It's a good day to remember Bob Feller's brilliance and his time in the U.S. Navy

Billy Heyen

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It's a good day to remember Bob Feller's brilliance and his time in the U.S. Navy image

A nickname can tell us plenty about a person. 

Bob Feller had three: The Heat er from Van Meter, Bullet Bob and Rapid Robert.

Feller was known as a superstar pitcher for the Cleveland Indians with an unmatched fastball. But he was so much more than that.

And on this day, Dec. 9, his is a cool story to remember.

This is the date, in 1941, that Feller enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He had an exemption from service, but two days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Feller signed up voluntarily.

He was a Chief Petty Officer on the USS Alabama during World War II.

While away, Feller missed four MLB seasons.

How good was he? Feller still led the league in strikeouts from 1939-46 despite missing four whole seasons:

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Feller made his MLB debut at 17 years old.

In his first MLB start, a month after his debut, Feller struck out the side in the first inning and finished the game with 15 strikeouts. Three weeks later, he had a game with 17 strikeouts, which tied the single-game record at that time.

That was all before his senior year of high school back in Van Meter, Indiana.

Feller returned from the Navy and remained a superstar. He threw three no-hitters, won the 1948 World Series and was an eight-time All Star.

He finished his career 266-162 with a 3.25 ERA and 2,581 strikeouts.

When Feller was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1962, it was on the first ballot with 93.8% of the vote.

An all-time great on and off the field.

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Senior Editor