. Catfish Hunter left the Athletics via free agency following the 1974 season and signed with the Yankees. 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. Catfish Hunter was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1987. All proceeds from the weekend benefit ALS research. 1972-74 Oakland Athletics, .avia-section.av-k6v62xgq-c0812a68936ee67ed4883eaa9d35be9b{ There were two flaws to this argument. 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?. (Hunter wished to have such an annuity in lieu of immediate salary for tax reasons. : It is my opinion that Hunter still belongs to the A's. Just like that, Major League Baseball had its first true free agent. Notably absent from the proceedings was George Steinbrenner, the Yankee general partner who is forbidden from participating in Yankee affairs under terms of his twoyear suspension from baseball following his conviction for illegal political contributions. Pen has two white stripes running down the length of the pen, one on each side. Cedarwood Cemetery, Hertford, NC, High School: Perquimans HS (Perquimans, NC), Debut: [36] Hunter is interred at Cedarwood Cemetery in Hertford, adjacent to the field where he played high school baseball. All rights reserved. This time they're confident Finley won't beat them, but, Paul added, The courts take precedence over everything. Every effort has been made to accurately determine the rights status of images. 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. On September 5, 2018, Hunter was inducted into the Oakland Athletics first Hall of Fame class, with wife, Helen, there to receive the honor. 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. National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Catfish Hunter was also a competent hitter, with a career batting average of .226; in 1971 he hit .350 with 36 hits in 38 games. 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) . Hunter got off to a rough start going 03 in his first three starts, but settled down and was named to his seventh All-Star team. This material is made available for private study, scholarship, and research use. Every effort has been made to accurately determine the rights status of images. In the midst of the mayhem, the phone rang. 2003-2023 Chegg Inc. All rights reserved. Charlie said, Here's the money, Hunter recalled. After Hunter's death, former teammate Reggie Jackson described Hunter as a "fabulous human being. The first team to make an offer, the Cleveland Indians, opened with $2.4 million over 10 years. The display swayed MacPhail, who later said, The Oakland club offered everything to which [Hunter] is entitled. [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. Hunter went 2-9 with a 5.31 ERA in 19 starts in 1979, before retiring at the age of 33. But before Steinbrenner had gone off to serve his suspension, hed said this to Paul: Any time you have the opportunity to get control of a player for cash, go ahead.. The Yankees, meanwhile, were revitalized by their new addition. 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. Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1987. I offer him the money and he wont take it.. It's 10 pages long in my handwriting and I'm the only one who can read my writing., As Hunter sat calmly behind a desk in a blue longsleeved sport shirt, blue and black checked slacks and a blue Yankee cap, Paul, his new boss, explained that as late as 8 o'clock there were some areas [in the agreement] that could've killed the whole thing.. us, Died: Catfish Hunter weighed 190 lbs (86 kg) when playing. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Javascript is required for the selection of a player. background-image:unset; They were talking about nearly $3.5 million over five years, and Paul needed help. 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. The most recent challenge to the reserve clause, made by St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Curt Flood, had been denied by the U.S. Supreme Court two years before. 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. 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. Finley, he said, you pay it the way the contract reads, and everything will be just fine. Finley launched into histrionics, crying to MacPhail, What can I do? Catfish Hunter weighed 190 lbs (86 kg) when playing. Watch. I hung up the phone, Hunter said at the time when he learned of the ruling, and turned to my wife and said, We dont belong to anybody.. 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 was afraid his career might be over in the summer of 1978, because of shoulder problems. There was no indication what it was about. Finley gave Hunter the nickname "Catfish" in 1965 because he thought his 19-year-old pitcher needed a flashy nickname. (Voted by BBWAA on 315/413 ballots) Tasked to make sense of it was a three-person panel. On Wednesday, May 8, against the Minnesota Twins, Hunter pitched the ninth perfect game in baseball history. Im sure that he will be with us next season. Privately, he was less reticent. Just walking into Yankee Stadium chills, run through you. I bought the whole town of Ahoskie drinks last night, and it only cost me two dollars.. As for the New York Mets, Flythe said: I informed Mr. Grant [M. Donald, the Mets board chairman] yesterday that his proposal was pretty far down the line and I wouldn't be calling him again unless he wanted to increase the offer.. In the movie Grumpier Old Men, an enormous and highly prized fish is named "Catfish Hunter" by the locals. I hung up the phone, turned to my wife and said, We don't belong to anybody. I was scared. News. The land was important to Hunter, who as a local farmer possessed innate understanding of its value. (12 x $4,166.67 = $50,000.04. Heis often referred to as baseball's first big-money free agent, and was a member of five World Series championship teams.[1]. He lost 12 games and had a 2,49 earnedrun average. Hunter was the first pitcher since 1915 to win 200 games by age31. When Hunter claimed to become a free agent after the season, he had little idea whether it would actually come to pass. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Object number B-1975-0563. 12,369th in major league history) 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. In addition to the money, Hunter got the bonuses he was looking for including guaranteed insurance payments and annuities for college tuition for his two children. One last time, Hunter was freed up in a different way. Bitter feelings from that exchange stayed with the pitcher for a long time, and informed his future actions. Born: inHertford,NC, Buried: 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. His older brothers taught him to pitch,[2] and his pitching skill began to attract scouts from MLB teams to Hertford. The race was on. 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. Jackson kept winning in New York the way he and Hunter -- whom Jackson once described as the boss of the old As -- had won those three World Series titles in Oakland. Pittsburgh offered $3.75 million for five years, plus, among other perks, limited partnership in five new Wal-Mart stores. Catfish Hunter played 15 seasons. . The decision, which Finley is contesting in court, created a unique situation in baseball history. Please email us if you have further information on the rights status of an image contrary to or in addition to the information in our records. Twenty-two of the remaining 23 teams all but the San Francisco Giants entered the sweepstakes for baseballs best big game pitcher. 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. He asked Finley for a leave of absence between starts to pull something together, but his request was denied. Dec. 31, 1974: Catfish Hunter, five . If you have corrections or additional information about this object, please email research@baseballhall.org to help improve our records. According to Paul, the Yankees signed Hunter last night rather than wait until 1975 on the advice of Greenwald, their tax lawyer. That winter he sold 80 percent of the farm to a family friend for his initial $150,000 investment and sent the money to the Owner. 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. He found Hunter chock-full of questions. - B-NY76-B (Doug McWilliams / National Baseball Hall of Fame Library), One thing worried me, Miller later reflected. but the Kansas City Athletics signed Catfish Hunter to a contract. On Oct. 4 the MLBPA sent a telegram to Finleys Chicago office, notifying the Owner of his default and informing him that because of the impending playoffs and World Series, the effective date of termination [of Hunters contract] shall be the day following the last game played by the Oakland Athletics in 1974., The ALCS began at the Coliseum the following day. 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. He exemplified class and dignity and he taught us how to win. We need to calculate the future value of this. 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. Copyright 2017 by Jason Turbow. He was credited by Steinbrenner as the cornerstone of the Yankees in their return to championship form. Hunter's contract with the A's was straightforward. 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. Catfish Hunter was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1987. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Friday, March 3, 1:04PM. He sided with Hunter completely. 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. . He had his best season in his last. National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. "How a contract breach led Catfish Hunter to become baseball's first real free agent", "Catfish forever altered economics of sports", "Catfish selects Yankees, Pirates offer short $ $", "Hunter ruling stands but Finley to appeal", "Yearly League Leaders & Records for Complete Games", "Blue Jays Beat Yanks; Hunter on Disabled List", "Catfish Hunter still planning on retirement", "Hunter regains consciousness after fall", "Ace pitcher and baseball's first free-agent star", "Hunter Is Buried in the Town Where He Learned Baseball", "Perquimans County Chamber of Commerce/Visitor Center & Jim "Catfish" Hunter Museum", The ALS Association Jim "Catfish" Hunter Chapter, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Catfish_Hunter&oldid=1136285306, May 13,1965,for theKansas City Athletics, September 17,1979,for theNew York Yankees, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 29 January 2023, at 16:54. in Hertford, NC . But a free agent of Hunter's experience and status was unheard of. See the article in its original context from. 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. [6] Hunter made his professional baseball debut in the Florida Instructional League in 1964 but otherwise never played in the minor leagues. Hed always wanted to earn six figures, and when Finley made the offer it seemed just fine. 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. Steinbrenner? This is a 12-month CONTRACT position with a possible extension . 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. From that point on, every deal Hunter made with Finley was extensively documented, with signatures from each party in all the appropriate places. [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. Regal. It was from Finley. It would have priced the pitchers services at below half his current value, never mind inflation. The document would come to be known around Yankees HQ as the Catfish Hunter Manifesto.. [22] He also became only the fourth (and last) American League pitcher to win 20 games in a season for five consecutive seasons (19711975). He also won four times without losing in the World Series. Without its ace, Finleys As would fall to last place by 1977. Hollowell was best friends with the young Jim Hunter while they grew up together. So the Yankees beat out the Pirates, Dodgers, Padres, Royals, Expos and Cleveland for Hunters services. Find Catfish Hunter stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. 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.. On Feb. 11, 1974, Hunter agreed with Finley on a two-year deal at $100,000 peronly the second multiyear contract the Owner ever awarded. He may not have fully understood how baseball had been changed forever because of Seitzs ruling, a year before Seitz essentially ended baseballs reserve clause, which had previously bound players to their teams until, and unless, they were released. Ultimately, though, New Yorks offer wasnt close enough to merit serious consideration. Finley agreed. 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. . One thing Paul had working in his favor, however, was Yankees director of minor league scouting Clyde Kluttz. (Age 33-162d) Use of this website (including any and all parts and components) constitutes your acceptance of these, Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic: Reggie, Rollie, Catfish, and Charlie Finleys Swingin As. This was the highest ever at the time which also earned him immense fame. After a bidding war that included nearly every MLB team, the Yankees and Catfish Hunter ink a five-year/$3.75 million contract. Show your love of the game and play a part in preserving past and ensuring the future of the Baseball Hall of Fame. You were the first to teach us how to win.. The ramifications of Hunters landmark contract, meanwhile, were felt outside the Bronx. Hunter played linebacker and offensive tackle in football as well as shortstop, cleanup batter, and pitcher in baseball. 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? 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.. [6] He became the American League's first perfect game pitcher since Charlie Robertson in 1922 (excluding Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series), as well as the franchise's first no-hit pitcher since Bill McCahan in 1947 with what were then the Philadelphia Athletics.
Gilbert Artemus (Artie) Darrell