1956 Topps: #200 Bob Feller - Cleveland Indians

Friday, April 29, 2022

#200 Bob Feller - Cleveland Indians

Robert William Andrew Feller
Cleveland Indians
Pitcher

Bats: Right Throws: Right Height: 6'0" Weight: 185

Born: November 3, 1918, Van Meter, IA

Major League Teams: Cleveland Indians 1936-1941, 1945-1956

Hall of Fame Induction: 1962
Died: December 15, 2010, Cleveland, OH (92)

Bob Feller made his debut with the Indians in 1936 at 17 years old, and over the next six seasons he'd establish himself as one of the best young pitchers of his era. He missed almost four full seasons while serving in the Navy during World War II, and upon his return he picked up where he had left off, ultimately leading the Indians to a World Championship in 1948. Feller was an eight-time American League All-Star, and finished in the top three for the league's MVP voting in 1939, 1940 and 1941. He won a career-high 27 games in 1940, one of six seasons he won at least 20. A workhorse, Feller led the league in complete games three times, in shutouts four times and in innings pitched five times. He won the league's ERA title in 1940 with a 2.61 mark. Amazingly enough, his best season statistically was 1946 after he had been away from the game for three full years. Feller went 26-15 that season with a 2.68 ERA and led the league in complete games (36), shutouts (10) and strikeouts (348). He threw three no-hitters in 1940, 1946 and 1951, and he shares the record of 12 one-hitters along with Nolan Ryan.

Feller retired following the 1956 season and had his #19 retired by the Indians that same year. At the time of his retirement, his 2,581 career strikeouts were third all-time behind Walter Johnson and Cy Young. His lifetime record was 266-162, with a 3.25 ERA in 570 games pitched, including 279 complete games and 44 shutouts. Feller and Jackie Robinson (#30) were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962, both on their first ballots.

In 2002, while journeying cross country from Chicago to Denver and back, I spent a pleasant hour inside the Bob Feller Museum in Van Meter, Iowa, located in the house where Feller was born in 1918. In 2015, the house was donated to the city of Van Meter and is now the town's city hall.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1934-1936 Diamond Stars blog.

October 7, 2007 - Birthday celebration with family
Building the Set
October 7, 2007 from Dad's eBay purchases - Card #309
This is one of five cards I received from my Dad for my 34th birthday, with each card belonging to a fairly well-known player and being a star or semi-star card needed for our set. Along with this Feller card, I received Roger Craig (#63), Bill Bruton (#185), Don Newcombe (#235) and Don Larsen (#332). My Dad never told me how much he had paid for the cards, where they came from or how long he had stashed them away before my birthday.

My family celebrated together that year at Blue Eyes in Washington Township, which has since gone on to changes hands (and names) a few time and is now currently The Village Pub.

The Card / Indians Team Set
This is Feller's final baseball card appearance as an active player and it marks his return to Topps following a two-year absence. It's a fitting final card for one of the all-time greats, and the cartoon panels on the back summarize three of his top accomplishments. Feller signed reprints of this card for the 2005 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs insert set.

1956 Season

Feller began his final season in the majors as the Indians' fifth starter, but he was moved to the bullpen after a few rough starts. He was used sparingly throughout the season, appearing in only 19 games and making only four starts. Most of his relief appearances came during mop-up roles when Indians manager Al Lopez needed someone to eat innings. Feller's final appearance came on September 30th, in which he pitched a complete game against the Tigers in a losing effort. He allowed eight runs on 14 hits and didn't strike out a batter. Feller was 0-4 on the season with a 4.97 ERA in 58 innings pitched. He met with Indians general manager Hank Greenberg on December 28th to discuss his future, and following that meeting Feller announced his retirement from baseball.