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- What did he do to deserve a 1976 Kellogg's card?
- Catfish had his fifth straight 20+ win season in 1975 -- he led the league with 23 wins
- Jim had a 23-14 record with a 2.58 ERA and led the AL with 30 complete games
- Finished second in AL Cy Young Award voting
- Took the loss in the 1975 All Star Game (allowed two runs in two innings)
- 1976 Highlights
- Jim had his last full season in 1976
- Hunter was 17-15 with a 3.53 ERA in 36 starts
- Allowed two runs in two innings in the All Star Game
- Started two games in the AL Championship Series -- won game 1 and lost game 4
- Started game 2 of the World Series and took the loss on an unearned run with two out in the 9th inning -- Tony Perez singled in Ken Griffey
- The race for the AL ERA championship in 1975 wasn't much of a race. Mr. Palmer had an ERA almost 1/2 run lower than his closest competition. Palmer won his second (and last) ERA title in '75. He bounced back from an off-year in 1974 (7-12, 3.27) to post a 22-9 record with a 2.09 ERA. He also led the AL in shutouts with 10. Jim won his third AL Cy Young award in 1975.
- Jim Hunter won the AL ERA title in 1974. The 1975 season, his first with the New York Yankees, was the last one in which he would win over 20 games. Jim completed 30 of his 39 starts in 1975!
- Dennis Eckersley came as close as he ever would to winning an ERA title in 1975. In his rookie season, Eckersley was 13-7 with a 2.60 ERA in 36 games (24 starts). Eckersley didn't receive any consideration for AL Rookie of the Year in '75 -- Fred Lynn got 23.5 out of the 24 available points (Jim Rice got the other 0.5 points).
- Jim Hunter led the AL in victories twice (1974 with 25 and 1975 with 23). Jim won 20 or more games every year from 1971-1975 and won the AL Cy Young award in 1974.
- 1975 was the first of three straight years that Jim Palmer would lead the AL in victories. He had 23 in 1975, 22 in 1976, and 20 in 1977. Jim won 20 or more games every year but one from 1970-1978 and won three AL Cy Young awards (1973, 1975, 1976).
- Vida Blue never led the AL in victories. He won 20 or more games three times (1971, 1973, and 1975). Vida won the 1971 AL Cy Young award.
Jim Hunter had five 20-win seasons four for the Oakland A's and one for the New York Yankees. He was named to eight AL All-Star games and won the 1974 Cy Young Award. He started 35 or more games every year from 1967-1976 (which probably shortened his career).
- Jim started with the A's in 1965 and endured a few seasons with a below-average team before the new guys (Reggie, Bando, Rudi, Blue, etc.) came up. Hunter was the A's ace for most of the time he spent with them.
- Hunter was granted free agency after the 1975 season because of a goofy mistake by Charlie Finley. Jim signed with the Yankees and had two good years before arm problems shortened his career. He retired after the 1979 season.
- Jim was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1987. Here is a link to his Hall of Fame page. I can't tell from his plaque whether he went in as an Athletic or as a Yankee.
- Jim came down with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) and died after a fall in 1999. Here is a Sports Illustrated article written during the last part of his life.
- Here is a 1980 Sports Illustrated article about life after retirement.
