An Iowa farm boy who became a star for baseball's Cleveland Indians, Bob Feller (born 1918) threw harder than any pitcher of his generation. Six times, he won 20 or more games in a season, and he set new standards as a strikeout artist. Feller also won medals for his service as a Navy aircraft gunner in World War II.

Feller won 266 games and lost 162 over his career, spent entirely with Cleveland from 1936 through 1956. He might have won many more games had he not served four years in the Navy during the war. His record of 348 strikeouts in 1946 stood for many years, and he pitched three no-hitters during his career. Players of his time were in awe of his blazing fastball. "If anybody threw that ball harder than Rapid Robert, then the human eye couldn't follow it," said pitcher Satchel Paige.

Teenage Sensation

Bob Feller was born on November 3, 1918 in...