SAV-A-BAT Baseball Bat

Inventors Alvin W. Mueller and Lyle R Perry, co-founded the Muellen Perry Co. in 1959. Mueller worked for the McDonnell Douglas Co. for many years, and had been a minor-leaguer with the Yankees. His son Jim, played in the Chicago White Sox minor-league system from 1969-1970. In 1959 "SAV-A-BAT" became a trademark for the Mueller Perry Co Inc. The company filed for a patent in 1960, for a reinforcement that can be applied to a bat handle to strengthen it. The Patent was approved in 1964, but the company began to market the product in 1961.

In short a bat that was cracked during play could be repaired instead of being thrown away. Organizations that sponsored amateur baseball and softball teams can save the expenditure of replacing bats. The woven sleeve of glass fibers such as that sold under the trademark Fiberglas when bonded to the bat handle provides a rough, grid-like surface that also improves the grip. The application to newly manufactured bats increased their strength and hitting qualities, and thereby make such new bats virtually indestructible. A glass fiber sleeve is pressed tightly on the handle with a plastic coating on the sleeve to fix the sleeve in place.

The company had new bats produced "in Louisville" with the Sav-A-Bat Grip. The bats were more than likely produced by the Louisville Slugger company which then branded the bat with the Mueller-Perry Company's private label. All of the bats found feature H&B player endorsees, and the same H&B barrel brandings. The repair Kits were made available and marketed through sporting good stores and distributors that sold directly to organized leagues.

The Sav-a-bat baseball field shaped logo center brand Reads; "SAV-A-BAT" at the top inside the outfield border. Inside the infield diamond at the top reads "MUELLER PERRY CO. INC." Below is a pitches mound sandwiched between the words "SAINT" and "LOUIS" which features the model number on the inside. The models produced seem to be limited to Louisville Slugger player endorsements from the 1960's.

The 3 digit model numbers on the bats refer to the specific line of bats; 129 "Approved Little League," 130 "Professional," and 150 "Softball" The single number following the dash is the length. Number 9 is a 29" bat, 0 is a 30" bat, 1-31", 2-32", 4-34", and 5-35 inch bat. Player block letter endorsements include; Yogi Berra, Hank Aaron, Mickey Mantle Pete Rose, Norm Cash, Ray Fosse, and Ken Boyer.

Mueller Perry Co. Inc. SAV-A-BAT Baseball Bat

SAV-A-BAT Repair Kit

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