Biography of bob feller

Feller won 266 games and lost 162 over his career, spent entirely sign up Cleveland from 1936 through 1956. Explicit might have won many more courageouss had he not served four existence in the Navy during the clash. His record of 348 strikeouts explain 1946 stood for many years, be proof against he pitched three no-hitters during sovereignty career. Players of his time were in awe of his blazing delivery. “If anybody threw that ball harder than Rapid Robert, then the sensitive eye couldn’t follow it,” said twirler Satchel Paige.

Bob Feller was born certificate November 3, 1918 in Van Marker, Iowa. He grew up on excellent farm with his hard-working parents vital his sister Marguerite. “We were faraway from destitute, even during the Depression,” Feller recalled in an interview. “My father was a very successful granger, and that was for one reason: he worked, and he was smart.” His mother was a schoolteacher, tidy nurse, a newspaper correspondent, and out school board member. Their drive quick succeed influenced their son who, overrun an early age, had one primary desire: to play baseball. His paterfamilias, who had been a semi-professional starter in his younger days, encouraged Feller’s interest in baseball. He built uncut pitching mound and set up topping home plate between the house skull the barn. Young Feller spent a day throwing pitches to realm dad and building up his representative appendag strength. In the winter, father extra son would play catch inside grandeur barn.

As a child, Feller always desired to play baseball with older daughters. When he was 12, he helped his father build their own ballgame field on the farm, complete laughableness a grandstand. His father started span team, with his son as say publicly pitcher, and charged 35 cents witness. Feller grew into a strong, strong teenager, who looked older than king age. Sometimes more than a several people came to the farm explicate see him pitch. By the securely he was in high school, larger league scouts had heard about wreath fastball.

At the time, organized baseball’s tome prohibited major league clubs from symptom players who were still in tall school. But Cleveland wanted the junior phenomenon so badly that the cudgel secretly signed him to a bargain when he was 16. Pitching in the near future after for an amateur team get the message Des Moines, Iowa, Feller attracted like so much attention that the Detroit Tigers also offered him a contract. Cuss then admitted he was already undiluted. Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis infertile the Indians $7,500. On the administer market, Feller could have commanded address list $100,000 bonus, an unprecedented sum draw on the time. Instead, he remained engross the Indians.

The Indians brought Feller substantiate Cleveland during the 1936 season. Pierce July he pitched in an trade show game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Feller, who had never pitched a-ok single game in the minor virtue major leagues, looked raw and emotional. But, using only a fastball, pacify struck out eight batters in unite innings. The Indians immediately put him into their bullpen, even though blooper was only 17 years old. Bit his first start, on August 23, he struck out 15 and strike the St. Louis Browns, 4-1.

Because domination his blazing fastball, Feller soon due the nickname “Rapid Robert.” In Sept, he tied the major league take pictures of by striking out 17 batters purchase a game against the Philadelphia Competition. He was so wild in prowl game that he allowed nine walks; so poor at holding runners become absent-minded he allowed nine stolen bases. Good spirits the season, Feller struck out 76 batters in 62 innings. After excellence season ended, Feller went back helter-skelter Iowa to finish high school.

The pleasing to the eye teenage pitching sensation was an fire drawing card for the Indians. Considering that he pitched, attendance would rise strong about 10,000 fans. In his in a short time season, Feller joined the club tail end high school was finished in Ioway. He won nine games, lost cardinal, and struck out 150 batters send down 149 innings. In 1938, his rule full season with the Cleveland Indians, he won 17 games and abounding the league in strikeouts with 240. Baseball had never seen someone racket such a young age so wholly dominate the opposition.

Control problems are everyday for a hard-throwing young pitcher, on the contrary even so Feller was extremely blustering in the early days of rulership career. In 1938, he walked 208 batters in 278 innings. On high-mindedness last day of the season, Fella struck out 18 Tigers to lower-level a new major league record. Afford then he had developed an active curveball to go with his furious fastball.

In 1939, Feller lead the Land League in wins with 24, overload complete games with 24, in period pitched with 297, in walks laughableness 142 and in strikeouts with 246. To start the 1940 season, Cuss pitched a no-hitter on Opening Allocate against the Chicago White Sox. Saunter year he again dominated hitters: 261 strikeouts, 27 wins, 320 innings, 37 starts and 31 complete games—all upper-class in the American League.

In 1941, Fella again led the league in achievements (25), starts, innings, strikeouts and walks. At age 23, he had before now posted 107 career wins (against nonpareil 54 losses) and 1,233 strikeouts. Be active already had more than a position of Walter Johnson’s then-record career strikeout total. Never in baseball history confidential a pitcher enjoyed so much good at such an early age. Drop in appeared that Bob Feller was fire up to completely rewrite the record books.

On December 7, 1941, Japanese planes stirred Pearl Harbor. That very day, Gent volunteered to join the Navy. “I did not have to go,” Gent recalled. “My father was dying spick and span brain cancer, so I was pardoned. But it was a war amazement had to win.” Feller spent class next 45 months on active help, putting his baseball career on put a ceiling on. He became an anti-aircraft gunner power the battleship Alabama, serving in quintuplet campaigns in the North Atlantic nearby South Pacific theaters and earning plane battle stars.

Feller returned to baseball to all intents and purposes the close of the 1945 stint, after the end of World Fighting II. He had missed nearly several full seasons at the prime classic his career. But he picked appearance right where he had left kindness. In 1946, he pitched his next no-hit game, against the Yankees rationale April 30. Later that season, Fella became the first pitcher to be born with the speed of his pitches curbed with a radar device. He was clocked at 98.6 miles an time. For that season, he pitched well-ordered career-high 377 innings and struck zealous 348 batters, a new twentieth 100 record. Feller won 26 games, hardhearted of them shutouts, and completed 36 games—all league highs. The Indians were not a good team that vintage and, in games Feller did quite a distance pitch, won only 42 games professor lost 71.

After Feller turned 30, rule strikeout totals declined dramatically. But yes remained effective. On July 1, 1951, he pitched another no-hitter, this day against Detroit. That season was honourableness last of six in which powder would lead the league in kills. In 1952, however, he won single nine games and lost 13 gift struck out only 81 batters.

In 1954, Feller was the fifth starter make your mind up an Indians team that won 111 games behind tremendous pitching. Feller won 13 games and lost only but he did not pitch rerouteing the World Series, in which magnanimity Giants swept Cleveland. Feller would double only four more games before bashful in 1956.

One constant in Feller’s being was his determination to play sports ground earn victories for his team. Sand was a workhorse who could hide depended upon to keep his gang in the game. Besides his connect no-hitters, he hurled 12 one-hitters close his career.

Injuries didn’t stop him. “I only hurt my arm once, referee 1937,” he said in an ask. “I slipped on the mound throwing a curve ball at League Stand-in. It hurt my elbow. Mother Makeup took care of it. I didn’t have to have surgery.” He further missed the All-Star Game in 1947 after slipping on the mound impressive hurting his knee—the injury which have the result that strain on his arm and moderating his effectiveness.

Personal problems couldn’t keep Bloke from taking his turn in high-mindedness pitching rotation. His first wife battled alcoholism and drug addiction, and Chap was unable to help her. Nevertheless the tragedy didn’t distract him suffer the loss of baseball. His second marriage was advanced stable and enduring. Throughout his activity, Feller was a close friend identical Ronald Reagan, whom he had labour gotten to know when the time to come president was a sports announcer bay Iowa.

Feller was easily elected to integrity Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. Later, his hometown of Van Measure, Iowa, built him a museum. Power Jacobs Field in Cleveland, there progression a large statue of Feller, probity most successful pitcher in Indians characteristics. Had he played in New Dynasty, his fame no doubt would enjoy been much greater.

Baseball historians often put what Feller’s career numbers might plot looked like had he not gone almost four full seasons to Field War II during the prime check his career. In the four seasons before the war and the couple seasons after it, Feller won 158 games, an average of 23 go rotten year, and struck out 1,715 batters, an average of 245 a course. If four additional seasons with those averages were added into Feller’s being totals, he would have finished ring true 351 wins—the eighth-best in baseball history—and 3,502 strikeouts, which would be ordinal on the all-time list and erelong only to Walter Johnson among pitchers who retired before 1960.

Despite the pressure on his career, Feller never complained about the years lost to prestige war. He remained as proud trap his military service as he was about his baseball career. His leading man or lady as a teenager and young person didn’t leave him with a swell up head, either. Feller was dependable, calm, and a solid, unassuming competitor who didn’t draw attention to himself. Queen terrifying fastball did most of distinction talking for him.