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Robert William Andrew Feller (November 3, 1918December 15, 2010), nicknamed "The Heater from Van Meter", "Bullet Bob", and "Rapid Robert", was an American baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians. Feller pitched from 1936 to 1941 and from 1945 to 1956, interrupted only by a four-year sojourn in the Navy. 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 (ERA). A prodigy who bypassed the minor leagues, Feller first played for the Indians at the age of 17. His career was interrupted by four years of military service in World War II, during which time he served as Chief Petty Officer aboard the . 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 (his no-hitters and one-hitters were records at the time of his retirement). 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 in strikeouts seven times. In 1946, he recorded 348 strikeouts, a total not exceeded for 19 years. An eight-time All-Star, Feller was ranked 36th on ''Sporting News''s list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players and was named the publication's "greatest pitcher of his time". He was a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999. Baseball Hall of Fame member Ted Williams called Feller "the fastest and best pitcher I ever saw during my career." Hall of Famer Stan Musial believed he was "probably the greatest pitcher of our era."〔 He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 on his first ballot appearance; at the time only three players ever had a higher percentage of ballot votes. He was elected the inaugural President of the Major League Baseball Players' Association and participated in exhibition games which featured players from both the Major and Negro Leagues. Feller died at the age of 92 in 2010. ==Early life== Feller was born and raised with his sister, Merrilee, in Van Meter, Iowa. His father, William, ran the family farm, and his mother, Lena (Forret), was a teacher and registered nurse.〔 Feller played catch daily with his father. He had learned to throw a curveball by the time he was eight years old, and could throw a ball when he was nine.〔 To assist his son, Feller senior started growing wheat on his farm, a less labor-intensive crop than corn, to allow his son more time to play baseball. Originally the Fellers were Roman Catholics but converted to Methodism after Feller's father was reprimanded by their parish priest for letting him play on Sundays.〔 Feller later suggested that his arm strength and ball speed during his major league career came from his childhood work milking cows, picking corn, and baling hay. He recalled his childhood fondly: "What kid wouldn't enjoy the life I led in Iowa? Baseball and farming, and I had the best of both worlds." The family's farm is on the National Register of Historic Places. Feller began to play American Legion Baseball in the nearby town of Adel at the age of 10; the following year, his father built a baseball diamond on the farm. The diamond was named Oak View Park and included a pitching mound, scoreboard and concessions area.〔〔 Feller and other players formed a team, the Oakviews, consisting of semi-pro and high school ballplayers.〔〔 Feller played primarily as a shortstop or outfielder, and emulated Rogers Hornsby's batting stance.〔 From the age of 15, he began to pitch for the Oakviews after a starting pitcher was injured; while doing so, Feller continued to play American Legion baseball. His catcher during this period was Nile Kinnick, who later became a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.〔 A student at Van Meter High School, Feller was a starting pitcher for the school's baseball team. During this time he continued to play on the Farmers Union team in the American Amateur Baseball Congress, and had 19 wins and four losses for Farmers Union one season.〔〔 He also was the starting center for the high school basketball team.〔 By the age of 16, Feller possessed what critics judged a high quality fastball; major league scouts traveled to Dayton, Ohio to watch him in the annual national baseball tournament. After the game, several big league clubs offered signing bonuses with their contract offers, but he had already been signed to a professional contract with the Cleveland Indians.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bob Feller」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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