00:00He's just a country boy in his own words from Hertford, North Carolina, Jim Catfish Hunter.
00:06Charlie Finley gave him the nickname, Catfish.
00:09He's one of the very best in the Major League.
00:12Three years in a row, he won 21 games.
00:14This year, he won 25.
00:16He is a pressure pitcher.
00:18And even though he lost the open game of the playoffs to the Baltimore Orioles,
00:22he usually does his best job when the A's have to win.
00:25When the money's on the line, Hunter is as good a one-game pitcher as you'll want in the Major
00:32League.
00:33He is a deceiving pitcher.
00:35He doesn't strike out too many batters.
00:38And he looks hittable from the stands.
00:40You could grab the batter, run out there and hit him.
00:42But he has marvelous control.
00:45And if he is up high, he will be in trouble.
00:48He's a low-ball pitcher, especially a fastball,
00:50but he tries to pitch low and away to most of the hitters.
00:54The A's 21-game winner is tough on the clutch as he fans Dennis Menke.
01:02Cesar Geronimo.
01:06And Ross Grimsley.
01:08He escaped the perils of the Big Red Machine.
01:12Three ball, two strikes, two down.
01:14Garvey will be going.
01:15Down the way and Ferguson strikes out.
01:19No run to him.
01:20One error, one left.
01:25That's all.
01:26An easy inning as the Dodgers go quietly in the fifth.
01:30Now we're halfway through this game.
01:31Catfish Hunter, one of the best hitting pitchers in the Major.
01:35He's hit safely in 10 of his last 12 games.
01:37He's hit 2-19 this year.
01:40Base hit in the left field.
01:43Hendrick around third.
01:44The throw by Rose.
01:45And he's safe at home.
01:47Chance able to pick it up to hold Green at second.
01:51And the A's take a 1-0 lead.
01:53Game 2 of the 1972 World Series.
01:56We'll match Oakland's Catfish Hunter with a season record of 21 victories.
01:59Seven defeats and an earned run average of 2.04
02:02against the Cincinnati Reds and young Ross Grimsley.
02:05Hunter doesn't look overpowering from the stands or from your TV position.
02:10But he moves the ball up and down, in and out, different speeds around the plate.
02:16And when he gets two strikes on you, it doesn't mess around either.
02:19There's his record this year, and it's an excellent record.
02:21He pitched two games against the Tigers in the playoff,
02:24allowed only one run in each game, was not involved in a win or a loss.
02:2721-7, best winning percentage in the American League.
02:33Down goes Morgan as Hunter gets his first strikeout.
02:37Two down in the first inning.
02:38You notice when Hunter's ahead, he doesn't tease you with bad pitches.
02:42He comes right back in, tries to make you hit his pitch in the strike zone.
02:46Doesn't waste many pitches.
02:501-2 to Tolan, and down he goes.
02:54On a check swing, Tolan strikes out.
03:04Got him swinging for the first out.
03:06That's three strikeouts for Catfish Hunter.
03:13Slug on and missed, and Geronimo becomes strikeout victim number four.
03:19So Hunter struck out Morgan and Tolan in the first.
03:22Menke and Geronimo in the second.
03:24Two down.
03:29And down he goes as Hunter strikes out the side.
03:32So the Reds threaten, nothing doing.
03:34No runs, a hit, one error, three left.
03:36End of two, one nothing open.
03:41Struck him out on a fastball.
03:44And Jim Hunter puts him down.
03:47One, two, three.
03:48They've gone seven innings.
03:49The score, Oakland two.
03:50Cincinnati nothing.
03:52Menke's hit listen three times.
03:56There's a long drive to deep left.
03:58That ball going, going.
04:00And it is caught by Rooney.
04:03Joe Rooney grabs him of extra bases against the wall.
04:07And they nearly double up Perez at first.
04:10One strike.
04:14And a great stop by Hegan.
04:17Out at first.
04:18Hegan has robbed Geronimo of extra bases.
04:21Into the right field corner.
04:23And it looked at first as if he caught a line drive.
04:26But down it went.
04:28Fair ball.
04:29He dropped it out of his glove.
04:30And he held on.
04:31He could have had an easy unassisted double play to end the game as it was a spectacular play.
04:35Just to knock it down, pick it up, get the out at first base.
04:38How did you learn to spot the ball the way you do and to change speeds like you do?
04:42Well, in high school, I had real good control.
04:44I could spot the ball.
04:45And when I came up here, they taught me how to change speeds and throw a little better curveball.
04:49And I think Bill Poseville, our pitching coach, which is going to retire this year, I think he got me
04:55the most.
04:55For the Oakland A's, Dick Williams is giving the ball to Jim Catfish Hunter,
05:00the most consistent pitcher in Oakland A's history.
05:03Hunter has won 60 games the last three years.
05:0520 last year, 21 this year, 18 the year before.
05:08He is a spot pitcher, a control pitcher.
05:10And as his wife was saying last night before the ball game,
05:14he's probably the most cool man around the city of Oakland.
05:17He has a lot of courage.
05:19He challenges him.
05:20And it's going to be quite an interesting duel here this afternoon
05:22as the A's try to bring the World Championship to the Bay Area.
05:25He is one of these young veterans on this Oakland club.
05:30He has worked enough now in the majors to have the experience of the ball,
05:35and yet he is still only 26 years old.
05:3921 game winner this year.
05:41And I think his first start against the Reds,
05:44most of the Reds hitters tell me they were very surprised at the velocity on his fastball.
05:48Their scouting reports that he has excellent control,
05:51spots the ball well with a good curve slider and sinker ball.
05:54And they all tell me his fastball is surprised.
05:59Duck him out.
06:01One run, one hit.
06:06Duck him out.
06:10I'll say this.
06:11Curve to beat gets into the ninth inning with very much trouble.
06:13Raleigh Fingers is bailing out.
06:15That's a slider that pulls Ferguson.
06:18First strikeout for Hunter.
06:21Two down for the Dodgers in a second.
06:22Three, two, Oakland.
06:24For sure, I get first.
06:27Got it.
06:27And that'll do it.
06:29As the Catfish comes in and strikes out Joe Ferguson.
06:33And the Dodgers in the ninth inning settle for one run.
06:36A home run by Jimmy Wynn.
06:38Marie Wynn.
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