A real 'Fish tale'
Contra Costa Times
Article Launched: 05/11/2008 02:57:21 AM PDT


How many of us have ever been able to say we performed our jobs perfectly? And in so doing, how many of us would then remember who helped us do it? Think that one over for a bit, and you'll have some sort of idea about the night Jim "Catfish" Hunter gave the A's on May 8, 1968.
That was the night Hunter set down 27 straight Minnesota Twins hitters at the Oakland Coliseum to record the seventh perfect game in major-league history, helping the recently transplanted franchise from Kansas City gain some local and national attention. And in so doing, he so excited then-A's owner Charlie O. Finley that Finley offered him a $5,000 bonus.

Hunter, 22 at the time, refused to accept it until the owner gave his catcher, Jim Pagliaroni, a $2,500 bonus, as well.

"That said everything you needed to know about Catfish," A's equipment manager Steve Vucinich said recently.

Of course, it was Finley who came up with the nickname that became so commonplace folks forgot Hunter preferred to be "just ordinary Jim," his widow, Helen, said after Hunter's passing from Lou Gehrig's disease in 1999.

Nothing was ordinary about him on that night 40 years ago. Hunter struck out 11, and silenced a lineup that included future Hall of Famers Rod Carew and Harmon Killebrew and three-time batting champ Tony Oliva. He went to three balls on a hitter only twice and struck out Rich Reese to end it, but not without some gut-wrenching moments.

"That last out, (Reese) fouled off about (five) 3-2

pitches," said Vucinich, an A's employee for 40 years who was on his third day on the job and patrolling left field as a ball boy. "I'll never forget it, because it's one of the few games where I actually saw all 27 outs."
It was one of those rare nights when all 27 outs were worth seeing, though only 6,298 actually did. Hunter's is one of only 15 perfectos in modern major-league history, and it was the first in the American League in 46 years.



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