Encyclopedia, Difference between revisions of "Catfish Hunter" - New World
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'''James Augustus "Catfish" Hunter''' ([[April 8]], [[1946]] – [[September 9]], [[1999]]), son of Abbott and Millie Hunter, was a prolific [[Major League Baseball]] right-handed [[starting pitcher]] between 1965 and 1979. Hunter died in [[Hertford, North Carolina]] — more specifically Bear Swamp, in [[Perquimans County, NC]], where he was born. He had been suffering from [[amyotrophic lateral sclerosis]] (also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease) at the time. He was 53 years old. | '''James Augustus "Catfish" Hunter''' ([[April 8]], [[1946]] – [[September 9]], [[1999]]), son of Abbott and Millie Hunter, was a prolific [[Major League Baseball]] right-handed [[starting pitcher]] between 1965 and 1979. Hunter died in [[Hertford, North Carolina]] — more specifically Bear Swamp, in [[Perquimans County, NC]], where he was born. He had been suffering from [[amyotrophic lateral sclerosis]] (also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease) at the time. He was 53 years old. | ||
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==Death== | ==Death== | ||
| − | Jim "Catfish Hunter died on (September 9, 1999) from complications with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. After retiring from the sport he dominated, Hunter retreated back to his home and lived in Hertford, North Carolina, spending most of his time enjoying the hobbies he missed out on while in the pros."If I hadn't played baseball, I wanted to be a game warden or something. I want to be outdoors and I think down here is the best outdoor living you can get, for fishing or hunting, or whatever you want,"<ref>http://statelibrary.dcr.state.nc.us/nc/bio/sports/catfish.htm> said Hunter on his life after baseball. While Catfish was a great professional on the field, he will also be remembered for being a professional off as well due to his laidback nature, and comedic relief. | + | |
| + | Jim "Catfish" Hunter died on (September 9, 1999) from complications with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. After retiring from the sport he dominated, Hunter retreated back to his home and lived in Hertford, North Carolina, spending most of his time enjoying the hobbies he missed out on while in the pros."If I hadn't played baseball, I wanted to be a game warden or something. I want to be outdoors and I think down here is the best outdoor living you can get, for fishing or hunting, or whatever you want,"<ref>http://statelibrary.dcr.state.nc.us/nc/bio/sports/catfish.htm> said Hunter on his life after baseball. While Catfish was a great professional on the field, he will also be remembered for being a professional off as well due to his laidback nature, and comedic relief. | ||
==Career statistics== | ==Career statistics== | ||
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==Notable achievements== | ==Notable achievements== | ||
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*8-time AL All-Star (1966, 1967, 1970 & 1972-1976) | *8-time AL All-Star (1966, 1967, 1970 & 1972-1976) | ||
*[[Perfect Game]] (May 8, 1968) | *[[Perfect Game]] (May 8, 1968) | ||
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==More Statistics== | ==More Statistics== | ||
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*Hunter's six major league [[home runs]] were hit against [[Barry Moore (baseball)|Barry Moore]], [[Frank Bertaina]], [[Dave McNally]], [[Mike Cuellar]], [[Sam McDowell]], and [[Mickey Lolich]]. | *Hunter's six major league [[home runs]] were hit against [[Barry Moore (baseball)|Barry Moore]], [[Frank Bertaina]], [[Dave McNally]], [[Mike Cuellar]], [[Sam McDowell]], and [[Mickey Lolich]]. | ||
*Hit a combined .429 (24-for-56) against [[All-Stars]] [[Mike Cuellar]], [[Mickey Lolich]], [[Sam McDowell]], [[Denny McLain]], [[Camilo Pascual]], [[Gary Peters]], and [[Mel Stottlemyre]] | *Hit a combined .429 (24-for-56) against [[All-Stars]] [[Mike Cuellar]], [[Mickey Lolich]], [[Sam McDowell]], [[Denny McLain]], [[Camilo Pascual]], [[Gary Peters]], and [[Mel Stottlemyre]] | ||
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==See also== | ==See also== | ||
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*[[List of baseball players who went directly to the major leagues]] | *[[List of baseball players who went directly to the major leagues]] | ||
*[[Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame]] | *[[Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame]] | ||
Revision as of 05:22, 6 July 2007
| Catfish Hunter | |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | |
| Born: April 8, 1946 | |
| Died: September 9 1999 (aged 53) | |
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| May 13, 1965 for the Kansas City Athletics | |
| Final game | |
| September 17, 1979 for the New York Yankees | |
| Career statistics | |
| Win-Loss | 224-166 |
| ERA | 3.26 |
| Strikeouts | 2012 |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
James Augustus "Catfish" Hunter (April 8, 1946 – September 9, 1999), son of Abbott and Millie Hunter, was a prolific Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher between 1965 and 1979. Hunter died in Hertford, North Carolina — more specifically Bear Swamp, in Perquimans County, NC, where he was born. He had been suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease) at the time. He was 53 years old.
Career
High School
The youngest son of eight children, Hunter excelled in a variety of sports at Perquimans High School through his youth. He played as a linebacker, offensive end in football as well as a shortstop, cleanup batter and pitcher in baseball. His pitching skill began to attract scouts from major league baseball teams to Hertford, North Carolina. In his senior year, Hunter was wounded in a hunting accident which led to the loss of one of his toes and the lodging of shotgun pellets in his foot. The accident left Hunter somewhat hobbled and jeopardized his prospects in the eyes of many professional scouts, however a 26-2 record along with 5 no-hitters throughout his high school career, showed the potentail of the young pitcher. That potential was soon realized by the Kansas City Athletics and signed Hunter to a contract.
Kansas City and Oakland Athletics
The nickname Catifsh came from Charles O. Finley, the Kansas City owner, when he was initially signed by the team for a mere $75,000. After missing the 1964 season due to surery, Hunter's first major league victory came on July 27, 1965 in Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox. From his first season until 1977 Catfish never missed a start, making him one of the most consistent, durable pitchers in all of baseball. In 1966 Hunter was named to the American League All-Star team and was named again in 1967. In 1968, Charles Finley moved the Athletics from Kansas City to Oakland and on May 8 that year in a game against the Minnesota Twins, Hunter pitched the first perfect game in the American League since 1922. From 1971-1973, Hunter won at 21 games, and led the American League in winning percentage in 72' and 73'. He continued to win games and in 1974 both received the Cy Young Award and was named Pitcher of the Year by The Sporting News. Catfish's statistics while he was with the Athletics were impressive: four consecutive years with at least 20 wins, four World Series wins with no losses and a 1974 league leading earned run average of 2.49.
New York Yankees
In 1975, Hunter was declared a free agent after his owner failed to pay his $50,00 life insurance fund. He soon signed with the New York Yankees for $3.5 million dollars, making him the highest paid player in free agency at that time. Catfish didn't fail to impress in his first year with the club going 23-14, finishing the year tied for first in wins, and being named to the All-Star team for a seventh consective year.
The Yankees won three straight pennants with Hunter from 1976 to 1978. However, the years of arm strain and the effects of diabetes had begun to tell on the pitcher and in 1979 at the age of 33, Jim "Catfish" Hunter retired from baseball. Jim Hunter was an effective pitcher, not because he overpowered batters with his speed, but because of the precision of his pitching. His performance on the mound earned him a spot in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987, where his plaque reads " The bigger the game, the better he pitched." [1]
Death
Jim "Catfish" Hunter died on (September 9, 1999) from complications with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. After retiring from the sport he dominated, Hunter retreated back to his home and lived in Hertford, North Carolina, spending most of his time enjoying the hobbies he missed out on while in the pros."If I hadn't played baseball, I wanted to be a game warden or something. I want to be outdoors and I think down here is the best outdoor living you can get, for fishing or hunting, or whatever you want,"<ref>http://statelibrary.dcr.state.nc.us/nc/bio/sports/catfish.htm> said Hunter on his life after baseball. While Catfish was a great professional on the field, he will also be remembered for being a professional off as well due to his laidback nature, and comedic relief.
Career statistics
| W | L | PCT | ERA | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | K | WP | HBP |
| 224 | 166 | .574 | 3.26 | 500 | 476 | 181 | 42 | 0 | 3449 | 2958 | 1248 | 1380 | 374 | 954 | 2012 | 49 | 49 |
Notable achievements
- 8-time AL All-Star (1966, 1967, 1970 & 1972-1976)
- Perfect Game (May 8, 1968)
- AL Cy Young Award Winner (1974)
- AL ERA Leader (1974)
- 2-time AL Wins Leader (1974 & 1975)
- AL Innings Pitched Leader (1975)
- AL Complete Games Leader (1975)
- 15 Wins Seasons: 7 (1970-1976)
- 20 Wins Seasons: 5 (1971-1975)
- 25 Wins Seasons: 1 (1974)
- 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 10 (1967-1976)
- 300 innings Pitched Seasons: 2 (1974 & 1975)
- Member of five World Series Championship teams: Oakland Athletics (1972, 1973 & 1974) and New York Yankees (1977 & 1978)
- Baseball Hall of Fame: Class of 1987 (elected with Billy Williams)
More Statistics
- Hunter's six major league home runs were hit against Barry Moore, Frank Bertaina, Dave McNally, Mike Cuellar, Sam McDowell, and Mickey Lolich.
- Hit a combined .429 (24-for-56) against All-Stars Mike Cuellar, Mickey Lolich, Sam McDowell, Denny McLain, Camilo Pascual, Gary Peters, and Mel Stottlemyre
- Held All-Stars Tommie Agee, Sal Bando, Bert Campaneris, Chris Chambliss, Doug DeCinces, Dwight Evans, George Hendrick, Frank Howard, and Bobby Richardson to a .129 collective batting average (40-for-310)
- Held Thurman Munson plus Hall of Famers Hank Aaron, Orlando Cepeda, Harmon Killebrew, Mickey Mantle, Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, and Carl Yastrzemski to a .211 collective batting average (107-for-506)
Catfish Hunter was only the 4th (and last) American League pitcher to win 20 games in a season for 5 consecutive seasons (1971-1975). The others were Walter Johnson (10), Lefty Grove (7), and Bob Feller (5). Jim Palmer had 2 consecutive 4-year streaks (1970-1973) and (1975-1978) for 8 in 9 years.
See also
- List of baseball players who went directly to the major leagues
- Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame
| Preceded by: Sandy Koufax |
Perfect game pitcher May 8, 1968 |
Succeeded by: Len Barker |
| Preceded by: Jim Palmer |
American League ERA Champion 1974 |
Succeeded by: Jim Palmer |
| Preceded by: Jim Palmer |
American League Cy Young Award 1974 |
Succeeded by: Jim Palmer |
External links
- Baseball Hall of Fame
- Baseball-Reference.com - Major league career statistics
- Retrosheet
- The Deadball Era
- box score of Hunter's perfect game
Credits
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- ↑ http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers_and_honorees/hofer_bios/hunter_catfish.htm Baseball Hall of Fame
