On Bob Feller's birthday, we remember the time his fastball was measured by army equipment

Monday would've been Bob Feller's 96th birthday. The eight-time All-Star had a spectacular Hall of Fame career -- leading the American League in strikeouts seven times, topping the field in wins six times and finishing in the top five of the MVP vote four times. From ages 23-25, he also served in the U.S. Navy, signing up after the attacks on Pearl Harbor.

A few years after his return, some of that military equipment would follow Feller back to the field of play. But instead of measuring shell velocity, it would be one of the first contraptions used to measure pitch speed. Here's the Indians starter firing away during a demonstration in D.C.

I mean, getting the ball through that small space seems like a feat in itself, let alone throwing it at 98.6 mph. Feller's fastball was also apparently recorded as fast as 107.6 mph at a later date. Pretty decent.