Finley gave Hunter the nickname "Catfish" in 1965 because he thought his 19-year-old pitcher needed a flashy nickname. More precisely, there were to be semi-monthly contributions in Hunter's name to the Jefferson Insurance Company with the first payment on April 16 and the final. That was their signing of Dick Williams to manage the club after he resigned as manager of the A's with one year to go on his contract. An arbitration ruling had to possess serious discrepancies to be overturnedcapricious, arbitrary or dishonest conduct was how Kuhn described it, even as he noted that none of the above factored into Seitzs decision. Catfish Hunter of the New York Yankees warms-up during spring training in March, 1975 in . 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. [4] At the time, Hall of Fame officials would always defer to the player's wishes in determining which team would be memorialized on his Hall of Fame Plaque. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Friday, March 3, 1:04PM. Self-guided tour or VIP experience. News. Find Catfish Hunter stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. [36] Hunter is interred at Cedarwood Cemetery in Hertford, adjacent to the field where he played high school baseball. Gabe Paul, the Yankee president, refused to disclose monetary terms but it was believed to be a $3.75million package. The race was on. [37], Along with Billy Williams and Ray Dandridge, Hunter was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 1987. Hunters case was brought before arbitrator Peter Seitz in December, and Finley claimed to be confused by the terms of Hunters contract. 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. Hunter became a free agent after Oakland A's owner Charlie Finley was found to be in breach of contract after he refused to pay $50,000 for an insurance annuity that was part of the pitcher's. Hunter, a major leaguer for 10 years, tied for the most victories, in the majors last season with 25. What position did Catfish Hunter play? [4] He had won 161 games for the A's, 131 in seven seasons in Oakland and 30 in his first three seasons in Kansas City. Joked Burke, Well, we wont have to worry about that, will we? 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. What about the five grand he gave him for pitching a perfect game, or the cost of a new Cadillac for winning 21 in 1971? Hunter and his team entertained between three and five clubs a day, 48 executives in all by the time things wrapped up. He exemplified class and dignity and he taught us how to win. All rights reserved. When Hunter asked, however, what would happen to the contract after he died, Kansas City GM Joe Burke told him that his demise would be the termination point. Catfish Hunter was born on April 8, 1946. Seek out and celebrate your heroes, and explore online and in-person exhibits commemorating the history and impact of the game. [2][29] Hunter won 63 games in his five seasons with the Yankees. 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. Mr. Hadnt he stuck with him through his hunting accident? 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. If the arbitrator sided with Hunter, the star pitchers contract could be voided. I dont know much about this, Jerry. There was no questioning, however, that Catfish meant every word he said. - B-NY76-B (Doug McWilliams / National Baseball Hall of Fame Library), One thing worried me, Miller later reflected. The courts agreed, refusing Finleys plea at two levels of the judiciary. That was drastic. Hunter was effectively pitching for half the money for which he signed. The land was important to Hunter, who as a local farmer possessed innate understanding of its value. [24] He left the game with a bruised foot and was eventually placed on the 21-day disabled list with the injury, not pitching again until May5. You have breakfast with that boy tomorrow morning, she insisted. Dont sign nothing else, Kluttz advised. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. 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. Even less palatable for Finley was the discovery that about $25,000 in taxes was due immediately, and he would be the one paying them. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. By early August Finley was sufficiently concerned to urge Hunter to accept a straight payment of $50,000. Hunter was the last major league pitcher to throw 30 complete games in a season. 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. Finley's default on his contractual obligation led to Hunter's historic free agency. Catfish Hunter's 1974 baseball contract with the Oakland Athletics called for half of his $100,000 salary to be paid to a life insurance company of his choice for the purchase of a deferred annuity. He was a man of honor. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Further suppose that Hunter had drawn a level January 1st salary for twenty years, beginning on January 1, 1980, the first January after his retirement. Dec. 31, 1974: Catfish Hunter, five . Finley.[5]. 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. Reserve your tickets, map your route, and work out all the details for your arrival in Cooperstown. Catfish Hunter's 1974 baseball contract with the Oakland Athletics called for half of his $100,000 salary to be paid to a life insurance company of his choice for the purchase of a deferred annuity. Telling the pitcher to lay low until the end of the season, the agent said that hed visit Cherry in North Carolina over the winter to work out details. 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. Bitter feelings from that exchange stayed with the pitcher for a long time, and informed his future actions. vs. CHW 2.0 IP, 0 H, 2 SO, 1 BB, 0 ER, Last Game: Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. You talk to him once more. So Kluttz did exactly that. Hunter, Jim, 1946-1999. Catfish was the clear ace, making four more All-Star teams in Oakland while averaging an incredible 38 starts and 281 innings per year, not counting postseason. Second, so what if you're in the orchestra? 46 Years Ago. Dec. 31, 1974: Catfish. 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. He was tired of the hour-long drive into Ahoskie, not to mention that the baseball season ended two months earlier and he hadnt so much as dusted off his hunting rifle. Amid the fervor for the pitchers services, he was supplicating himselfor coming as close to it as he knew how. Finleys bombardment peaked in August. us, Died: Recouping his loan to Hunter was among the Owners quickest paths to solvency. September 17, 1979 It was clear he was not buying Finley's story, when Charlie said he knew nothing about this and claimed he did not understand the deferred payments.. Catfish Hunter Stats, Fantasy & News. Hunter was the first pitcher since 1915 to win 200 games by age31. Born: 8-Apr-1946 Birthplace: Hertford, NC Died: 9-Sep-1999 Location of . I thought it might be too drastic for an arbitrator.. Seitz took 20 days to announce his decision, and when he did it was groundbreaking. (California Angels owner) Gene Autry came down here handing out records of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Hunter said. Explore the map and charts for more successful Flathead catfish fishing. The total. It was also the location of the law offices of J. Carlton Cherry, Hunters 68-year-old longtime attorney, who had maintained a practice in town for some 45 years. The Yankees, trying to regain the glory that was theirs until the last decade, landed the 28yearold righthander, considered by many experts to be baseball's premier pitcher, with an assist from Clyde Kluttz, a club scout. While the union of baseballs most famous team and perhaps its most famous pitcher was intriguing enough, the price tag was the true headline: A five-year deal worth about $3.2 million, along with a $1 million signing bonus. Hunter played linebacker and offensive tackle in football as well as shortstop, cleanup batter, and pitcher in baseball. It increases the club's chances of winning a pennant., Nor, Hunter said, would all the money dilute his desire to win. The catfish fish (under the chicken) was fried to perfection and seasoned well. Regal. 30 Facts About Catfish Hunter | FactSnippet. Early speculation said that it might take as much as $1 million to lock him up. All proceeds from the weekend benefit ALS research. 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. Put it into a life insurance annuity, he said, which could be cashed in for additional income once Hunters baseball career ended. Catfish Hunter Contract pen. Shortly after 7:00 p.m. Paul had a staffer schedule a news conference for 8:15. 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.. For reasons that remain nebulous to this day, Finley failed to make a $50,000 life insurance annuity payment on behalf of Jim "Catfish" Hunter, even though it was clearly stipulated in the ace pitcher's contract. At Hunters salary$21,500 in 1969, $33,200 in 70it was a stretch, but worth it. That is exactly how Cherry wrote the addendum: $50,000 per year, to be paid at regular intervals through the season, and $50,000 disbursed to an entity of Hunters choosing. My favorite player of all time. They were talking about nearly $3.5 million over five years, and Paul needed help. Before seeing Cherry, however, he stopped at the Tomahawk Motel to meet Kluttz for a cup of coffee. 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. 071B6200168 between THE STATE OF MICHIGAN and NAME & ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR / VENDOR VENDOR TELEPHONE CLIENT NETWORK SERVICES, INC. (CNSI) (301) 634-4600 702 King Farm Boulevard, 2nd Floor Rockville, MD 20850 Mr. B. Chatterjee, President [chatterjee@cns-inc.com](or) BUYER/CA Dale Reif Mr. Jaytee Kanwal, Chief Financial Officer (or) . As a fellow North Carolinian, hed endeared himself to the Hunter family, earning extra points shortly after Hunter first signed when Finley tried to backtrack and get the teenager to agree to a second contractdated 1965 instead of 1964that would have allowed him to be sent to the minors without penalty owing to the expiration of the bonus baby rule. 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. Catfish Hunter had 2,012 strikeouts over his career. 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. Twenty-two of the remaining 23 teams all but the San Francisco Giants entered the sweepstakes for baseballs best big game pitcher. But it was huge money at the time, ending what the New York Times called the most celebrated bidding war in American history.. He was credited by Steinbrenner as the cornerstone of the Yankees in their return to championship form. James Augustus "Catfish" Hunter played for championship teams in both Oakland and New York, finding success wherever he went. Cedarwood Cemetery, Hertford, NC, High School: Perquimans HS (Perquimans, NC), Debut: The Jim "Catfish" Hunter Memorial is located in Hertford. Charlie said, Here's the money, Hunter recalled. The deal makes him the highest paid player in baseball . Bio/Historical NotePen 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. He sided with Hunter completely. There was no hiding it now. AKA James Augustus Hunter. [3] The song was later released by Dylan, Joe Cocker and Kinky Friedman. Ring in the new. Do you think Im a free agent?, Jim, let me ask you this, said Kapstein. Select from premium Catfish Hunter of the highest quality. . Continuing his explanation of why he picked the Yankees, Hunter said, To be a Yankee is a thought in everyone's head and mine. Youll be dead. It was not a good joke, and it continued to sour Hunter even after the Royals added $30,000 per year for the rest of Helen Hunters life as well. In 2019, MLB's revenues were $10.7 billion, the average player's salary $4.43 million. In 1976, Hunter was also the subject of the Bobby Hollowell song "The Catfish Kid (Ballad of Jim Hunter)", which was performed by Big Tom White and released on a 45 RPM single. Just walking into Yankee Stadium chills, run through you. In obtaining Hunter, the Yankees immeasurably improved their chances for winning their first pennant since 1964. 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. Hunter probably didnt think he was changing the world because an arbitrator ruled in his favor. If he hadnt agreed to the arrangement, after all, it could hardly be valid. 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. Hadnt he showered him with a $75,000 signing bonus? Be sure no one else knows, he warned. Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database. 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. It was Catfish who, after being declared a free agent by an arbitrator in December 1974, was made baseball's highest-paid player by the New York Yankees. It started with Catfish making $640,000 a year for five years. This material is made available for private study, scholarship, and research use. That was the biggest thing that ever came to Ahoskie (N.C.).. There is no way that New York would have caught Boston during that unforgettable summer, or go on to win its second World Series title in a row, without Hunter pitching the way he did down the stretch. As soon as the season ended Hunter raced home to arrange for a second loan to cover the first, but gave up when a boundary-line dispute delayed the proceedings. He had just completed a stellar season, capturing the Cy Young Award after leading the American League in wins (25) and earned run average (2.49) and powering the Oakland Athletics to their third consecutive World Series title. I tried not to think the worst of him, but it was impossible.. When Kluttz called his wife, Wayne, from the airport to tell her that he and Paul were homeward bound, she surprised him with instructions to stay put. [2][9][10] Hunter recalled being scared after he was declared a free agent. 1974 December 31. In the Marvel Comics' Tomb of Dracula #51 (December 1976, page 26), the narrative written by Marv Wolfman states that "Dracula throws Blade through a window with the ease of Catfish Hunter throwing a fastball. In that moment, Hunter -- one of the great pitchers of his time -- became baseball's first free agent. Finley claimed that he was fulfilling the contract when he offered Hunter a $50,000 check at the end of the season. Object number B-1975-0563. Kluttz, who never earned more than $10,000 as a major league catcher, is a hunting companion of the pitcher in the offseason in North Carolina where both live. Pittsburgh offered $3.75 million for five years, plus, among other perks, limited partnership in five new Wal-Mart stores. Is Catfish Hunter in the Hall of Fame? The votes of the first two membersMiller, on behalf of the players, and John Gaherin, the owners chief negotiatorcanceled each other out. Find the amount of the annual salary payments. . Many thanks to him. Although Cherry provided specific directions for the annuity depositto be paid to the Jefferson Insurance Company of North Carolina, starting midseasonthe Owner did not put a penny toward it. This placed more strain on the financial reserves of Charles O. Finley & Company than anticipated. Ordinarily, Paul could go directly to owner George Steinbrenner for approval, but the Boss had been suspended by Bowie Kuhn for making illegal campaign contributions to Richard Nixon and was temporarily banned from contact. 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.