[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. (Voted by BBWAA on 315/413 ballots) Dec. 31, 1974: Catfish. Hunter's contract with the A's was straightforward. I believe there were higher offers, Hunter said after signing his contract, but no matter how much money was offered, if you want to be a Yankee, you dont think about it.. Not only had the period passed, Hunter said, but Finley never even bothered to respond. It put the executive in a tight spot. Hunter, Kluttz, and a coterie of lawyers from Cherrys office met Greenwalds plane at the Suffolk Airport in Virginia, some 45 minutes away. What position did Catfish Hunter play? The Yankees won three straight pennants with Hunter from 1976 to 1978. when his unfortunate suspension was invoked, Paul said of Steinbrenner, he told men, any time you have an opportunity to buy the contract of a player for cash, I want you to go ahead whenever, in your judgment, it would be advantageous to the Yankees.. Object number: B-1975-0563. Before baseball adopted its freeagent draft, major league clubs competed for young prospects and frequently paid upwards of $100,000. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. The turning point in the negotiations came early yesterday afternoon when, after a conference call with the various parties involved, Edward Greenwald, one of nearly 20 owners of the Yankees, flew from his office in Cleveland to pick up Hunter and his lawyers. While Paul and Flythe made travel preparations for New York, Greenwald was already on his way to the airport in Cleveland to charter a plane to North Carolina. 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 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. Hadnt he stuck with him through his hunting accident? 1968 May 08. Catfish Hunter weighed 190 lbs (86 kg) when playing. Hunter claimed Finley had breached his contract by failing to pay him $50,000 - half of Hunter's salary - into a long-term annuity fund. Used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. And what about the farm loan? Thats more money than we wanted to pay, he exuded, but well do it., There was only one catch. All rights reserved. Catfish Hunter - Wikipedia If you have corrections or additional information about this object, please email research@baseballhall.org to help improve our records. View Catfish Hunter's Page at the Baseball Hall of Fame (plaque, photos, videos). Just like that, Major League Baseball had its first true free agent. Ahoskie, N.C., population 5,500, was the big city close to Hunters home in Hertford, about an hours drive to the northwest. Day trip or a week-long adventure. Seizing the opportunity, the Owner brought MacPhail into the clubhouse, where he found Hunter and offered him a check for the outstanding $50,000 on his contract. Blue plastic ballpoint pen and cap. Kluttz talked about the rabid fan base and increased opportunities in the countrys largest media market. By Oct. 11 it was national news. [22] He also became only the fourth (and last) American League pitcher to win 20 games in a season for five consecutive seasons (19711975). Hunter was the last major league pitcher to throw 30 complete games in a season. Solved Given: $160.00 .qi = $1000 find 5221 More pre- | Chegg.com 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 listened, and never spent a day in the minors. He found Hunter chock-full of questions. For three weeks in December 1974, Cherrys firm became the most prominent entity on baseballs landscape, the result of the lawyers decision to avoid sending his client on a tour of interested parties and instead bring the parties to him. He recovered in La Porte, Indiana, at the farm of Athletics owner Charles O. His attorney back home in North Carolina, J. Carlton Cherry, had advised him to defer some of it. Did your lawyer, Mr. Cherry, give Finley official notice of the contract breach?, Did the 10-day period [as stipulated in the contract] pass after Finley received the letter?. At first the Owner didnt respond. Then, he underwent a 10-minute, non-surgical shoulder manipulation at the hands of Yankees team doctor Maurice Cowen. 1974 December 31. Catfish Hunter Contract pen - Works - eMuseum In that instance, Finley was successful in foiling the Yankee effort. Couldnt be worse than Finley, Kluttz reasoned, plus hes just as serious about winning. Born: 8-Apr-1946 Birthplace: Hertford, NC Died: 9-Sep-1999 Location of . Put it into a life insurance annuity, he said, which could be cashed in for additional income once Hunters baseball career ended. Works - Hunter, Jim, 1946-1999 - People & Institutions - eMuseum If he hadnt agreed to the arrangement, after all, it could hardly be valid. Finley, however, was late in delivering the insurance payments, creating strife between owner and pitcher. CREATIVE. The youngest son of eight children, Hunter was born and raised in Hertford in northeast North Carolina. On Oct. 10, two days before the World Series was to start, Jerome Holtzman wrote a story about Hunters contract in the Chicago Sun-Times, based on a report he received from one of Hunters confidantsformer teammate Mike Hershbergerwhich included this bombshell: the best pitcher on the best team in the league was attempting to jump ship. And the map shows spots in Michigan, where fishermen caught Flathead catfish. Finley remained bewildered, at least publicly. Every effort has been made to accurately determine the rights status of images. One thing Paul had working in his favor, however, was Yankees director of minor league scouting Clyde Kluttz. He was owed $100,000 total in 1974, with $50,000 to be paid to him directly from Finley and the remaining half to be issued in monthly payments on an insurance annuity. In September, the pitcher turned to Washington attorney and agent Jerry Kapstein for help, and reported the pertinent details. Later he offered a bevy of excuses, including that the paperwork was lost. Hunter has been the subject of numerous popular culture references, including the Bob Dylan song "Catfish". 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. Win Expectancy, Run Expectancy, and Leverage Index calculations provided by Tom Tango of InsideTheBook.com, and co-author of The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. us, Died: Although his contemporaries were earning much moreTom Seaver made $173,000 in 1974, and Steve Carlton $165,000Catfish had no way of knowing that. Catfish Hunter played 15 seasons. Catfish Hunter played for 3 teams; the Kansas City Athletics, Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees. My favorite player of all time. [3] The song was later released by Dylan, Joe Cocker and Kinky Friedman. Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. Finley was on the hook for the outstanding $50,000, plus interest, for Hunters services in 1974, and because he had not fulfilled the players contract, it was theretofore terminated. The conflict was leaking out to the press by the time Finley, under pressure from Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, finally offered Hunter the insurance payments in a lump sum. . [2][3][30] A month before his death, Hunter fell and hit his head on concrete steps at home. Amid the fervor for the pitchers services, he was supplicating himselfor coming as close to it as he knew how. Phone: 602.496.1460 but the Kansas City Athletics signed Catfish Hunter to a contract. [7] He made his major league debut in May, and earned his first win on July 27 in Fenway Park over the Boston Red Sox. James Augustus Hunter (April 8, 1946 September 9, 1999), nicknamed "Catfish", was a professional baseball player in Major League Baseball (MLB). This placed more strain on the financial reserves of Charles O. Finley & Company than anticipated. One last time, Hunter was freed up in a different way. MLB.TV Buy MLB.TV Buy At Bat MLB . One of the ironic parts of this story -- still such a huge story and turning point in baseball history -- is that even though it was the beginning of the way George Steinbrenner would also change baseball forever, Steinbrenner was suspended from the game at the time because of illegal contributions to the Richard Nixon presidential campaign (a felony for which he was eventually pardoned). 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. Andruw Jones Hall of Fame Classic Home Run Derby Autographed bat, Bob Feller Signing Contract with Hank Greenberg photograph, Babe Ruth and Jacob Ruppert at Contract Signing photograph, Philadelphia Phillies versus San Diego Padres scorecard, Chicago Cubs versus New York Yankees scorecard. Hunter, Catfish | Baseball Hall of Fame Two weeks after he won his arbitration, Hunter became the highest-paid player in baseball and highest-paid pitcher in history when he signed a five-year contract with the New York Yankees worth $3.35 million. 46 Years Ago. An arbitration hearing took place on Nov. 26 in New York. A trip to Cooperstown has something for baseball fans and everyone else. A history of the Sports Reference Sponsorship System. April 8, 1946 Catfish Hunter was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1987. You know Jim and he knows you. Object number: B-1968-0141. Copyright 2017 by Jason Turbow. Many thanks to him. How many seasons did Catfish Hunter play? If the arbitrator sided with Hunter, the star pitchers contract could be voided. I asked [Finley] once why he only called me on the days I was due to pitch, but he said he didnt know when I was going to pitch, Hunter recalled. Miller had been following the dispute closely, and recognized that Finleys breach of contract represented a chance to take Hunters case to a neutral arbitrator. Just a year ago, the Yankees went through a devastating experience with another former Finley employe. After a bidding war that included nearly every MLB team, the Yankees and Catfish Hunter ink a five-year/$3.75 million contract.