Hunter, Catfish

Catfish Hunter, byname of James Augustus Hunter, (born April 8, 1946, Hertford, North Carolina, U.S.—died September 9, 1999, Hertford), American professional baseball player who was one of the most successful right-handed pitchers of the modern era. He was nicknamed “Catfish” by Oakland Athletics (A’s) owner Charlie Finley, ostensibly because of the pitcher’s love for fishing.

Hunter signed with the American League Kansas City A’s shortly after he turned 18 in 1964. A hunting injury caused him to miss the 1964 season. He was moved up to the major league club and began playing in 1965. After the A’s moved to Oakland, California, Hunter hurled a perfect game (the seventh in major league history) against the Minnesota Twins in 1968 and was the ace of the Oakland team that won four consecutive American League pennants (1971–74) and three consecutive World Series (1972–74).

Hunter, a Cy Young Award winner in 1974, won more than 20 games five seasons in a row, including 1975, when he was 25–13. Hunter became a free agent after the 1975 season and sparked a bidding war for his services. He ultimately joined the New York Yankees for five years at $3.75 million, baseball’s highest salary at the time. Hunter formed the cornerstone of the Yankees team that won two World Series during his tenure.

Hunter was invaluable not just for his mastery on the mound but for his leadership skills. He won 224 games during 15 major league seasons and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot, at age 41. Hunter, a humorous raconteur and gentleman farmer who always returned to his North Carolina roots, suffered and died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis—called Lou Gehrig disease after the New York Yankee great who died of the disease in 1941.