Robert "Bob" Feller, nicknamed "The Heater from Van Meter" and "Bullet Bob", was a legendary American baseball pitcher who spent his entire 18-year Major League Baseball career with the Cleveland Indians, striking out 17 batters at age seventeen, throwing three no-hitters, and sacrificing nearly four peak seasons to serve as a decorated US Navy combat gunner in World War II.
Born on an Iowa farm in Van Meter on November 3, 1918, Bob Feller built legendary arm strength throwing fastballs to his father on a custom baseball diamond carved out of their cornfields (the real-life inspiration for Field of Dreams). Signing with the Cleveland Indians at sixteen, Feller made his MLB debut in 1936 at age seventeen, striking out 15 batters in his first start and 17 against the Philadelphia Athletics three weeks later. Clocked at over 100 miles per hour using military speed sensors, Feller led the American League in wins and strikeouts for three consecutive seasons. On December 8, 1941, the day after Pearl Harbor, Feller became the first professional athlete to enlist in the military, volunteering for the US Navy. Serving as gun captain on the battleship USS Alabama in the North Atlantic and Pacific theaters, he earned six battle stars and five campaign ribbons during combat operations at Tarawa, Kwajalein, and the Philippine Sea. Returning to baseball in late 1945, Feller led Cleveland to the 1948 World Series championship, threw three career no-hitters (including the only Opening Day no-hitter in MLB history in 1940), and pitched twelve one-hitters. An eight-time All-Star, Feller finished with 266 wins and 2,581 strikeouts, entering the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot in 1962.
Notable Achievements & Works
- Eight-time MLB All-Star and 1948 World Series Champion with the Cleveland Indians
- Pitched three career no-hitters (including 1940 Opening Day vs White Sox) and a record 12 one-hitters
- First professional athlete to enlist in the US military after Pearl Harbor, earning six battle stars aboard USS Alabama
- Six-time American League wins leader and seven-time AL strikeout leader
- Elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 1962 (93.8% of the vote)
