Catfish Hunter

From SoSH

Contents 1 Overall Career 2 Awards 3 Achievements 4 Trivia 5 Transactions 6 External Links

Overall Career

James Augustus "Catfish" Hunter (April 8, 1946 - September 9, 1999), the bigger the game, the better he pitched. Jim "Catfish" Hunter, with his pinpoint control, epitomized smart pitching at its finest. He pitched a perfect game in 1968, won 21 or more games five times in a row, and claimed the American League Cy Young Award in 1974. Arm trouble ended his career at age 33, but he still won 224 games and five World Series rings. The likable pitching ace died in 1999 at age 53 - a victim of ALS, the same disease that cut short the life of Lou Gehrig.

Awards

• Elected to Hall of Fame by Baseball Writers in 1987 (76.27%)
  

• 1974 American League Cy Young Award Winner
• 1974 American League TSN Pitcher of the Year
• 8-time American League All-Star (1966-1967, 1970, 1972-1976)

Achievements

• AL ERA Leader (1974)
• 2-time AL Wins Leader (1974 & 1975)
• AL Innings Pitched Leader (1975)
• AL Complete Games Leader (1975)
• 15 Wins Seasons: 7 (1970-1976)
• 20 Wins Seasons: 5 (1971-1975)
• 25 Wins Seasons: 1 (1974)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 10 (1967-1976)
• 300 innings Pitched Seasons: 2 (1974 & 1975)

Trivia

• Jim "Catfish" Hunter's nickname was fabricated by A's owner Charlie Finley, who invented a story for the media about Hunter catching fish in the backwoods creeks of North Carolina.
• Won five World Series Rings with the Oakland Athletics (1972, 1973 & 1974) and the New York Yankees (1977 & 1978)
• Hunter threw a perfect game in 1968 (the first regular season perfect game in the American League in 46 years).

Transactions

• June 8, 1964: Signed by the Kansas City Athletics as an amateur free agent.
• December 16, 1974: Granted Free Agency.
• December 31, 1974: Signed as a Free Agent with the New York Yankees.

External Links

• Catfish Hunter: Hall of Fame Page
• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis