Catfish Hunter 1968 No-Hitter
Catfish Hunter's perfect game: May 8, 1968
On Wednesday, May 8, 1968, against the Minnesota Twins, Catfish Hunter pitched the ninth perfect game in baseball history. It was the first regular season perfect game in 46 years in the American League since Charlie Robertson's perfect game, excluding Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series. The game also marked the first no-hitter by an Athletics pitcher since Bill McCahan in 1947 with what were then the Philadelphia Athletics.
Quick Facts
- Pitcher
- Catfish Hunter (RHP, age 22)
- Date
- May 8, 1968
- Opponent
- Minnesota Twins
- Final score
- A's 2, Twins 0
- Venue
- Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
- Baserunners allowed
- 0 (no hits, no walks, no hit batters)
Lore & Background
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the seventh inning; offensively, Hunter got three hits and drove in three of Oakland's four runs with a squeeze bunt in the seventh and a bases-loaded single in the eighth. Hunter disagreed with only two of catcher Jim Pagliaroni's pitch-calling decisions during the game, and as a token of his appreciation for his catcher's contributions, rewarded Pagliaroni with a gold watch that he had inscribed on back.
Reader's Guide
Hunter made his major league debut in May 1965. He never played in the minor leagues aside from a fall stint in the Florida Instructional League in 1964. By 1968, he was in his fourth MLB season (debuting in 1965, with parts of three seasons before 1968).
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