1934-1936 Diamond Stars: #128 Bob Feller

Sunday, April 24, 2022

#128 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

World Series Appearances: Cleveland Indians 1948

Died: December 15, 2010, Cleveland, OH (92)

Hall of Fame Induction: 1962

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 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.

Building the Set

December 16, 2020 from Albion, NY

Within days of officially deciding to collect the Diamond Stars set, I found myself searching for the 1993 extension set consisting of 36 more "what if" cards this time issued by the Chicle Fantasy Company. Individual cards from this set are very prevalent on eBay, but I wanted to buy a complete set to save myself some time and money. Given this is a relatively modern set, I was somewhat surprised at the closing auction prices for previously sold complete sets and I was happy to win my set at a lower price. These cards are gorgeous, and I can tell a lot of hard work and love for the originals went into making this tribute set. What's more, the set's creators were smart enough to start the numbering with card #121, given the 1981 extension set had left off with #120.

As I slowly collect the originals from the 1930s, I'll also highlight each of the cards from these extension sets with their own posts. The complete set came with a small disclaimer card, indicating Feller and five other former players appear under license authorized by Curtis Management Group.

Variations Available

1 - 1993 / blue back / 1935 statistics / 1993 copyright

The Card / Indians Team Set

National Chicle can be forgiven for excluding Feller from its Diamond Stars third series release in 1936, given he would have still been a relatively unknown high school pitcher from Iowa when the company was building the set's checklist. But I'm glad Feller was given a card in this extension set. The back of the card specifically references his first start on August 23, 1936 (see below). Manager Steve O'Neill (#87) is also referenced on the back as O'Neill was the Indians' manager between 1935 and 1937.

1936 Season

Feller joined the Indians while still in high school and made his major league debut on July 19th with a scoreless inning of relief against the Senators. He made his first start on August 23rd, pitching a complete game win against the Browns while striking out 15 batters. He'd strike out 17 Athletics batters in a start on September 13th, and Feller was quickly becoming a nationally known name. He appeared in 14 games that fist year, going 5-3 with a 3.34 ERA with 76 strikeouts in 62 innings pitched. Baseball writer Richard Goldstein said at the time Feller was "the best-known young person in America, with the possible exception of Shirley Temple."