Can you spell A-U-S-P-I-C-I-O-U-S?

CLEVELAND, OHIO - Barely old enough to shave, not old enough to vote or order a beer, 17-year old Bob Feller made his first major league start on this date in 1936. Not only did he beat the St. Louis Browns 4-1, Feller struck out 15, one short of the major league record for strikeouts in a game.

"Rapid Robert" as he came to be known, came right off the sandlots of Iowa to the Cleveland Indians, never having pitched in the minor leagues. He finished his rookie season 5-3 with an ERA of 3.34. Feller went on to win 266 games while losing 162 in his career, but he missed three full seasons to serve in the military in World War II.

Feller was a six time all-star and won the pitching Triple Crown in 1940 - 27 wins, 2.61 ERA, 261 strikeouts. Robert William Andrew Feller was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1962.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCES:
Cleveland Plain-Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio, August 24, 1936
Retrosheet

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