Who is catfish hunter

At issue was the fact that Finley had not yet made arrangements to pay the deferred compensation portion of the agreement.

Because of the impending playoffs and World Series, the effective date of termination shall be the day following the last game played by the Oakland Athletics in The telegram was signed by Dick Moss, general counsel for the union.

Hunter, his representatives, and the MLBPA were contending that since Finley had failed to honor the specifics of the agreement, Hunter deserved to be declared a free agent, available to the highest bidder of his choice. Gaherin, an attorney representing the club owners; and Peter Seitz, an independent arbitrator. Hunter could sign with any team willing to have him. As it turned out, almost every club in the big leagues wanted him for their pitching staff.

Every team except the San Francisco Giants attempted to sign him. It soon boiled down to just a handful of clubs with a serious shot at landing Catfish. Some of them sent former teammates to visit Hunter at home in order to persuade him to sign.

But one club had an ace up its sleeve in the form of Clyde Kluttz, the former Oakland scout who had convinced Finley to sign Jim in Kluttz now scouted for the Yankees.

They had not qualified for the postseason since But his loss will definitely hurt our club. His relationship with his former Cy Young Award winner was irreparably damaged. Catfish made his debut with the Yankees on April 11, , against the Detroit Tigers and promptly lost, allowing five earned over nine innings.

He proceeded to lose his next two decisions as well before finally beating the Milwaukee Brewers on April As the season wore on, Jim warmed up to his new surroundings.

He rose to the occasion and met the pressure of his new contract head-on, turning in one of his finest seasons in the big leagues. In the Yankees returned to the postseason after an year absence. Hunter took the loss in Game Two, allowing ten hits and walking an uncharacteristically high four batters.

The Yankees won two straight World Series titles in and Hunter appeared in only 43 games over the course of the two seasons, with an overall record of He suffered from arm fatigue, and was diagnosed with diabetes in February of In he posted a respectable record, and pitched especially well in the thick of the pennant race in August, winning six games to go with a 1.

In the final postseason appearance of his career, he beat the Dodgers in Game Six of the World Series to give the Yankees their second straight title. For Hunter, was a devastating year personally and, as it turned out, his final season in the big leagues. On May 12 Clyde Kluttz, the man Jim most admired in baseball, died from a blood clot just one day after insisting to Jim on a telephone call that he was doing fine and was just tired.

On July 26 Hunter was making preparations to pitch when manager Billy Martin called him into his office to inform him that his father, Abbott, had died after a long battle with cancer. He finished the season with a mark and an ERA of over five.

The Yankees finished in fourth place. Catfish made it clear before the season that it would be his final one in a major-league uniform. Fifteen years is enough. Teammates and fans had an opportunity to celebrate his career accomplishments. In his speech to the crowd, Hunter spoke of wishing his father, Abbott, his friend Clyde Kluttz, and his teammate Thurman Munson could have been there to celebrate. He was leaving the game with a heavy heart, but he was just 33 years old, financially secure, and had a loving family who looked forward to having him around the house full-time.

The new baby helped ease Jim into retirement. He owned a 1,acre farm, where he grew corn, soybeans, and peanuts on a portion of the land. He leased the rest of it to other growers. He kept a kennel full of hunting dogs, and remained an avid outdoorsman for the remainder of his life. In Hunter was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

He won games, had five straight seasons with 20 or more wins, and collected five World Series rings. In his induction speech, he thanked Charlie Finley and George Steinbrenner for giving him the opportunity to play. Hunter lived a quiet life on his farm with his family. He died at his home in Hertford on September 9, , at the age of He was buried in Cedar Wood Cemetery in Hertford, just behind the field where he had starred as a high-school pitcher.

Hunter was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ALS, also called Lou Gehrig's Disease in and died in , at age Visitors can see a photo of Catfish signing his first contract, blowups of his Sports Illustrated covers, a Yankees paycheck, a video and much more.

Share Tweet Share Pin Email. Select a Different Cooperative. November Table of Contents. Current Issue. Tar Heel Tidbits. The Yankees won three straight pennants with Hunter from to However, the years of arm strain and the effects of diabetes had begun to toll on the pitcher and in , Hunter retired from baseball.

Hunter was an effective pitcher, not because he overpowered batters with his speed, but because of the precision of his pitching. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Before and after his induction, Hunter spoke highly of his experiences with both the Athletics and Yankees and his appreciation for both team owners, Charlie Finley and George Steinbrenner. For this reason, he refused to choose a team and thus the plaque depicts him without an insignia on the cap.

Hunter died at a hospital in Hertford, North Carolina in after he took a fall down the stairs at his home. He had been suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease at the time. Catfish Hunter's number 27 was retired by the Oakland Athletics in In , he was the subject of the Bob Dylan song, "Catfish.

It was unreleased by Dylan until his box set titled "the bootleg series volumes ," however Joe Cocker recorded the song and included it on his album "Stingray", and Kinky Friedman released a live version on his "Lasso from El Paso" album. Growing up together, Hollowel was best friends with the young Jim Hunter.

There is an annual softball event held in memory of Hunter every year in his hometown of Hertford, NC. All proceeds from the weekend benefit ALS research. The tournament can be reached at myspace. Catfish Hunter was only the 4th and last American League pitcher to win 20 games in a season for 5 consecutive seasons