Who's Who in Dallas County, Iowa, 1940

1940 Who's Who

FELLER, ROBERT WILLIAM

Baseball Pitcher; b Van Meter, Iowa Nov 3, 1918; s of William Andrew Feller-Lena Caroline Forret; ed Van Meter HS; taught to pitch by father in early boyhood; was winning pitcher with various amateur teams; 1936 signed by Cleveland Indians, made first appearance in exhibition game July 6, fanning eight St Louis Cardinals in three innings; won five games, lost two; tied Dizzy Dean's (St Louis Cardinals) strikeout record in single game, 17; 1937 won nine, lost four; 1938 won 17, lost 11; set new world strikeout record in single game, 18 against Detroit; 1938 won 17, lost 11; 1939, won 24, lost nine leading Amer League in games won; led league with 240 strikeouts in 1938 & 246 in 1939; 1940, opened season with no-hit victory against Chicago White Sox, for fifth straight season winning his initial mount appearance; his "fast ball" acclaimed by many critics as fastest since Walter Johnson; hobbies: pitching, hunting, farming. See also comment in Dallas Co history; off Cleveland Baseball Club; res Van Meter.

Key to Abbreviations

From Who's Who in Iowa, by Iowa Press Association, Des Moines: Iowa Press Association, 1940, pg. 1940.

Transcribed by Conni McDaniel Hall, July 2014.