The Oil City Refiners played in Oil City, Pennsylvania, the Venango County town at the mouth of Oil Creek where the American petroleum industry began. They spent four seasons in the Class C Middle Atlantic League from 1947 through 1950 as a Chicago White Sox farm club.
The franchise was community property in a literal sense. When professional baseball returned to Oil City after the war, it was financed by the Oil City Athletic Club, a group of 485 members who each bought a single share of stock at ten dollars apiece to get the club off the ground. That first postwar season in 1946 was played under the older Oilers name and a Pittsburgh Pirates working agreement, and it ended in last place in a six-team league. The White Sox agreement and the Refiners name arrived together in 1947.
Oil City had used the Oilers name before, running as a Pirates farm club in the Class D Pennsylvania State Association from 1940 through 1942. When that circuit failed to reorganize after the war, Oil City was one of the cities that moved over to the rebuilt Middle Atlantic League.
The Refiners are unusual among the teams in this catalog for what the record does not show. Across four seasons as a White Sox affiliate, they did not develop a single player who reached the major leagues. The club reached the playoffs in 1950, sweeping Erie in three games. After the 1950 season the Refiners name was retired, and when Youngstown ran into money trouble the following summer and moved to Oil City mid-season, the team finished the year as the Oil City A's. That was the last professional baseball the city has seen.
The Middle Atlantic League was a Class C circuit that ran from 1925 through 1951, pausing for three wartime seasons, with teams drawn mostly from Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia.
Retro Baseball Revival celebrates historic baseball teams with unique apparel, honoring their legacy and bringing history to one-of-a-kind clothing with our old school retro baseball tees from defunct Minor League Baseball teams. All of our high quality apparel is designed, printed, and shipped within the USA. This collection features 100% original designs based on the history and nicknames of historic minor league teams.
Our crewneck sweatshirts are classics that anyone is sure to recognize. They are thick, durable Gildan brand crews. They are a cotton/poly blend that stands the test of time.
Size Guide: True to size
- Made with a medium-heavy fabric blend of 50% cotton and 50% polyester (8.0 oz/yd² (271.25 g/m²)), this sweatshirt feels cozy and is the perfect choice for those colder months.
- The classic fit along with the crew neckline deliver a comfy wearing experience with a clean-cut style. Meanwhile, the double-needle stitching at the shoulder, armhole, neck, waistband, and cuff seams add top-tier durability.
- Say goodbye to itchiness thanks to the gray, pearlized tear-away label.
- Made using 100% ethically grown US cotton. Gildan is also a proud member of the US Cotton Trust Protocol ensuring ethical and sustainable means of production. The blank shirt's dyes are OEKO-TEX-certified dyes with low environmental impact.
- Machine wash: cold (max 30C or 90F); Non-chlorine: bleach as needed; Tumble dry: low heat; Do not iron; Do not dryclean.
