
Robert William Andrew Feller, nicknamed "The Heater from Van Meter," "Bullet Bob," and "Rapid Robert," was an American Major League Baseball pitcher from 1936 to 1956. In a career spanning 570 games, Feller pitched 3,827 innings and posted a win–loss record of 266–162, with 279 complete games, 44 shutouts, and a 3.25 earned run average.
A prodigy who bypassed the minor leagues, Feller first played for the Cleveland Indians at the age of 17, and played for 18 seasons in total, all with Cleveland. His career was interrupted by four years military service in World War II during which he served as Chief Petty Officer aboard the USS Alabama. Feller became the first pitcher to win 24 games in a season before the age of 21. During his career he threw no-hitters in 1940, 1946, and 1951. Feller also recorded 12 one-hitters. He helped the Indians win a World Series title in 1948 and an American League-record 111 wins and the pennant in 1954.
Feller led the American League in wins six times and strikeouts in seven seasons. In 1946, he recorded 348 strikeouts, a total not bettered for 27 years. An eight-time All-Star, Feller was ranked 36th on Sporting News's list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players and also the publication's "greatest pitcher of his time" as well as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.