1961 Bakersfield Bears Roster
Team Record: 82-58
Finished 2nd in the CL
Manager: Lou Kahn (82-58)
Affiliation: Philadelphia Phillies
Location: Bakersfield, California
Ballpark: Sam Lynn Ballpark
Attendance: 45,992, Avg. 657
The Bakersfield Bears of the California League ended the 1961 season with a record of 82 wins and 58 losses, finishing second in the CL.
The Bears plated 818 runs and allowed 712 runs. Fred Walters paced Bakersfield with 24 home runs, while Larry Daniels walloped 15 or more, too. Fred Walters drove in 102 runs. John Upham led all qualifying hitters on the roster by connecting at a .356 clip. David Getz topped the team with 15 wins, and Peter Urrizola registered a 2.62 earned run average, leading regular hurlers.
Players from the 1961 Bakersfield Bears who spent time in Major League Baseball during their careers included John Upham, Billy Sorrell, Gary Kroll and Ron Clark.
Lou Kahn served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gene Adams | R | R | September 4, 1939 | 5'8" | 155 | |
| Gordie Bergthold | R | R | May 9, 1940 | 6'2" | 195 | Wasco, CA US |
| Danny Casteen | R | R | October 26, 1938 | 6'2" | 188 | Wilmington, NC US |
| Ron Clark | R | R | January 14, 1943 | 5'10" | 175 | Fort Worth, TX US |
| Larry Daniels | R | R | March 7, 1940 | 6'1" | 190 | Birmingham, AL US |
| Randy Davis | R | L | May 2, 1942 | 6'2" | 158 | San Francisco, CA US |
| David Duvall | R | R | February 21, 1940 | 6'3" | 203 | |
| Brian Eldredge | R | L | October 29, 1941 | 6'1" | 170 | |
| Charles Foster | R | R | June 27, 1939 | 6'1" | 175 | |
| David Getz | L | L | March 28, 1942 | 6'1" | 165 | Tyrone, PA US |
| Paul Gray | R | R | August 9, 1941 | 6'1" | 190 | |
| Chuck Green | R | R | November 29, 1939 | 6'2" | 215 | Chicago, IL US |
| Gerald Griffin | L | R | January 5, 1940 | 6'0" | 180 | Williamston, NC US |
| Warren Halversen | R | R | May 26, 1941 | 6'4" | 190 | Brooklyn, NY US |
| John Hogg | R | R | September 14, 1935 | 5'9" | 175 | Berwyn, NE US |
| Gene Kerns | L | R | April 24, 1940 | 6'0" | 168 | Hancock, MD US |
| Gary Kroll | R | R | July 8, 1941 | 6'6" | 220 | Culver City, CA US |
| Fred Laningham | R | R | April 22, 1939 | 6'1" | 180 | Johnstown, PA US |
| Thomas Lawrence | R | R | 6'1" | 182 | ||
| Tell Lott | R | R | 5'11" | 180 | ||
| Cornelius Maloney | R | R | 6'1" | 190 | ||
| Eric Mumma | L | L | 6'1" | 175 | ||
| Frankie Rubino | R | R | December 8, 1942 | 5'11" | 175 | Trenton, NJ US |
| Calvin Shears | R | R | 5'11" | 175 | ||
| Billy Sorrell | L | R | October 14, 1940 | 6'0" | 190 | Morehead, KY US |
| Gilles St. Onge | L | R | June 17, 1941 | 5'11" | 180 | Lachine, QC CA |
| Jim Stouder | L | R | July 13, 1942 | 6'3" | 190 | Nappanee, IN US |
| Terry Tackett | R | R | 6'2" | 180 | ||
| James Thompson | R | R | 6'0" | 190 | ||
| John Upham | L | L | December 29, 1941 | 6'0" | 180 | Windsor, ON CA |
| Peter Urrizola | R | R | 6'4" | 200 | ||
| Fred Walters | L | R | October 4, 1937 | 6'0" | 195 | Trenton, NJ US |
| Darrell Weber | L | L | June 27, 1941 | 6'1" | 190 | Westwood, CA US |
Average attendance is based upon the number of actual home dates where known (most leagues from 1992 and later). Where the number of home dates is not known, the average is calculated using half the team's total games.
