Sad news for the Cleveland Indians organization, the MLB family and servicemen and women around the world:
Bob Feller, the Iowa farm boy whose powerful right arm earned him the nickname “Rapid Robert” and made him one of baseball’s greatest pitchers during a Hall of Fame career with the Cleveland Indians, has died. He was 92.
Feller was about as good as they come, breaking into the majors at –a what’s now unheard of– seventeen years of age in 1936. His career numbers are staggering but let’s remember that Feller was not only one of many to serve in WWII, he was the first to enlist:
Stirred by Japan’s bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, Feller enlisted in the Navy the following day — the first major league player to do so. He served as a gun captain on the USS Alabama, earning several battle commendations and medals.
Feller missed his age 23-25 (and most of his age 26) years of age due to his service in the war. Prior to the war, his win totals were 17, 24, 27, 25. Upon his full time return, he posted 26, 20, 19 win totals. In those seven consecutive full seasons pitched by Feller, he lead the league in strike outs every one of those years. And in three of those seven season, Feller eclipsed 300 innings, reaching a high of 371.0 over 42 starts (48 total appearances) in 1946 , his first full year after the war. That’s a 10.1 WAR for those favoring those new-fangled stats.
Feller was elected to the HOF in 1962 with 93.8% of the vote.
Rest well, Rapid Robert. Thank you for your contributions to this great game and to this even greater country which allows us to enjoy baseball and life freely.
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