Salt Lake Telegram | 1940-12-23 | Page 19 | Writers Select Feller as 'Player of Year'

Writers Select Feller As Player of Year i iBy By JUDSON BAILEY NEW YORK Dec 23 AP Rapid AP-Rapid Rapid Robert Feller who swept all the pitching honors in the American league last season has been selected by the New York baseball writers for their annual tn to th the of the vear year Hell He'll i i get t. t a fa fancy y p plaque e at at atthe the the chapters chapter's big banquet February 2 at the same time that another fire baller old Bob Quinn president president president dent of ot the Boston Bees gets an award for meritorious service to baseball over a long period of ot years Feller richly deserved the He won more games last i season than any other pitcher Inthe in inthe inthe the major leagues leagues 27 27 victories against 11 defeats for the Cleveland Cleveland Cleveland Cleve Cleve- land Indians He opened the season with the no-hit no in the only run no-run game ame American league He had the lowest earned run average the most strikeouts appeared in the most games 43 and labored through the most complete games 31 He became the fifth firth pitcher to receive the New York writers' writers award since the practice was in inaugurated inaugurated inaugurated in- in in 1931 The previous recipients were Bill Bill Terry Lou Gehrig Herb Pennock Carl Hubbell Hub- Hub bell Dizzy Dean Hank Greenberg Tony Lazzeri Joe DiMaggio JimmIe Jimmie Jimmie Jim- Jim mie Foxx and Buck Walters Waiters Greenberg was Fellers Feller's only rival for lor the honor this year The big slugger of the Detroit Tigers was selected the most valuable player in the American league and there was some sentiment for ignoring precedent and making him the first player ever to win the writers writers' writers writers' writ writ- ers ers' favor twice The year old Iowa right right- hander with the famous high hard one has been on the border of gre greatness ever since he he first donned Cleveland livery in 1936 After taking a couple of seasons seasons' to get settled he won 17 games and lost 11 in 1938 1933 and led the league in strikeouts and bases on balls bails Then in 1939 he led the circuit circuit circuit cir cir- cir cir- in victories with 24 21 against nine defeats pitched the most in Ins and again had the m mos strikeouts and gave the most bases on balls