Catfish Hunter

Catfish Hunter
Hunter with the New York Yankees, c. 1977
Pitcher
Born: (1946-04-08)April 8, 1946 Hertford, North Carolina, U.S.
Died: September 9, 1999(1999-09-09) (aged 53) Hertford, North Carolina, U.S.
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
May 13, 1965, for the Kansas City Athletics
Last MLB appearance
September 17, 1979, for the New York Yankees
MLB statistics
Win–loss record	224–166
Earned run average	3.26
Strikeouts	2,012
Teams
Kansas City / Oakland Athletics (1965–1974) New York Yankees (1975–1979)
Career highlights and awards
8× All-Star (1966, 1967, 1970, 1972–1976) 5× World Series champion (1972–1974, 1977, 1978) AL Cy Young Award (1974) 2× MLB wins leader (1974, 1975) AL ERA leader (1974) Pitched a perfect game on May 8, 1968 Oakland Athletics No. 27 retired Athletics Hall of Fame
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	1987
Vote	76.3% (third ballot)

James Augustus Hunter (April 8, 1946 – September 9, 1999), nicknamed "Catfish", was an American professional baseball player in Major League Baseball (MLB). From 1965 to 1979, he was a pitcher for the Kansas City / Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees. Hunter was the first pitcher since 1915 to win 200 games by age 31. He is often referred to as baseball's first big-money free agent, and was a member of five World Series championship teams.^[1]

Hunter retired at age 33 following the 1979 season, after developing persistent arm problems, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987. He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, in his early 50s, and died of the disease about a year after his diagnosis. Hunter has been the subject of numerous popular culture references, including the Bob Dylan song "Catfish".