Escape to New York

Sixteen days after becoming baseball’s first free agent, pitcher Catfish Hunter – formerly of the Oakland Athletics – signs a five-year, $3.75 million contract with the New York Yankees 49 years ago today.

Hunter joins the Yankees after arbitrator Peter Seitz declares him a free agent on Dec. 15, 1974, a move that comes when Seitz determines Oakland owner Charlie Finley breaches the contract with his All-Star pitcher.

“I hung up the phone,” Hunter says after hearing of Seitz’s ruling, “and turned to my wife and said, ‘We don’t belong to anybody.’ ”

In declaring Hunter a free agent, Seitz ignites a frantic bidding war for a 28-year-old pitcher who is coming off his fourth straight 20-win season for Oakland.

Among the suitors for Hunter are Cleveland, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Montreal, Pittsburgh and San Diego.

Robert Modra photo

Hunter, of course, ends up with the Yankees, for whom he spends the final five seasons of his Hall of Fame career.

Hunter’s most effective season with New York is his first as he and Baltimore’s Jim Palmer each win a major league-high 23 games.

No one in the majors that season works longer and harder than Hunter, who leads all pitchers with 30 complete games and 328 innings of work.

Hunter’s right arm, though, is never the same after that as he struggles to a 40-39 record over the final four seasons of his contract with the Yankees before retiring at the age of 33.

Three of his five seasons in New York end in the World Series with the Yankees winning two of them to give Hunter two more championship rings to go along with the three he earns in Oakland from 1972-74.

“I believe there were higher offers,” Hunter says after signing with New York, “but no matter how much money was offered, if you want to be a Yankee, you don’t think about it.”