On May 14, 1939 — At Comiskey Park, Mrs. William Feller smiled thru a swat of bandages today her appreciation of a Mother’s day gift from her son Bob Feller, 20-year-old Cleveland Indian’s pitching ace, which resulted in near tragedy.
The bandages covered lacerations over her left eye suffered when she was struck by a foul tip from one of her son’s pitches.
There were 28,000 spectators in the Chicago White Sox park yesterday in celebration of ‘Feller dry.” Mrs. Feller, her husband and daughter, Marguerite, 10, had accompanied a delegation from Van Meter, la., to pay tribute to the hometown fireballer. The family occupied front row seats on the first baseline and over 700 locals had made the trip to present Feller with a gift of a transistor radio.
Bob promised his mother he would win the game as a Mother’s day present. He was fulfilling his promise easily when the game reached the last half of the third Inning with the Indians leading 6 to 0.
Marv Owen, Chicago third-baseman, tipped a fastball into the stands. The ball struck Mrs- Feller above the left eye, shattering the lenses of her glasses. The glass lacerated her nose and eye, She was treated by the Indians trainer Max Weisman before being rushed to a hospital.
Bob stood stunned for a moment, then resumed pitching. Chicago scored three runs before he regained his composure but he stayed to win 9 to 4. Then he rushed to the hospital.
His mother, with six stitches closing the wounds, already was recovering. Physicians said she probably would be released today after an x-ray examination. Baseball Commissioner, Mountain Landis also joined them in the room to check on the ace’s Mother.
