Bob Feller Biography

Robert William Andrew Feller, known as the Heater from Van Meter, Bullet Bob, and Rapid Robert, played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Cleveland Indians from 1936 to 1956. Feller pitched 3,827 innings across 570 games, recording a 266–162 win–loss record with 279 complete games, 44 shutouts, and a 3.25 ERA. He made his Major League debut with the Cleveland Indians at age 17, bypassing the minor leagues as a professional pitcher. Feller served four years in the United States Navy from 1942 to 1945, holding the rank of Chief Petty Officer aboard the USS Alabama during World War II. He became the first pitcher to win 24 games in a season before turning 21, establishing a milestone in baseball history. An eight-time All-Star, Feller ranked 36th on Sporting News's 1999 list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players and was named the publication's greatest pitcher of his time. Feller was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, his first year of eligibility, receiving the fourth-highest vote total in history at that time.