Catfish Hunter

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. In November 1963, 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. In 1974, he won the Cy Young Award and The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year award. After a contract dispute with owner Charles Finley, Hunter was declared a free agent in December 1974 and signed a five-year, $3.35 million contract with the New York Yankees, becoming the highest-paid player in baseball. He retired at age 33 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 about a year later.

Reader's Guide

He led the league in wins (23) in 1975 and was the last major league pitcher to throw 30 complete games in a season. He won 20 games for five consecutive seasons (1971–1975), joining Walter Johnson, Lefty Grove, and Bob Feller as the only American League pitchers to do so. He had a career batting average of .226 and hit .350 in 1971. Hunter won 63 games in five seasons with the Yankees and appeared in six World Series, winning five championships.

Did You Know?

• Hunter's nickname 'Catfish' was given to him by A's owner Charles Finley in 1965, though news articles from 1964 already referenced the nickname.
• Hunter pitched the ninth perfect game in baseball history on May 8, 1968, against the Minnesota Twins.
• He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, in his early 50s and died about a year later.
• Hunter is the subject of the Bob Dylan song 'Catfish'.