"Catfish. The first of the free agents. He has two years left on his $3 million contract and indicates he will pack it in after that. Frustrated by recent injuries, Jim bounced back in spring training from the previous year's shoulder problem and was pitching a shutout on Opening Day when he was hit in the foot with a line drive. Out for the month and never the same, he finished with his fewest victories since 1966.
But he's one of five active pitchers with 200 victories and the fourth pitcher in history (along with Cy Young, Walter Johnson and Christy Mathewson) to win 200 before his 31st birthday. He also passed Early Wynn as the all-time American League champ at giving up home runs.
Jim was born in Hertford, North Carolina and still lives there. He's a simple, humble farm boy who has not changed, say his friends and neighbors.
'I think Catfish is going to do a 180-degree turn in 1978 and have a great year,' predicts Yankee boss George Steinbrenner."
-Phil Pepe, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1978 Edition
"James Augustus 'Catfish' Hunter is one of the premier pitchers in American League history. Plain and simple. Just the way Jimmy is off the field.
On the field his accomplishments are legendary. Hunter is one of only four 20th century pitchers to reach 200 wins before age 31. The other three? Cy Young, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson. Not bad company. And only Johnson, Lefty Grove and Catfish have recorded five consecutive 20 victory seasons in American League history. Jim has been selected for eight All-Star teams, is a Cy Young Award winner, and has pitched in six Championship Series and five World Series. But probably his most amazing accomplishment occurred early in his career. In 1968, Jimmy hurled the only regular-season perfect game in the American League in the last 56 years.
Hunter started 1977 in similar fashion- no runs, three hits in seven innings on Opening Day. But a line drive off his instep early in the game started an injury-prone year for a man who has had a relatively injury-free career.
Jimmy worked hard over the winter at his Hertford, North Carolina farm to get ready for the 1978 season. Success has not spoiled this proud gentleman, and he knows what it takes to get back on top. Hard work, plain and simple."
-The New York Yankees Official 1978 Yearbook
"Catfish Hunter is one of the premier pitchers in American League history.
He had an off year in 1977 but was bothered by injuries most of the season. He suffered a bruised left instep while pitching on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium when he was struck by a line drive off the bat of Milwaukee's Von Joshua. Jim spent almost a month on the disabled list and then was troubled with a sore shoulder. There were still games when he threw well and showed sparks of the 'old' Catfish: a 9-2, 6-hit complete-game victory over Texas on June 6; an 8-2, 4-hit complete victory over Cleveland on July 7; a 5-hit, 7-0 shutout over the Brewers on July 21; and a 4-hit, 11-1 complete-game win over the Twins on August 24. Cat managed to complete eight of his 22 starts, though he had trouble with the home run most of the season.
In 1976 Cat became only the fourth pitcher in this century to record his 200th victory prior to his 31st birthday, joining Cy Young, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson. In 1975 he joined Johnson and Lefty Grove as the only American Leaguers to win 20 games in five straight seasons. An eight-time All-Star, Jim's now in his 14th season and has been a regular starting pitcher since he was 19 years old. He has 41 career shutouts, third among active American League pitchers (after Jim Palmer with 45 and Luis Tiant with 43).
Cat won the 1974 Cy Young Award, and was runner-up in 1975; that year, his first as a Yankee, he pitched more complete games than any American Leaguer since Bob Feller in 1946 and pitched more innings than any other Yankee since Carl Mays in 1921. Jim also pitched 10 straight complete games in '75.
Jim signed as a free agent in a celebrated talent chase culminating on New Year's Eve of 1974, making him a household word in America. An arbitration panel had declared him a free agent after the 1974 season over a breach of contract. Jim signed a five-year contract, starting with the 1975 season. These events and the change to the big city left him no less of a fine gentleman than he has always been.
Jim was the youngest of eight children, and was a great athlete at Perquimans High School, making All-State in baseball and football, and as a member of the 440 relay team. He also played Little League and Babe Ruth League ball in his native Hertford, American Legion ball in nearby Ahoskie, and semi-pro ball in Wanchese. Jim rooted for the Indians as a youngster, with Jimmy Piersall as his favorite player. His brothers helped his development as a player, but one of them accidentally shot him in the foot while hunting in 1964, causing some clubs to lose interest in him; he lost the small toe on his right foot. Kansas City scout Clyde Kluttz stayed with him, however, and signed him although Jim was unable to play at all in 1964; hence, he's never pitched in the minor leagues. A's owner Charlie Finley, feeling the need for a colorful nickname, invented 'Catfish.'
Jim first broke into fame in the 1967 All-Star Game, hurling five innings of sterling relief before Tony Perez beat him with a home run. On May 8, 1968, in only the 12th home game ever played by the Oakland A's, Jim hurled a 4-0 perfect game against Minnesota, the only regular-season perfect game in the American League in the last 56 years. Cat helped Oakland to four division championships and three World Championships. His first real injury was a broken thumb suffered in the 1973 All-Star Game when hit by a line drive off the bat of Billy Williams, yet he still won 21 games that year.
Jim is an outstanding fielder and an accomplished hitter, with six home runs and 51 RBIs. His longest win streak was 13 in 1973. In addition to his perfect game, he has a 1-hitter and five 2-hitters, his 1-hitter coming as a Yankee in 1975. His career high in strikeouts is 12 and his longest outing, 13 innings, was accomplished in 1976 (no runs, 11 hits).
He has a 110-acre farm, which his brother runs during the baseball season. Yankee scout Clyde King, a neighbor in North Carolina, worked with Jim over the winter, analyzing his delivery."
-New York Yankees 1978 Media Guide
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