In 1975, the New York Yankees were assembling the pieces for a team they hoped would return to baseball dominance after a dry spell of 12 seasons. One of those key pieces to this late ’70’s Yankees run in the making was starting pitcher Jim “Catfish” Hunter, who signed as a free agent with the Bronx Bombers on New Year’s Eve, 1974.
Having already won three straight World Series titles with the Oakland Athletics, the Yankees signed Hunter to a then record contract worth $3.35 million. With him, Catfish brought a big pitching resume to the Bronx which included five straight 20 win seasons from 1971-1975, and the ninth perfect game in MLB history.