Ted Williams was the greatest hitter I ever saw, but (Joe) DiMaggio was the greatest all-around player.
Hall of Famer Bob Feller
Bob Feller was speaking from experience when he lauded the skills of fellow Hall of Famers Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio. DiMaggio and Williams are pretty much one and two in every career offensive category versus Feller. In fact, if you look at a lineup of hitters who put up the “best numbers” against Feller, you will find a host of Hall of Famers – not just Williams and DiMaggio in the outfield, but Johnny Mize at first base and Bobby Doerr at second. Yes, that’s right, it’s time for the next edition in Baseball Roundtable’s “Who’s Your Daddy?” series – this time focusing on Bob Feller.
Those of you who read Baseball Roundtable regularly are familiar with the “Who’s Your Daddy?” series – presenting lineups of players who performed unexpectedly well against some of baseball’s top pitchers. In the past, BBRT has featured such moundsmen as Nolan Ryan, Bob Gibson and Pedro Martinez. (An explanation of the inspiration behind the Who’s Your Daddy? series can be found the end of this post.) This post looks at a lineup of hitters who found success against Hall of Famer Bob Feller. As always, I would stress that the pitchers included in the Who’s Your Daddy? series are among the “best in the business.” They are selected not because of the players who performed well against them, but rather because success among hitters when they were on the mound was the exception rather than the rule.
Before we get started on Bob Feller, here are links to the previous editions of this series:
- Nolan Ryan, click here.
- Sandy Koufax, click here.
- Pedro Martinez, click here.
- Bob Gibson, click here.
- Randy Johnson, click here.
- Greg Maddux, click here.
- Justin Verlander, click here.
Among those planned for the future are Roger Clemens and Max Scherzer.
Now, on to Bob Feller.
It wasn’t until you hit against him (Bob Feller) that you knew how fast he really was, until you saw, with your own eyes, that ball jumping at you.
Hall of Famer Ted Lyons
Bob Feller – whose fastball (justifiably) earned him the nicknames Rapid Robert, Bullet Bob and The Heater from Van Meter – could “bring it” at an early age. At the age of 11, he could already throw harder than most of the high school boys in his home town- and, at times, actually pitched against them. His father saw such potential in young “Bobby” that, in 1931, he built a ballpark on the family farm to give local players a place to play – and, of course, to showcase Bobby’s hardball skills and potential. (Bob Feller was 12 at time.)
Without going into a lot of detail on Feller’s American Legion, high school, amateur and semi-pro exploits, suffice it to say that (in 1935) Feller signed a contract with the Cleveland Indians at the age of 16 and was pitching in the big leagues by age 17 … before he graduated from high school. On September 13 of the 1936 season, rookie Feller (remember, he was just 17-years-old) fanned 17 hitters in a complete-game, 5-2 Indians’ win over the Philadelphia Athletics. The significance of that game? It gave the teenager from Iowa the American League record for strikeouts in a nine-inning game and a share of the major league record (tying Dizzy Dean). (Both records have since been topped.) One has to wonder if the fear factor came into play. While Feller only gave up two hits and two runs in that game, he also walked nine and hit one batter. Command, apparently, was not yet his forte. Feller finished that first season with a 5-3 record – 14 MLB appearances, eight starts, five complete games, a 3.34 earned run average, 76 strikeouts, 47 walks and four hit batsmen in 62 innings. Between the end of his first MLB season and Spring Training in 1937, Feller finished high school. How impressive was the youthful phenom? Feller was featured on the cover of April 19, 1937 issue Time Magazine.
Bob Feller originally signed with the Cleveland Indians for one dollar and an autographed baseball.
Feller went on to pitch 18 MLB seasons (1936-41 & 1945-56, missing three seasons and most of a fourth to military service), all with the Indians. The Hall of Famer was an eight-time All Star, led the AL in wins six times, strikeouts seven times (also walks four times), complete games three times, games started five times, innings pitched five times, shutouts four times, and earned run average once. He also pitched three no-hitters, including the (to date) only Opening Day no-hitter ever – a 1-0 win over the White Sox (in Chicago) on April 16, 1940.
Picking Right Up Where He Left Off …
Bob Feller was the first major leaguer to enlist in the military after the attack on Pearl Harbor, joining the U.S. Navy on December 9, 1941; where he ultimately led a gunnery crew in combat aboard the battleship USS Alabama.
Feller had led the American League in strikeouts in each of the four seasons before he enlisted (1938-41). He returned to baseball in time to pitch nine games for the Indians in 1945 and then led the league in strikeouts in his first three full seasons (1946-48) back from military service. In the six full seasons surrounding his military service (the last three before his enlistment and the first three full seasons after his return), Feller average 22 wins, a 2.81 earned run average, 38 starts, 26 complete games, five shutouts, 318 1/3 innings pitched and 246 strikeouts per campaign. Just think about what he might have done with those four lost seasons.
Feller finished his career with a 266-162, 3.25 record. with 279 complete games (484 starts) and 2,581 strikeouts in 3,827 innings pitched His best season was probably 1946, when he led the league in wins (26); games pitched (48); games started (42); complete games (36); shutouts (10); innings pitched 371 1/3; and strikeouts (358).
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Now, let’s get on to the Bob Feller “Who’s Your Daddy?” lineup. First, a few “leaders” versus Rapid Robert.
Note on chart; Baseball-Reference indicates game logs from before 1970 may be incomplete. In this chart, four game logs is missing from Rudy York’s totals. In this post, I note when game logs for a specific player are incomplete.
Now, the Bob Feller “Who’s Your Daddy?” lineup.
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Catcher – Aaron Robinson … Four home runs and 15 RBI in 27 games
An All Star Between a Pair of Hall of Famers
Aaron Robinson was an All Star behind the plate for the vaunted New York Yankees (briefly) between a pair of Hall of Famers – Bill Dickey who handled New York catching from 1925 to mid-1946 (minus two seasons lost to military service) and Yogi Berra who split catching duties with Robinson in 1947, took over the duties in 1948 and went on to become an 18-time All Star with the Bronx Bombers. In between the two HOFers was Aaron Robinson, who had a cup of coffee (one game) in 1943, started 92 games at catcher as a rookie in 1946 and another 67 in his All Star 1947 season – before Berra emerged as a force and Robinson was traded to the White Sox (along with two other players) for Eddie Lopat. For trivia buffs, in 1946, Robinson’s .297 average led all Yankee regulars (and that group included such players as Joe DiMaggio, Phil Rizzuto, Tommy Henrich, Charlie Keller and Joe Gordon).
In Aaron Robinson’s first-ever at bat against Bob Feller (September 9, 1945), he popped a two-run home run. In his second at bat (same game), he delivered an RBI triple. He then added a strikeout and a walk. As Cleveland and Feller topped the Yankees 10-3, Robinson was credited with all three New York RBI. Robinson went on to hit .288, with four homers and 15 RBI in 27 career games against Rapid Robert – including a two-homer, six-RBI game as the Yankees topped Feller’s Indians 9-1 on July 11, 1946.
Robinson played in eight major-league seasons and 609 games (1943 … just one game … and 1945-51). He was a 30-year-old rookie for the Yankees in 1945 (after two years in military service) and played for the Yankees, Tigers, Red Sox and White Sox over his career. He was an All Star in 1947 and finished with a career .261 average, 61 home runs and 272 RBI. He was known as a fine defensive catcher and finished in the top five in the AL in runners caught stealing in 1946, 1948 and 1949. His 19 hits, four home runs and 15 RBI versus Bob Feller were the most he had off any pitcher.
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First Base – Johnny Mize … .407 against Feller
Yankee first baseman Johnny Mize’s first at bat against Bob Feller resulted in a two-run home run that opened the scoring in an August 25, 1949 Yankees’ win (6-3) over Feller and the Indians. It was Mize’s 316th major league home run, but his first long ball as a Yankee (he had been sold, by the Giants, to the Yankees three days earlier for $40,000). He went on to do pretty well against Feller, hitting .307 with four home runs and six RBI against him in eight games (1949-52).
Making Contact … Powerful Contact
In 1947, New York Giant Johnny Mize became the first (and still only) major leaguer to hit 50 or more home runs in a season, while striking out fewer than 50 times. He went .302-51-138, with 74 walks and 42 whiffs.
Mize played 15 major league seasons (1936-42 & 1946-53, missing three seasons for military service). He played for the Cardinals, Giants and Yankees). Mize hit .312 over his career (2,011 hits in 1,884 games), with 359 home runs and 1,337 RBI. Mize was a ten-time All Star and led his league in home runs four times (high of 51 in 1947), RBI three times, batting average once, runs scored once, doubles once, triples once and total bases three times. He topped 100 runs scored in five seasons, had 100+ RBI eight times and hit over .300 in nine campaigns.
The Career that Almost Wasn’t
Mize was a star in the minor leagues (Cardinals’ system) in the early 1930’s, but, in 1934, suffered a serious health issue (spurs on his pelvic bone) that limited him to 90 games. Still, he hit .339-17-66 that season.
The Cardinals perhaps didn’t like what they saw; but, whatever the reason, they sold Mize to the Reds for $55,000 in the spring of 1935. However, Mize continued to be in such pain that the Reds nullified the trade, sending him back to Saint Louis. Although he tried to play through the pain, Mize lasted only 65 minor-league games before – at the age of 22 – he went on the voluntary retired list, thinking his major league dreams (and baseball career) were over. That winter Mize took a chance on surgery, made an unexpectedly strong recovery and found himself not just back in baseball in 1936, but in the big leagues – hitting .329-19-93 as a Cardinals’ rookie. The rest, as they say, is history. The fact that Mize’s “early retirement” didn’t take led him to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
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Second Base – Bobby Doerr … Nine home runs and 34 RBI, heady company
Bobby Doerr had the second-most regular-season hits (53, tied with Ted Williams), second-most RBI (34, tied with Ted Williams) and third-most doubles (10) against Bob Feller – while hitting a healthy .327 against him. His best campaign against Rapid Robert was 1950, when Doerr went six-for-eleven (.545) against Feller, with a double, triple, two home runs and five RBI in six games. On June 13 or that season, as Doerr ‘s Red Sox topped Feller Indians’ 8-1, Doerr faced Feller four times and delivered two home runs, a triple and a walk.
Note: One game (log) is missing from Bobby Doerr’s totals versus Feller.
Doerr played 14 MLB seasons (1937-44 & 1946-51), all for the Red Sox. The Hall of Famer put up a .288 career average (2,042 hits in 1,865 games) with 223 home runs, 1,247 RBI and 1,094 runs scored. He was a nine-time All Star, who topped 100 runs scored once, hit ten or more triples in four seasons, 20+ home runs three times and drove in 100+ runs in six campaigns. Doerr was known as a tireless worker, clutch hitter, a steady fielder and, as Ted William termed it, “the silent captain of the Red Sox.”
I’ll Have One of Each, Please …
Bobby Doerr hit for the cycle twice in his career – May 17, 1944 and May 13, 1947 – both at Fenway Park.
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Third Base – Hank Majeski … .346 in 28 contests
Hank Majeski hit .346 against Bob Feller, driving in 15 runs in 28 games. In the six seasons in which he faced Feller, Majeski hit .400 or higher in three – the best being 1952, when he went four-for-eight (.,500), with one home run and five RBI in three games.
Majeski’s 15 RBI versus Feller ties for the most he had against any pitcher (he also had 15 against Virgil Trucks) and his 28 hits are the most he had against any pitcher.
Handling the Hot Corner
Hank Majeski achieved a record (since broken) fielding percentage for third basemen of .988 in 1947. He led AL third sackers in fielding percentage in both 1947 and 1948.
Majeski, known for his slick fielding at the hot corner, played 13 MLB seasons (1939-41 & 1946-55, missing three seasons due to military service). He suited up for the Bees (Braves), Yankees, Athletics, White Sox, Indians and Orioles. He was a .279 career hitter (956 hits in 1,069 games), with 57 home runs and 501 RBI. Majeski hit .300 or better in three MLB seasons. In 1948, he reached his career highs in average (.310), home runs (12), RBI (120), runs scored (88) doubles (41) and hits (183). Majeski played in 100 or more games in just six of 13 MLB seasons.
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SS – Pete Runnels … .372 average, .471 on-base percentage
Pete Runnels hit a nifty .372 versus Feller, with 16 hits in 43 at bats in 18 games. It should be noted that the bulk of those 18 games came in the waning years of Feller’s career (1951-56), when Feller went a combined 58-39, 3,81 and did not make a single All Star team. Still, Feller did lead the AL in wins, with 22 in 1951 and Runnels did go four-for-seven against him that campaign.
Pete Runnels played 14 MLB seasons (1951-64 … Senators, Red Sox, Astros). He was a true utility player, starting 618 games a 2B, 542 at 1B, 439 at SS, and 49 at 3B. Runnels was an All Star in three seasons, as well as a two-time batting champion.
Gotta Like Boston
With the Red Sox from 1958-61, Runnels hit .320 (hitting .314 or better in all five seasons) – and won a pair of AL Batting championships. Over his MLB career, Runnels hit .332 at Fenway Park and .278 outside of Fenway.
Pete Runnels retired with a .291 career average (1,854 hits in 1,799 games), 49 home runs, 630 RBI and 876 runs scored. As a member of the 1962 Red Sox, he had his best season, with career highs in average (.326), home runs (10), RBI (60) and hits 183). That November, he was traded from the BoSox to the Houston Colt .45s for outfielder, Roman Mejias.
Not so Fast There, Buddy
Pete Runnels was thrown out in his first 16 MLB stealing attempts and was 37-for-88 in steal attempts for his MLB career.
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Outfield – Joe DiMaggio … Most hits, home runs and RBI versus Feller.
In 58 contests against Feller, Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio hit a robust .342 and collected the most home runs (11) and RBI (46) of any hitter versus Rapid Robert. In the 12 seasons in which he faced Feller, DiMaggio hit .333 or higher against him seven times. In 1948, DiMaggio hit .450 against Feller (9-for-20), with four home runs and ten RBI in six games.
Joe DiMaggio played 13 MLB seasons (1936-42 & 1946-51, missing three seasons due to military service); all with the Yankees. He hit .325 (2,214 hits in 1,736 games), topping .300 in 11 seasons. DiMaggio was an All Star in all 13 seasons and a three-time American League Most Valuable Player. He was a two-time batting champion (a high of .381 in 1939) and led the AL in runs once, triples once, home runs twice, RBI twice and total bases three times. He hit 30 or more home runs in seven seasons, drove in 100+ runs in nine campaigns and scored 100 or more runs seven times. In 51 World Series games, DiMaggio his .271, with eight home runs and 30 RBI.
A Couple of Not-So-Bad Endorsements
(Joe) DiMaggio was the greatest all-around player I ever saw. His career cannot be summed up in numbers and awards.
Hall of Famer Ted Williams
There was never a day when I was as good as Joe DiMaggio at his best. Joe was the best, the very best, I ever saw.
Hall of Famer Stan Musial
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Outfield – Ted Williams … Number Two on the Bob Feller hit parade
Hall of Famer Ted Williams, who averaged .344 against Feller (in 57 games), delivered the second-most home runs (10), the second-most RBI (34), the second-most triples (4), and the second-most base hits against Bullet Bob. Notably, he was second to Joe DiMaggio in all those categories (tied for second with Bobby Doerr in hits and RBI). Williams also had the second-most career walks against Feller (38, two behind Tommy Henrich). Williams did have the most doubles against Feller at 13. In 13 seasons against Feller, Williams hit .333 or higher in nine – although Feller did hold the Splendid Splinter hitless in five games in 1947 (0-for-8, with seven walks – three intentional).
That’s about average
Ted Williams’ career average was .344 – as was his average versus Bob Feller. Ever wonder what pitcher might have had Teddy Ballgame’s number? William was o-for-6 in the regular season against Murry Dickson (his most at bats without a hit against any pitcher), but did draw three walks against him. Williams was also just 1-for-5, with one walk versus Dickson in the post season. Dickson, by the way, finished an 18-season MLB career with a 172-181, 3.66 line – and three times led the NL in losses (1952-54). Perhaps even more dominant over Williams was Jack Harshman. The southpaw held Williams to a .156 average (five hits – four singles and a double – in 32 at bats over 13 games), no RBIs, three walks and seven strikeouts. For his career, Williams fanned once in every 13.8 plate appearances. Against Harshman, it was once every 5.0. Harshman played eight MLB seasons, going 69-75, 3.50.
Ted Williams played 19 seasons with the Red Sox (1939-42 & 1946-60, missing three full seasons and most of a fourth for military service), He compiled a .344 career average (2,644 hits in 2,292 games), with 521 home runs, 1,839 RBI and 1,798 runs scored. He was an All Star in 17 seasons and the AL Most Valuable Player twice. He was a Triple Crown winner in 1942 and 1947, as well as a six-time batting champion. He led the AL in home runs four times (hitting 30 or more dingers eight times), RBI four times (topping 100 in nine seasons), runs scored six times (topping 100 nine times), doubles twice, walks eight times and total bases six times. In his 19 MLB seasons, he only hit under.300 once (.254 in 103 games in 1959).
Save a Spot on the Paths for Me
Ted Williams’ career major league on-base percentage of .482 is the highest all time.
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Outfield – Tommy Henrich … Eight home runs and forty walks
Tommy Henrich drew more walks (40) versus Bob Feller than any other player. In addition, his eight career long balls against Feller trailed only Joe DiMaggio, Ted William and Bobby Doerr. Henrich’s “eye” is evidence by the fact that, in his first 12 plate appearances against Feller, he drew five walks (he also had two singles). Henrich also fanned only 14 times versus Feller in 188 plate appearances.
Tommy Henrich played 11 MLB seasons (1937-42 & 1946-50, missing three years due to military service), all for the Yankees. He was an All Star five times and led his league in runs scored once and triples twice. Over his career, Henrich topped 100 runs scored in four seasons, hit 30 or more doubles three times, 20+ home runs four times and drove in 100 runs in one campaign. He finished his career with a .282 average (1,297 hits in 1,284 games), 183 home runs, 795 RBI and 901 run scored.
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Pitcher – Schoolboy Rowe … Hit .353 versus Rapid Robert
Schoolboy Rowe hit a solid .353 versus Bob Feller in eight games (6-for-17), with a triple and two RBI – and only one strikeout in 18 plate appearances. (By comparison, batting against Rowe, Feller went 1-for-15, with one double, no RBI, one walk and five whiffs.)
That Rowe should hit fairly well against Feller is no surprise. Rowe was an accomplished hitter (for a pitcher), with a .263 career average (239-for-909), 18 home runs and 153 RBI. He did, in fact, have 99 career appearances as a pinch hitter – hitting .286 (26-for-91), with three doubles, two home runs, 22 RBI and eight walks. On the mound, Rowe pitched in 15 MLB seasons (1933-43 & 1946-49 … Tigers, Phillies, Dodgers … losing two years to military service). The three-time All Star went 158-101, 3.87, with 278 starts, 104 relief appearances (22 saves), 137 complete games, 22 shutouts and 913 strikeouts in 2,219 1/3 innings pitched. His best season was 1934, when he went 24-8, 3.45 for the Tigers. In games in which Feller and Rowe both took the mound, Feller was 3-3, 3.50, with two no decisions, while Rowe was 3-3, 3.64, with two no decisions.
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A Couple of Honorable Mentions
BBRT would like to add a couple Honorable Mentions to this lineup … both outfielders.
Bruce Campbell hit a nice round .400 (12-for-30 versus Bob Feller in 11 regular-season games. He also drew ten walks (two intentional) for a .550 on-base percentage. For his career (13 seasons, 1930-42, White Sox, Browns, Indians, Tigers, Senators), Campbell put up a .290-106-766 line (1,382 hits in 1,360 games). His best season was 1933, when he went .277-16-106 for the Browns. Note: One game (log) is missing from Campbell’s total versus Feller.
Jackie Jensen hit .388 (19-for-49), with one home run, 13 RBI, five walks and only one whiff against Feller in 21 games. Jensen played 11 MLB seasons (1950-59, 1962 … Yankees, Senators, Red Sox), putting up a .279-199-929 line. He was a three-time All Star and led the AL in RBI three times, triples once and stolen bases once. He was the 1958 AL Most Valuable Player (despite the fact that his Red Sox finished third), when he hit.286, with 35 home runs and a league-leading 122 RBI. Jensen’s career was cut sort – he retired at age 34 – due to an intense fear of flying.
For Trivia Buffs
While dedicated trivia fans should get this one, you may solicit a few wrong guesses from some of your baseball-centric friends.
What future Hall of Famer batted second and played center field in Bob Feller’s second major league no-hitter (a 1-0 Indians’ win over the Yankees) on April 30, 1946?
Answer: Bob Lemon, who made the Hall of Fame not as a position player, but as a pitcher – on the basis of a 207-128, 3.23 record, seven seasons of 20 or more wins and seven All Star selections. Lemon signed with the Indians as a 17-year-old (1937) – out of Woodrow Wilson high School (Long Beach, California), where he played infield and pitched. Between 1938 and 1941, he played in 447 minor-league games (playing OF, SS and 3B, with just two games on the mound), averaging .293. He earned late season call up in 1941 (as a third b baseman). In 1942, he was back in the minors (with the Indians’ Baltimore International League farm club), where he hit .268-21-80). Then military service intervened and he spend a great deal of time starring on teams at Naval bases in California and Hawaii – showing off his skills as both a position player/hitter and pitcher. In 1946, out of the military, Lemon made the Indians out of Spring training – and while he didn’t displace incumbent third baseman Ken Keltner, manager Lou Boudreau moved Lemon to centerfield to get his bat in the lineup. Major league pitching, however, proved a challenge for Lemon and he was moved to mound – where he pitched his way into the Hall of Fame.
Primary Resources: Baseball-Reference.com; MLB.com; Baseball-Almanac.com; Bob Feller, by C.Paul Rogers III, Society for American Baseball Research.
Who’s Your Daddy? What It’s All About.
On September 24, 2004, in the middle of a tight pennant race, the Yankees handed future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez and the Boston Red Sox a tough 6-4 loss. Martinez went 7 1/3 innings giving up nine hits and five earned runs. The game came just five days after (in his previous start) Martinez had lasted just five frames against the Bronx Bombers (eight hits, eight earned runs) in a 16-7 loss.
After that second loss, Martinez candidly commented, “What can I say? I just tip my hat and call the Yankees my daddy.” Little did he know that his comment – and a Yankee fans’ chant of “Who’s your daddy?” would follow him into future starts in New York (all the way to his final MLB start – against the Yankees for the Phillies – in Game Six of the 2009 World Series.)
The concept of “Who’s your daddy?” became the inspiration for Baseball Roundtable to take a look at the players who “had the number” of some of MLB’s premier pitchers. Again, you can find links to the previous “editions” of “Who’s Your Daddy?” near the top of this post.
Primary Resources: Baseball-Reference.com; MLB.com; Baseball-Almanac.com
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