I REMEMBER ... It was very cool—game-time temperature was 35 degrees. My dad, William, mother, Lena, and sister, Marguerite, were there. On the Saturday before opening day, I pitched five innings in Cleveland against the New York Giants as a warmup. I allowed 10 runs and 15 hits in five innings. I didn’t have a very good spring training. But I was satisfied with my condition because I’d been working on different pitches and my control. The first couple innings of my no-hitter, I was wild. Our pitching coach came out to talk to me in the second inning. They had someone warming up in the bullpen because it didn’t look like I was going to do too well. In the fourth inning, my roommate, Jeff Heath, got a single. My catcher, Rollie Hemsley, hit one up the alley in right center. Heath scored. That was the only run of the game. We went along pretty well. It was cold as hell. The only people in the ballpark who were warm were the two pitchers and the catchers. There was a wind blowing in off Lake Michigan. Only 14,000 people showed up for the game.
Bob Feller
Everybody had coats and blankets. I’m not superstitious at all. That’s ridiculous. But nobody
Indians Hall of Fame pitcher
B
ob Feller won 266 games, an amazing total considering he missed three full seasons and part of a fourth while serving in World War II during the prime of his career. His best year statistically was 1940, his fifth season in the major leagues even though he was just 21. He led the American League in wins (27), ERA (2.61), complete games (31) and strikeouts (261). And to start all
mentioned it on the bench. In the ninth inning, I had two
of that out, he threw the first— and still only—MLB opening day no-hitter, the first of three no-hitters in his career. It came on April 16, 1940, as the Indians began the season on the road against the White Sox.
men out. Luke Appling came up. He fouled off about a dozen pitches. I finally walked him on purpose—but nobody knew that but me. I threw two pitches outside to put him on base. Then Taft Wright came up. He always hit me pretty well. He hit a sharp ground ball between first and second. Ray Mack, our second baseman, dove for it and knocked it down. He picked it up barehanded and fired to Hal Trosky
Feller wears the Indians uniform as well at 91 (right) as he did when he was no-hitting the White Sox at 21 (above).
at first for the final out. — As told to Matt Crossman FELLER (1940): MARK RUCKER / GETTY IMAGES; FELLER: KEVIN RIVOLI / AP
SPORTINGNEWS.COM 03/15/2010
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