Feller, "Bob" (Robert W. A.)
Baseball
b. Nov. 3, 1918, Van Meter, IA
Raised by his father to play baseball, Feller had a uniform and complete set of equipment, including a catcher's mitt and a fielder's glove, when he was ten. At thirteen, he was the shortstop and cleanup hitter for the Van Meter town team and a year later he and his father laid out a diamond on the Feller farm and organized their own team.
Feller then became a pitcher and, at sixteen, was playing for a Dubuque semi-pro team, often striking out twenty hitters a game. He joined the Cleveland Indians in 1936. Although he appeared in only 14 games, with a 5-3 record, he tied Dizzy Dean's record of 17 strikeouts in a 9-inning game before going back to Van Meter to finish high school.
Arm trouble restricted him in 1937, but Feller led the AL in strikeouts in 1938, when he had a 17-11 record. He then had a great three-season stretch, leading the AL with records of 24-9, 17-11, and 25-13, and in strikeouts with 246, 261, and 260 from 1939 through 1941. He led the league with a 2.61 ERA in 1940. On April 16, 1940, he pitched the only opening-day no-hitter in history.
Feller joined the Navy after the 1941 season and didn't return to the Indians until late in 1945, when he had a 5-3 record. The next two seasons, he led the league in victories, with records of 26-15 and 20-11; shutouts, with 10 and 5; and strikeouts, with 348 and 196. His 348 strikeouts was a major league record at the time.
In 1948, Feller had a 19-15 record to help the Indians win the pennant. He lost a tough 1-0 decision to the Boston Braves in the first game of the World Series, then gave up 7 runs in 6 1/3 innings when the Indians lost the sixth game. However, Cleveland won the seventh game and the series.
After going 15-14 in 1949 and 16-11 in 1950, Feller had a 22-8 record, leading the league in percentage, in 1951. He became a spot starter after that. He won 13 while losing only 3 in 1954, when the Indians won another pennant, but he didn't appear in the World Series. Feller retired after an 0-4 record in 1956.
Nicknamed "Rapid Robert," the 6-foot, 185-pound Feller threw some pitches clocked at 100 miles per hour. He could also tantalize hitters with a big, sweeping curve. He was the first pitcher to throw three no-hitters.
Feller pitched in 570 major league games, winning 266 and losing 162. He struck out 2,581 hitters and walked 1,764 in 3,827 innings and had a career ERA of 3.25.