"We don't belong to anybody", he told his wife.[1]. [29], The day after his death, before the start of the Yankees' four-game set with the Baltimore Orioles in the Bronx, the team paid tribute to their deceased captain in a pre-game ceremony in which the starters stood at their defensive positions, save for the catcher's box, which remained empty. Jim "Catfish" Hunter Dead Born: 4/8/1946 in Hertford, North Carolina, USA Died: 9/9/1999 Age: 53 Cause of death: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Full name: James Augustus Hunter Noted For: pitcher, member of the Kansas City A's (1965-67), Oakland A's (1968-74), and New York Yankees (1975-79). James Augustus Hunter (April 8, 1946 – September 9, 1999), nicknamed "Catfish", was a professional baseball player in Major League Baseball (MLB). Johnny Bench had become the first catcher to win all four of these awards when he won his own World Series titles with the Reds in 1975 and 1976. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for your co-operation. [17] An outstanding fielder, Munson committed only one error all season. If you didn't know he was making that kind of money, you'd never guess it because he was humble, very reserved about being a star-type player... almost a little bit shy. ", On August 6, the entire Yankee team attended Munson's funeral in Canton. [38] An annual softball event is held in Hertford in memory of Hunter. Thurman Lee Munson (June 7, 1947 – August 2, 1979) was an American professional baseball catcher who played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the New York Yankees, from 1969 until his death in 1979. The Jim "Catfish" Hunter Memorial is located in Hertford. The tournament has raised over $200,000 since 1999. He is often referred to as baseball's first big-money free agent. Date of Birth: 04/08/1946: Date of Death: 09/09/1999: Age at Death: 53: Cause of Death: ALS Munson died of asphyxiation due to the inhalation of superheated air and toxic substances. [29][30][31] Hunter noticed arm weakness while hunting in the winter of 1997–1998. Cessna offered Munson a special deal on flying lessons if he would take them from FlightSafety International. The Yankees won three straight pennants with Hunter from 1976 to 1978. Torrez hit Munson with a pitch in the first inning, gave up a single to him in the fourth, and threw a pitch up by his head in the sixth. Catfish Hunter was born inside the mind of Charlie Finley. Finley was a successful businessman, and part of being a successful businessman requires understanding how best to market a product. The pilot also failed to recognize the need for timely and sufficient power application to prevent the stall during an approach conducted inadvertently without flaps extended. Thurman Lee Munson (June 7, 1947 – August 2, 1979) was an American professional baseball catcher who played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the New York Yankees, from 1969 until his Reds catcher Johnny Bench was named the World Series MVP in 1976. His older brothers taught him to pitch,[1] and his pitching skill began to attract scouts from MLB teams to Hertford. [7] He was taught how to play baseball by his older brother Duane, and usually played baseball with kids Duane's age, who were four years older. He responded by batting .302 with 17 home runs and 105 RBI to receive the American League MVP Award and lead the Yankees to their first World Series appearance since 1964. Munson, however, was in a more precarious position. Born in Akron, Ohio, Munson was selected as the fourth pick of the 1968 MLB draft and was named as the catcher on the 1968 College Baseball All-American Team. Hunter has been the subject of numerous popular culture references, including the Bob Dylan song "Catfish". On February 11, 1974, Hunter agreed with the A's on a two-year, $200,000 contract with a clause stipulating that $50,000 payments be made to a life insurance annuity of his choosing in each of the two seasons. He played linebacker and offensive tackle in football as well as shortstop, cleanup batter, and pitcher in baseball. With Munson coming, Fisk elbowed the Yankee shortstop out of the way and braced for Munson, who barreled into Fisk. In 1976, Hunter won 17 games, led the Yankees in complete games and innings pitched, and was again named to the All-Star team. He recovered in LaPorte, Indiana at the farm of Athletics owner Charles O. Finley.[4]. After Finley refused to make payment on the annuity after discovering he had to pay $25,000 in taxes which was due immediately, the breach of contract dispute was brought before an arbitration hearing on November 26, 1974. The benches cleared, but no punches were thrown; however, after Munson grounded out to end the at bat, he charged the pitcher's mound. Two days later, his first major league home run was the second of three consecutive home runs hit by the Yankees off Lew Krausse in a 5-1 Yankee victory over the A's. [41], CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (, "Diana Munson & Goose Gossage at Modell's Grand Central", List of baseball players who died during their careers, List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise, "Yankees' star Munson is killed in plane crash", "Cape Cod Baseball League Thurman Munson Award Winners", "Baltimore Orioles 6, New York Yankees 4", "1978 American League Championship Series Game Three", "Catcher Thurman Munson, The Captain, was heart and soul of the NY Yankees", "Munson relative says plane a problem from start", "Jerry Narron recalls night he replaced Thurman Munson for Yankees", "Thurman L Munson, Cessna Citation, 501 N15NY, August 2, 1979", "last entry for the ThurmanMunson.com history page", "Video Vault: 1979 Akron-Canton Airport plane crash killed Thurman Munson", "25 years later, Thurman Munson's last words remain a symbol of his life", "Coroner: Paralyzed Munson couldn't escape", "New York Yankees 5, Baltimore Orioles 4", "Paltry Tribute to a Yankee Lost Too Soon", Thurman Munson's Decade of Unmatched Excellence - The Case for His Induction into Baseball's Hall of Fame, 1968 Major League Baseball draft first round selections, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thurman_Munson&oldid=982147961, Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners, Major League Baseball players with retired numbers, Kent State Golden Flashes baseball players, Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States, American League Most Valuable Player Award winners, Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1979, CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 1st all time – Singles in World Series, 9, 10th all time – Batting average by catcher, .292, 11th all time – Postseason batting average, .357, 11th all time – Caught stealing percentage, 16th all time – On base percentage by catcher, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 6 October 2020, at 12:42. He also emerged as more of a slugger for the Yankees, batting .300 for the first time since 1970, and hitting a career high 20 home runs. [8] His brother left to join the United States Air Force while Thurman was a freshman in high school.[6]. "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", "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=982149562, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, May 13, 1965, for the Kansas City Athletics, September 17, 1979, for the New York Yankees, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 6 October 2020, at 12:52. He made 97 plate appearances, but drew ten walks and had one sacrifice fly, which gave him 86 official at bats, and allowed him to go into the 1970 season still technically a rookie. He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease. For the start of the 1976 season, Munson was named the first Yankees team captain since Lou Gehrig retired in 1939. He is the first player in baseball history to be named a College Baseball All-American and then in MLB win a Rookie of the Year Award, MVP Award, Gold Glove Award, and World Series championship. During the off season, the Yankees dealt Fernández to the A's. Munson made his major league debut on August 8, 1969, in the second game of a doubleheader against the Oakland Athletics. Munson is buried at Canton's Sunset Hills Burial Park. All proceeds from the weekend benefit ALS research. "[39] Former teammate Lou Piniella said, "Catfish was a very unique guy. It is located in the New York Yankees Museum. Considered the "heart and soul" of the Yankees, Munson was named captain of the Yankees in 1976, the team's first since Lou Gehrig. Despite a packed clubhouse, Munson's final locker position was never reassigned. [1][2] A story circulated that Hunter's 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. On August 1, 1980, the day before the first anniversary of the accident, the Yankees filed a $4.5-million lawsuit against Cessna Aircraft Co. and Flight Safety International, Inc. (the company who was training Munson to fly), with team spokesman John J. McCarty saying "we asked for $4.5 million because that is what Munson would be worth if the Yankees traded him." [6] When he turned eight, the Munson family moved to nearby Canton. So was Catfish Hunter.". National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, List of baseball players who went directly to Major League Baseball, List of Major League Baseball career wins leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual ERA leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders, List of Major League Baseball career strikeout leaders, "Catfish Hunter, Who Pitched in 6 World Series for A's and Yankees, Dies at 53". [16][17][18] Further details of Finley's history with Hunter gave the A's owner added negative publicity. In 1966 and 1967, Hunter was named to the American League All-Star team. [15] Munson went two for three with a walk, one RBI and two runs scored. Munson threw out 44.48% of base runners who tried stealing a base on him, ranking him 11th on the all-time list. As captain, Munson helped lead the Yankees to three consecutive World Series appearances from 1976 to 1978, winning championships in the latter two years. [9] He played halfback in football, guard in basketball, and mostly shortstop in baseball. [29][31][32], Hall and Anderson both survived the accident. [11] He attracted scholarship offers from various colleges, and opted to attend nearby Kent State University on scholarship, where he was a teammate of pitcher and broadcaster Steve Stone.

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