Catfish Hunter
MLB debut May 13, 1965 for the Kansas City Athletics Last MLB appearance September 17, 1979 for the New York Yankees Career 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) Pitched a perfect game on May 8, 1968 Oakland Athletics #27 retired Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction 1987 Vote 76.27% (third ballot) James Augustus "Jim" or "Catfish" Hunter (April 8, 1946 – September 9, 1999) was a professional baseball player in Major League Baseball (MLB). From 1965 to 1979, he was a pitcher for the Kansas City Athletics, Oakland Athletics, and New York Yankees. Hunter was the first pitcher since 1915 to win 200 career games by the age of 31. He is often referred to as baseball's first big-money free agent. He was a member of five World Series championship teams. Hunter retired in 1979 after developing persistent arm problems. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987. He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, in his early 50s. He 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".