Feller, Bob

Bob Feller, byname of Robert William Andrew Feller, also called Rapid Robert and Bullet Bob, (born Nov. 3, 1918, Van Meter, Iowa, U.S.—died Dec. 15, 2010, Cleveland, Ohio), American professional baseball player, a right-handed pitcher whose fastball made him a frequent leader in games won and strikeouts during his 18-year career with the Cleveland Indians of the American League (AL).

Feller made his major league debut at age 17, when he joined the Indians mid-season in 1936, and he broke the AL single-game strikeout record in just his fifth start. The young hurler soon became a national sensation: his high school graduation was covered live by NBC radio, and he appeared on the cover of Time magazine before his second season. Initially Feller had control problems (his record of 208 bases on balls in 1938 stood into the early 1980s), but his pitching quickly improved, and for three consecutive years (1939–41) he led the league in innings pitched, wins, and strikeouts. In 1940 he also had the best earned run average in the AL, which, along with his registering the highest win and strikeout totals for the year, earned him that season’s pitching Triple Crown.

Feller enlisted in the navy in 1941 and served as a gunner on the USS Alabama; he missed three full seasons and most of a fourth during World War II. After his return to baseball he again led the league in strikeouts from 1946 through 1948, throwing 348, 196, and 194 strikeouts, respectively, in those years. In 1948, as a member of the most-storied team in franchise history, Feller also played a pivotal role in the Indians winning the World Series. He pitched three no-hit games, the first pitcher in the 20th century to do so, in 1940, 1946, and 1951. In his career he pitched 12 one-hit games.

After retiring in 1956, Feller continued to travel extensively to promote professional baseball, and he served briefly as a TV broadcaster for the Indians. An eight-time career all-star, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.