Three Bob Feller no-hitters in his career with the Cleveland Indians straddled a World War and helped baseball fans find some continuity on either side of the conflict. The three non-no’s also allowed him to retire in a tie with Larry Corcoran and Cy Young for the most ever when he (Feller) retired in 1956.
That total has since been surpassed by Sandy Koufax (four no-hitters) and Nolan Ryan (seven no-hitters). Justin Verlander also joined the three-no-hitter club in September of 2019.
That still leaves Rapid Robert in some pretty good company!
Here is the complete list of Bob Feller no-hitters:
April 16, 1940
The Indians beat the Chicago White Sox (1-0) on the strength of Feller’s five-walk, eight-strikeout effort that still stands as the only Opening Day no-hitter in Major League Baseball history.
April 30, 1946
After missing most of four seasons serving in World War II, Feller was even better in second no-hitter than he had been in his first. In leading Cleveland to a 1-0 victory over the mighty New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, Feller again walked five but struck out eleven Bronx Bombers.
July 1, 1951
In the midst of his final 20-win season, Feller cranked up the old no-hit machine one more time on July 1, 1951, as the Indians took on the Detroit Tigers at home in Cleveland Stadium. This was the sloppiest of Feller’s no-hitters, as he struck out just five Bengals, and three walks combined with two errors (one by Feller himself) to allow a Detroit run. In the end, though, the Tribe emerged with a 2-1 victory.
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