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1911 – 1917
The 1911 upheaval: The 1911 club, renamed the Benders, transferred to Grand Rapids on July 13, 1911. South Bend was not left dark: on August 11 the Evansville club moved in and finished the season as the South Bend Bux. The combined record stood 62–72, fifth place — an early lesson in how portable a minor-league franchise was.
The bottom: The 1912 Benders finished last in the Central League at 41–88, fifty-six and a half games behind, and the league connection broke.
The Michigan detour and the last move: South Bend returned in 1914 in the Class C Southern Michigan League, again as the Benders, finishing fourth at 85–60. After the championship season of 1915 told in the next entry, the Benders were back in the Central League for 1916–17 — and on July 8, 1917, the franchise moved to Peoria in mid-season. Organized baseball then left South Bend for fifteen years.
Sources:
- Baseball-Reference Register — the 1911 transfer and Evansville move-in, the 1912 last place finish, the 1914 Benders at 85–60, the 1917 move to Peoria.
- South Bend minor-league history compilation — the Benders, Bux and league sequence, 1911–1917.