The knuckleballer was a rookie sensation in 1948 when he went 20-7 and led the AL with a 2.43 ERA. His 20th win was the Indians’ pennant-deciding playoff versus Boston. In the WS, he had a win and a save without giving up a run. He never again approached his rookie record; he winked at training rules, suffered a lingering thigh injury in 1949, and batters learned to lay off his nasty knuckler.
