Bob Feller
Robert William Andrew Feller, nicknamed "the Heater from Van Meter", "Bullet Bob", and "Rapid Robert", was an American baseball player who was a pitcher for 18 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Cleveland Indians between 1936 and 1956. In a career spanning 570 games, Feller pitched 3,827 innings and posted a win–loss record of 266–162, with 279 complete games, 44 shutouts, and a 3.25 earned run average. His career 2,581 strikeouts were third all-time upon his retirement.
A prodigy who bypassed baseball's minor leagues, Feller made his debut with the Indians at the age of 17. His career was interrupted by four years of military service as a United States Navy Chief Petty Officer aboard during World War II. Feller became the first pitcher to win 24 games in a season before the age of 21. He threw no-hitters in 1940, 1946, and 1951, and 12 one-hitters, both records at his retirement. He helped the Indians win a World Series title in 1948 and an American League-record 111 wins and the pennant in 1954. Feller led the American League in wins six times and in strikeouts seven times. In 1946 he recorded 348 strikeouts, the most since 1904 and then believed to be a record.
An eight-time All-Star, Feller was ranked 36th on Sporting Newss 1999 list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players and was named the publication's "greatest pitcher of his time". He was a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999. Baseball Hall of Fame member Ted Williams called Feller "the fastest and best pitcher I ever saw during my career." Hall of Famer Stan Musial believed he was "probably the greatest pitcher of our era." He was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 in his first year of eligibility, with the then fourth highest percentage of votes. He was elected the inaugural President of the Major League Baseball Players' Association and both organized and participated in barnstorm exhibition games which featured players from both the Major and Negro leagues. Feller died at the age of 92 in 2010.
Early life
Feller played primarily as a shortstop or outfielder, emulating Rogers Hornsby's batting stance. From the age of 15, he began to pitch for the Oakviews after a starting pitcher was injured; while doing so, Feller continued to play American Legion baseball. His catcher during this period was Nile Kinnick, who later won the Heisman Trophy in 1939 and became a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.A student at Van Meter High School, Feller was a starting pitcher for the school's baseball team. During this time, he continued to play on the Farmers Union team in the American Amateur Baseball Congress, and had 19 wins and four losses for Farmers Union one season. He also was the starting center for the high school basketball team. By the age of 16, Feller possessed what critics judged a high quality fastball; major league scouts traveled to Dayton, Ohio to watch him in the annual national baseball tournament. After the game, several big league clubs offered signing bonuses with their contract offers, but he had already been signed to a professional contract with the Cleveland Indians.
Professional career
Teenage phenomenon (1936–1941)
In 1936, Feller was signed by Cy Slapnicka, a scout for the Indians, for one dollar and an autographed baseball. While scouting Feller, Slapnicka said, "This was a kid pitcher I had to get. I knew he was something special. His fastball was fast and fuzzy; it didn't go in a straight line; it would wiggle and shoot around. I didn't know then that he was smart and had the heart of a lion, but I knew that I was looking at an arm the likes of which you see only once in a lifetime." Feller was assigned to the Fargo-Moorhead Twins and was to report there after finishing the high school semester.Slapnicka was later named general manager of the Indians and transferred Feller's contract from Fargo-Moorhead to the New Orleans Pelicans. He was planning to add Feller, along with outfielder Tommy Henrich, to the major league roster after a few exhibition and semi-pro games, without either playing for a farm club. By doing so, the Indians would be in violation of Major League Baseball's rule stating that, at the time, only minor league teams could sign amateur baseball players to contracts.
After a three-month investigation, concluding in December 1936, about whether the Indians broke any Major League Baseball rules by signing Feller, Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis disagreed with the argument presented by Slapnicka and Indians president Alva Bradley, but awarded both Feller and Henrich free agency and required the club to pay a $7,500 fine,. Landis made the decision partly due to the testimony of Feller and his father, who wanted his son to play for Cleveland and who had also told Landis he would take the issue to court. Feller elected to remain with the Indians but Henrich joined the New York Yankees. Sports columnist Joe Williams wrote, "For $7500 the Cleveland Indians received $500,000 worth of publicity.... I feel pretty sure Mr. Alva Bradley, president of the Indians, will admit this is the cheapest investment he ever made in publicity."
Feller joined the Indians and made his Major League debut on July 19, 1936, in a relief appearance against the Washington Senators. A month later on August 23, Feller made his first career start against the St. Louis Browns. Indians manager Steve O'Neill had Denny Galehouse warmed up in the bullpen in case the 17-year-old Feller had early troubles, but he struck out all three batters he faced in the first inning, and recorded 15 strikeouts in earning his first career win. His strikeout total was the highest for a pitching debut. Three weeks later, he struck out 17 batters, tying a single-game strikeout record previously set by Dizzy Dean, in a win over the Philadelphia Athletics. He finished the season with a 5–3 record, having appeared in 14 games; he had 47 walks and 76 strikeouts in 62 innings. Feller's fame reached such a level that when he returned to Van Meter for his senior year of high school, the governor of Iowa greeted him. His record-setting rookie year made him, according to baseball writer Richard Goldstein, "the best-known young person in America, with the possible exception of Shirley Temple." Feller's entrance to the big leagues was later described:
As the 1937 season began, Feller appeared on the cover of the April 19, 1937 issue of Time magazine. In his first appearance of the season on April 24, Feller suffered an injury to his elbow while throwing a curveball. He spent April and May healing the arm, and in May graduated from high school; the ceremony aired nationally on NBC Radio. In mid-May, the Indians considered ending Feller's season early. "We're not taking any chances on that arm and we're not going to allow him to pitch again until the last trace of soreness has disappeared", said Slapnicka. On May 18, Feller appeared in his first game since April 24 but did not record an out. He did not pitch again until June 22, when he recorded two innings, then returned to normal pitching duties on July 4.
On October 2, 1938, Feller was the starting pitcher of a season-ending double-header against the Detroit Tigers. Detroit's Hank Greenberg was two home runs short of Babe Ruth's then-single-season record of 60 home runs. By the ninth inning, Feller had recorded 16 strikeouts, one fewer than the MLB record in a nine-inning game. He tied the record when he struck out Detroit's Pete Fox and, when he struck out Chet Laabs for the fifth time that day, broke the record, to set the modern major league record of 18. Greenberg went 1–4 with a double, then 3–3 in the nightcap, all singles. He later said of the game, "Feller's curve was jumping wickedly and with that and his fast ball, he was murder." Feller did not earn a win, however, as the Indians lost, 4–1. "It was one of those days when everything feels perfect, your arm, your coordination, your concentration, everything. There was drama in the air because of Greenberg's attempt to break Ruth's record, and the excitement grew even greater when my strikeouts started to add up", Feller said. For the 1938 season, Feller led all pitchers with 208 walks and 240 strikeouts.
In 1939, Feller received his first career Opening Day start, against the Tigers, after a match against the Browns was rained out. He won the game 5–1, allowing three hits. On Mother's Day, Feller pitched against the Chicago White Sox with his family in attendance. One pitch was fouled off by Marv Owen into the seats and into the face of Feller's mother; he went on to win the game. Feller finished the 1939 season leading the AL in wins, complete games and innings pitched, and led the majors for a second consecutive year in both walks and strikeouts.
Opening Day of the 1940 season featured a no-hitter from Feller against the Chicago White Sox. Feller was assisted by Indians second baseman Ray Mack when he made a diving play to record the final out. This is the only no-hitter to be thrown on Opening Day in major league history. However, he followed his no-hitter with a six-run, three-inning performance in his next start, in a game against the Detroit Tigers. By the end of the season, he had a 27–11 record, with his win total the best in the majors that season, and a career-high for Feller. He accomplished the pitching triple crown for the 1940 season, as he led the AL in ERA, wins and strikeouts . Feller also led the majors with 31 complete games and innings pitched, and won the Sporting News Player of the Year Award. Feller later assessed his first few years in the majors: "I relied on the catcher too much. It's swell to have a good catcher calling 'em for you, but the pitcher should take responsibility on his own shoulders."
To publicize Feller's extraordinary pitching speed, the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball commissioned sports film analysis pioneer and former major leaguer Lew Fonseca to pit Feller's fastball against a motorcycle in a "100 mph" speed trial. The test was conducted in Chicago's Lincoln Park, with Feller in street shoes, suit pants, dress shirt, and tie, pitching without a mound on an asphalt roadway. He was required to hit a target in diameter from away, "as control is as important as speed". The still accelerating Harley-Davidson passed Feller going, yet even with a generous head start the ball beat the bike to the target by several feet. Feller's throw was calculated at the time to have reached 98.6 mph, later raised to 104 mph using updated measuring methods.
Feller again led the majors in wins, strikeouts, innings pitched, and walks for the 1941 season. His six shutouts were an AL-best on the season. That year, Joe DiMaggio talked about Feller's pitching ability, stating "I don't think anyone is ever going to throw a ball faster than he does. And his curveball isn't human." Feller appeared in the May 12, 1941, edition of Life, which said: "... he is unquestionably the idol of several generations of Americans, ranging in age from 7 to 70. They represent every city, town and village in the land, speak of him familiarly as 'Bob', and talk about him by the hour, with enthusiasm."