Home › Hall of Famers ›

Hunter, Catfish

James Augustus Hunter
Born: April 8, 1946, Hertford, North Carolina
Died: September 9, 1999, Hertford, North Carolina
Bats: 
Right
Throws: 
Right
Played For: 
Kansas City A's (1965-1967), Oakland A's (1968-1974), New York Yankees (1975-1979)
Elected to the Hall of Fame by Baseball Writers: 1987
Biography: 

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 Hunter still won 224 games and five World Series rings. The likable pitching ace died in 1999 at age 53 as a victim of ALS, the same disease that cut short the life of Lou Gehrig.

Click here to see additional information provided by Baseball-Reference

Induction Speech

Did You Know: 
that 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?
Winning isn't the only thing, but wanting to is.