After he lost his pinky toe in a hunting accident, several teams gave up on the race to sign North Carolina high school pitcher Jim Hunter. The Kansas City Athletics, however, signed Hunter for $75,000 on June 8, 1964. Club owner Charlie O. Finley gave him the nickname “Catfish” because he felt the nineteen-year-old needed a flashy nickname. He went on to become a member of five World Series championship teams and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987.
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