This material is made available for private study, scholarship, and research use. 12,369th in major league history) If he hadnt agreed to the arrangement, after all, it could hardly be valid. The following is excerpted fromDynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic: Reggie, Rollie, Catfish, and Charlie Finleys Swingin As. Finley claimed that he was fulfilling the contract when he offered Hunter a $50,000 check at the end of the season. And when it came time for the American League's 1974 Cy Young Award winner to make his choice, he was swayed not by the money but by Kluttz's involvement and the Yankee image. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Friday, March 3, 1:04PM. And what about the farm loan? Ultimately, though, New Yorks offer wasnt close enough to merit serious consideration. Phoenix, AZ 85004 After a contract violation on an annuity by Finley in 1974, Catfish Hunter won arbitration in December and he was allowed to leave the Athletics as a free agent. Desperate to find a suitable arrangement, he even offered up insanity: a 10-year contract at $15,000 per season in lieu of the $150,000 that he owed. This time they're confident Finley won't beat them, but, Paul added, The courts take precedence over everything. Finley gave Hunter the nickname "Catfish" in 1965 because he thought his 19-year-old pitcher needed a flashy nickname. Discover one-of-a-kind artifacts and get lost in sweeping exhibitions that explore pivotal moments in the game and its impact far beyond the field. well, they were breaking new ground. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. And the map shows spots in Michigan, where fishermen caught Flathead catfish. When Finley rebuffed, Marvin Miller, head of the Major League Baseball Players Association, seized the opportunity. Order online. Finley, unwilling to consider anybodys terms but his own, refused. Bio/Historical Note Pen used by Jim "Catfish" Hunter to sign a five-year contract estimated at $3.75 million with the New York Yankees on December 31, 1974. Ill give you the money, and we can go try to win the World Series. Catfish, heeding Cherrys advice, turned him down. Finley argued that he believed the deal to involve deferred money, paid after the pitchers career endednot a sum due right away. From that point on, every deal Hunter made with Finley was extensively documented, with signatures from each party in all the appropriate places. In spring training, he was diagnosed with diabetes[27][28] and combined with his chronic arm trouble the disease began to sap Hunter's energy. He had a heck of a sense of humor. What position did Catfish Hunter play? Upon landing in New York at 6:00 p.m., the group sped to Pauls office, where they pored over the details, point by point. The courts agreed, refusing Finleys plea at two levels of the judiciary. The Owner immediately sought a court order overturning Seitzs ruling. [3] The accident left Hunter somewhat hobbled and jeopardized his prospects in the eyes of many professional scouts, but the Kansas City Athletics signed Hunter to a contract. This material is made available for private study, scholarship, and research use. When the 24-year-old finished the 1970 season with an 18-14 recordtantalizingly close to his first 20-win campaignhe knew just where to look for the two missing victories. You started our success, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner told Hunter upon the pitchers induction to the Hall of Fame in 1987. James Augustus "Catfish" Hunter played for championship teams in both Oakland and New York, finding success wherever he went. The money Hunter made when he signed that night at the Yankees old offices in the Parks Administration Building (in Flushing, Queens, of all places) seems quaint in comparison to the money modern free agents now make. [41] An annual softball event is held in Hertford in memory of Hunter. It seemed for a moment that the midnight deadline might come and go. (Age 19-035d, In his first season in New York, Hunter led the American League with 23 wins and 328 innings pitched. I offer him the money and he wont take it.. Dont sign nothing else, Kluttz advised. The following winter, Seitz declared them to be free agents, effectively ending the reserve clause and bringing about the first free agent player draft on Nov 4, 1976. After a dispute over a technicality in his contract with Oakland A's owner, Charles O. Finley, Hunter had become the first free agent in baseball's modern era. His attorney back home in North Carolina, J. Carlton Cherry, had advised him to defer some of it. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Reserve your tickets, map your route, and work out all the details for your arrival in Cooperstown. Asked if Hunter's high salary would affect the morale of the other players, Paul said, The morale of the club is helped when you add a man of Hunter's status. One was that Finley, while poring over the contract, added revisions in his own handwritinginstructions to his payroll department to earmark payments to whomever Hunter designated. from the SABR BioProject, More Catfish Hunter Pages at Baseball Reference. But after making such fine history in Oakland -- in the Fall Classics and with four straight 20-win seasons -- Hunter made a different kind of history off the field in New York on New Years Eve, where the big news on that night wasnt just a ball dropping in Times Square. Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1987. Kluttz was no fan of the urban environment, but there were places on the outskirts with space to breathe. Do you have a blog? My confidence grew as the hearing developed, Miller said. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. Ahoskie, N.C., population 5,500, was the big city close to Hunters home in Hertford, about an hours drive to the northwest. An arbitration hearing took place on Nov. 26 in New York. All because the quiet man from Hertford, N.C., didnt legally belong to anybody after it was ruled that he could leave Charlie Finleys As and make his own choices about where he wanted to pitch next. You know Jim and he knows you. They might not rank with the trade for a Babe Ruth, but they'll do for their present needs. He found Hunter chock-full of questions. The display swayed MacPhail, who later said, The Oakland club offered everything to which [Hunter] is entitled. We can't go against the decision of the courts., Informed of Hunter's signing, Finley said from his home in LaPorte, Ind. Not long afterward, with Steinbrenner back in control of the Yankees and starting to throw money around, he signed Catfish Hunters old As teammate, Reggie Jackson, to a five-year contract with a total value of $3.5 million. Hunter was the last major league pitcher to throw 30 complete games in a season. Hunter eventually pitched in three World Series for the Yankees, after winning three straight championships with the As from 1972-74, before coming to New York. Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. But the document in question was the only contract Hunter had. By Oct. 11 it was national news. [2][11][12][13][14] He had been courted by 23 of the 24 teams, including the A's but not the San Francisco Giants,[15] and refused higher offers from the San Diego Padres and the Kansas City Royals. He sided with Hunter completely. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Born: Hunter had arm troubles in New York and was diagnosed with diabetes, and he only occasionally looked like the pitcher who had gone 88-35 over his final four seasons with the As. . But a free agent of Hunter's experience and status was unheard of. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? "We don't belong to anybody", he told his wife.[2]. Every effort has been made to accurately determine the rights status of images. Object number: B-1968-0141. That was drastic. however, I hereby offer, without qualification, to purchase and own the annuity on your life as you requested on or about August 1, 1974.. Exceeded rookie limits during 1965 season, View Player Bio [39] His number 27 was retired by the Oakland Athletics in a pre-game ceremony on June 9, 1991, the first in the franchise's 90 year history.[38][40]. Keep up with headlines and events at the Baseball Hall of Fame, and see who will be taking their place in history next. [25][26], Arm injuries plagued Hunter beginning in 1978. Ring out the old. If you have corrections or additional information about this object, please email research@baseballhall.org to help improve our records. Hunter was the first pitcher since 1915 to win 200 games by age31. See the article in its original context from. Mr. He was a man of loyalty. If it hadn't been for him, the Yankees would've had a little more trouble signing me.. . Hunter grew nervous, began losing sleep. 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. Day trip or a week-long adventure. The deal makes him the highest paid player in baseball . There was no indication what it was about. Those three seasons, 1972-74, ended with the A's as World Champions each time. Lets get this out of the way, he told the pitcher. Pen used by Jim "Catfish" Hunter to sign a five-year contract estimated at $3.75 million with the New York Yankees on December 31, 1974. Jim "Catfish" Hunter holds Yankee emblem after signing multi-million dollar contract. Continuing his explanation of why he picked the Yankees, Hunter said, To be a Yankee is a thought in everyone's head and mine. FIFA World Cup - Best Goals from Every Angle, Draw for the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023, Sports Illustrated, Jason Turbow/Sports Illustrated, FOX SPORTS, SPEED, SPEED.COM & 2023 Fox Media LLC and Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. One last time, Hunter was freed up in a different way. You have breakfast with that boy tomorrow morning, she insisted. It was Padres GM Buzzie Bavasi, who had just received approval from owner Ray Kroc to increase his already enormous offer, worth $4.5 million, including cash, stock, and a McDonalds franchise. Such was the Owners myopia that he refused to acknowledge that his actions in recalling the loan undid any goodwill that may have previously been fostered. The ramifications of Hunters landmark contract, meanwhile, were felt outside the Bronx. National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. The tournament has raised over $200,000 since 1999. The irony of Kluttz's presence is that if he had accepted an offer to join the newly created major league scouting bureau late last season, he wouldn't have been available to help the Yankees with Hunter. This, plus the acquisition of Bobby Bonds from San Francisco gives the team two of the biggest deals in its history. Hunter told hima five-year deal with 15 years of deferred money at $100,000 per season, plus college funds for his kids and a variety of perks to be determined. Peter Seitz, who declared Hunter free in a breach-of-contract . Can I live in New York City? There was no hiding it now. [3] The game was scoreless until the bottom of the seventh inning; at the plate, Hunter got three hits and drove in three of Oakland's four runs with a squeeze bunt in the seventh and a bases-loaded single in the eighth.[6]. Hunter would lead them to three consecutive pennants and back-to-back World Series titles in 1977-78, restoring the Bronx Bombers to the top of the baseball world. (1968-74). Bitter feelings from that exchange stayed with the pitcher for a long time, and informed his future actions. When we started winning in Oakland, Cat was the father of those teams, Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson said. . Still, he made it to the end of a contract that were remembering today, because that contract ought to be remembered. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Born: 8-Apr-1946 Birthplace: Hertford, NC Died: 9-Sep-1999 Location of . Anyone can read what you share. Catfish broke the news of his possible departure to Tenace, Bando and Rudi that night over dinner with their wives. I believe there was a higher offer, but no matter how much money offered, if you want to be a Yankee, you dont think about it.. Hunter signed with the Yankees for $3.75 million over five years, proving that a market for veteran free . Hunter was to repay the money at a minimum of $20,000 per year, plus 6 percent interest, for as long as it took to get square. [36] Hunter is interred at Cedarwood Cemetery in Hertford, adjacent to the field where he played high school baseball. Buttermaker asks, "Who do you think you are, Catfish Hunter?" : It is my opinion that Hunter still belongs to the A's. Only a portion of NBHFM's collection is currently online and the information presented here is subject to updates and additions based on research and imaging activities. Pen has a silver clip near the top with "Regal / 39c / Carbide Ball Fine." Find Catfish Hunter stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. While football, basketball and hockey have been subjected to costly bidding wars in the last 15 years because of the birth of competing leagues, baseball has never had that problem. How many seasons did Catfish Hunter play? In the last World Series, he said, I had a card in my locker that said, Winning isn't everything, but wanting to is. I always want to win.. In January 1970 Oakland As owner Charlie Finley loaned 23-year-old pitcher Jim Catfish Hunter $150,000 to buy a 485-acre farm adjacent to his existing property in North Carolina. Hunter came back to the Yankees that July, when they were still 13 games behind the Red Sox in the American League East. Catfish Hunter had 2,012 strikeouts over his career. In obtaining Hunter, the Yankees immeasurably improved their chances for winning their first pennant since 1964. I thought it might be too drastic for an arbitrator.. Turbow, Jason. Twenty-two of the remaining 23 teams all but the San Francisco Giants entered the sweepstakes for baseballs best big game pitcher. He even suggested mediating the dispute himself, which Miller countered with a clause in the Basic Agreement mandating an impartial arbitrator for contract disputes between players and owners. Some owners even flew to Hunters country home in North Carolina to woo the star right-hander. Hunter, Kluttz, and a coterie of lawyers from Cherrys office met Greenwalds plane at the Suffolk Airport in Virginia, some 45 minutes away.
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