Catfish Hunter

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Lore & Background

Hunter was born and raised in Hertford, North Carolina, the youngest of eight children. He grew up on a farm and excelled in sports at Perquimans County High School. During his senior year, his right foot was wounded in a hunting accident, costing him a toe and leaving shotgun pellets lodged in his foot. Despite this, the Kansas City Athletics signed him. He made his major league debut in May 1965 and pitched a perfect game on May 8, 1968. Hunter won the Cy Young Award in 1974. He became a free agent after an arbitration ruling in 1974 and signed a five-year, $3.35 million contract with the New York Yankees. He retired after the 1979 season due to arm problems and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987. He was diagnosed with ALS in his early 50s and died of the disease on September 9, 1999.

In Their Own Story

Arm injuries plagued Hunter beginning in 1978. In spring training, he was diagnosed with diabetes and combined with his chronic arm trouble the disease began to sap Hunter's energy. Despite this, he won his Opening Day start in 1977, limiting the Milwaukee Brewers to three hits over seven shutout innings in a 3–0 victory on April 7. He left the game with a bruised foot and was eventually placed on the 21-day disabled list with the injury, not pitching again until May 5. Following the 1979 season and the end of his five-year contract, Hunter retired from baseball at age 33. Hunter won 63 games in his five seasons with the Yankees. He retired with appearances in six World Series and with five World Series championships. While with the Yankees, Hunter was a resident of Norwood, New Jersey, preferring to live outside of New York City.

Reader's Guide

Hunter was a right-handed pitcher known for his control and durability. He led the league in wins (23) in 1975, and in 1976 became the fourth major league pitcher to win 200 games before age 31. He was named to the American League All-Star team in 1966, 1967, and 1975, but not in 1976. He was a competent hitter with a career batting average of .226. After the designated hitter was adopted in 1973, he had only two plate appearances in his final seven seasons.

Did You Know?

• Hunter pitched the ninth perfect game in baseball history on May 8, 1968, against the Minnesota Twins.
• He was the last major league pitcher to throw 30 complete games in a season (1975).
• Hunter was the subject of the Bob Dylan song 'Catfish'.
• He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, in his early 50s.