Merrill Merkle

Merrill James Merkle

• Bats Right, Throws Left
• Height 5' 11", Weight 185 lb.

• High School Monroe High School

• Born September 25, 1926 in Monroe, OH USA
• Died April 17, 2012

Minors BR page

Biographical Information

After serving in the Army during World War II and volunteering as a security guard in the Nuremburg Trials, pitcher Merrill Merkle played three seasons of minor league baseball. As a moundsman for the 1947 Newark Moundsmen, he had a 3-9, 6.82 record and walked 87 in 103 innings. He tied for fifth in the Ohio State League with ten hit batsmen. While playing for the Hannibal Pilots in 1948, he went 9-12 with a 3.33 ERA and led the Central Association with 163 strikeouts. He again had control problems, walking 113, second in the league. In 1949, his final campaign, he was 7-8 with a 5.91 ERA for the Marshall Browns. He was 8th in the East Texas League with 102 walks.

Overall, he was 19-29 with a 5.02 ERA and 302 walks in 364 innings while hitting .188.

After baseball, he worked for Ford Motor Company and then spent 1957-1994 with Finkbeiner, Pettis and Strout, working in architectural and utility drafting. He also pitched a no-hitter game in slow pitch softball. He worked as a coach and umpire in local sports.

Sources

• Toledo Blade obituary for Merkle