The total. 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. Just walking into Yankee Stadium, chills run through you. [35] He was unconscious for several days after the fall, but he had returned home from that hospitalization when he died. After a bidding war that included nearly every MLB team, the Yankees and Catfish Hunter ink a five-year/$3.75 million contract. [21] Hunter became known as baseball's "first big-money free agent".[2]. He also won four times without losing in the World Series. Kluttz signed Hunter to his first professional contract with the Kansas City A's in 1964. It seemed for a moment that the midnight deadline might come and go. The benefit to Finley was that he got to hold on to the money in the interim, earning interest on it all the while. vs. CHW 2.0 IP, 0 H, 2 SO, 1 BB, 0 ER, Last Game: Tenace spent the ensuing days humming If I Were a Rich Man around the clubhouse. 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. I did everything I could to live up to the contract, but he still has not paid the money, Hunter told him. Collections; . Just a few months later, however, the Owner purchased the Memphis Pros of the American Basketball Association, supplementing the hockey team he had already acquired, the NHLs California Golden Seals. I told him, I don't want it that way. He was a man of honor. The display swayed MacPhail, who later said, The Oakland club offered everything to which [Hunter] is entitled. This placed more strain on the financial reserves of Charles O. Finley & Company than anticipated. Twenty-two of the remaining 23 teams all but the San Francisco Giants entered the sweepstakes for baseballs best big game pitcher. Supposedly, Finley was upset about having to pay an additional $25,000 in taxes, but that amount of money would soon become . Regal. Hunter's contract with the A's was straightforward. Catfish Hunter Contract pen. background-image:unset; Some defensive statistics Copyright Sports Info Solutions, 2010-2023. "We don't belong to anybody", he told his wife.[2]. In 2019, MLB's revenues were $10.7 billion, the average player's salary $4.43 million. Copyright 2017 by Jason Turbow. The two men went to Cherrys office, where one of the attorneys partners, Joe Flythe, called Paul with details of the contractual benchmarks that could seal the deal. 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? . The benefit to this arrangement was that instead of being in a high tax bracket in 1974, Hunter would be taxed later on, when he was effectively unemployed and on the hook for a smaller amount. After a contract violation on an annuity by Finley in 1974, Catfish Hunter won arbitration in December and he was allowed to leave the Athletics as a free agent. I hung up the phone, turned to my wife and said, We don't belong to anybody. I was scared. Asked if Hunter's high salary would affect the morale of the other players, Paul said, The morale of the club is helped when you add a man of Hunter's status. Catfish Hunter. Steinbrenner? Catfish Hunter played 15 seasons. [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. There was no indication what it was about. [18][19][20] Further details of Finley's history with Hunter gave the A's owner added negative publicity. [3] The song was later released by Dylan, Joe Cocker and Kinky Friedman. Hunter was declared a free agent after Finley failed to make certain payments called for his in contract. According to Paul, the Yankees signed Hunter last night rather than wait until 1975 on the advice of Greenwald, their tax lawyer. Catfish Hunter of the New York Yankees warms-up during spring training in March, 1975 in . You know Jim and he knows you. James Augustus "Catfish" Hunter played for championship teams in both Oakland and New York, finding success wherever he went. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. [25][26], Arm injuries plagued Hunter beginning in 1978. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. 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. Ill give you the money, and we can go try to win the World Series. Catfish, heeding Cherrys advice, turned him down. [31], He returned to his farm in Hertford where he grew soybeans, corn, peanuts, and cotton, and was a spokesman for diabetes awareness. 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. [2][3] A story circulated that his family gave him the nickname as a child when he went missing and was later found with a string of catfish; there is no truth to that explanation. That last detail, it turned out, would prove to be instrumental in the years to come. By the time they reached New York it was 10 pages long and barely legible, owing to a bumpy trip. Catfish Hunter played for 3 teams; the Kansas City Athletics, Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees. If he hadnt agreed to the arrangement, after all, it could hardly be valid. Exceeded rookie limits during 1965 season, View Player Bio Do you have a sports website? Before seeing Cherry, however, he stopped at the Tomahawk Motel to meet Kluttz for a cup of coffee. Ring out the old. It's also available for football, basketball and hockey. 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. I cant see how anyone can say hes a free agent. The trouble with that logic was that Hunter, like any employee in any profession, was entitled to the terms of his contract, and accepting a check for which hed have to pay taxes was not within those terms. Hunter won his Opening Day start in 1977, limiting the Milwaukee Brewers to three hits over seven shutout innings in a 30 victory on April7. [4] Hunter was sent to the Mayo Clinic that year so that surgeons could work on his foot. Hadnt he showered him with a $75,000 signing bonus? Amanda responds by asking, "Who's he?" National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. [6] Hunter made his professional baseball debut in the Florida Instructional League in 1964 but otherwise never played in the minor leagues. This was the pitcher who was the object of the affections and treasuries of teams that sent a constant stream of representatives to the tiny town of Hertford where Hunter has lived all of his life and the tiny town of Ahoskie where the law firm of Cherry, Cherry and Flythe has its offices. Earlier reports said Hunter ing the deciding vote, took the action after Hunter charged that Charles O. Finley, owner of the Oakland A's, had breached his 1974 contract by not paying $50,000 of his $100,000 salary on a deferred payment basis to an insurance company by the stipulated time. You have breakfast with that boy tomorrow morning, she insisted. [39] His number 27 was retired by the Oakland Athletics in a pre-game ceremony on June 9, 1991, the first in the franchise's 90 year history.[38][40]. 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. 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. I bought the sports jacket I'm wearing now and left by jet at about 2 o'clock. Recouping his loan to Hunter was among the Owners quickest paths to solvency. When Miller and MLB Players Association counsel Dick Moss read the contract, they agreed with Hunters interpretation and sent written notice to Finley about the violation. Pen has two white stripes running down the length of the pen, one on each side. On its surface, this seemed like a boon for him. The signing, announced at a New Year's Eve news conference, took place at the Yankee offices in the Parks Administration Building in Flushing, Queens, where intricate negotiations wound up after Hunter and his lawyers flew here from North Carolina earlier in the day. In that moment, Hunter -- one of the great pitchers of his time -- became baseballs first free agent. But that is exactly what he did. Please note that not all works are on view at all times - their availability is subject to change per the discretion of the Museum staff. The Jim "Catfish" Hunter Memorial is located in Hertford. Heis often referred to as baseball's first big-money free agent, and was a member of five World Series championship teams.[1]. Im sure that he will be with us next season. Privately, he was less reticent. 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. He asked Finley for a leave of absence between starts to pull something together, but his request was denied. Posed action on the mound of James "Catfish" Hunter of the New York Yankees, 1976. 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. 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. During his senior year in November 1963, Hunter's right foot was wounded by a brother in a hunting accident; helost one of his toes and shotgun pellets lodged in his foot. [32][33][34] Hunter noticed arm weakness while hunting in the winter of 19971998. 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). 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. Bob Dylan wrote the song "Catfish" in 1975. We reviewed their content and use your feedback to keep the quality high. Before long the Owner denied having agreed to anything, claiming he never saw the wording appended by Cherry. On New Year's Eve, it shouldn't matter if. This material is made available for private study, scholarship, and research use. . As the room began to fill, the two sides were still finalizing details. See the article in its original context from. The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball, Salaries may not be complete (especially pre-1985) and may not include some earned bonuses, Note, this is done in an automated way, so we apologize for any errors, & please. (Hunter wished to have such an annuity in lieu of immediate salary for tax reasons. 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. Ring in the new. "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. 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