp Elmer Edward Klumpp (August 26, 1906 – October 18, 1996) was a catcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the Washington Senators in 1934 and the Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 ...

Junior Walsh James Gerald "Junior" Walsh (March 7, 1919 – November 12, 1990) was an American professional baseball pitcher who appeared in all or part of five seasons in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1946, 1948–1951). Born in Newark, N ...

Hal Woodeshick Harold Joseph Woodeshick (August 24, 1932 – June 14, 2009) was an American left-handed pitcher who spent eleven seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Detroit Tigers (1956 and 1961), Cleveland Indians (1958), the original modern Washin ...

Rudy York Preston Rudolph York (August 17, 1913 – February 5, 1970) was an American professional baseball player, coach, scout, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher and a first baseman between and , most notably as a member of the ...

References

Baseball teams established in 1940 Sports clubs and teams disestablished in 1951 Defunct minor league baseball teams Chicago White Sox minor league affiliates Pittsburgh Pirates minor league affiliates 1940 establishments in Pennsylvania 1951 disestablishments in Pennsylvania Oil City, Pennsylvania Defunct baseball teams in Pennsylvania Middle Atlantic League teams Baseball teams disestablished in 1951 Pennsylvania State Association teams Iron and Oil League teams {{Pennsylvania-baseball-team-stub