November 15, 1964: At age 18, Catfish Hunter pitches no-hitter for first professional win

Only 6,298 fans were in the stands to watch Catfish Hunter pitch a perfect game for the 1968 Oakland Athletics. But that number seemed like a World Series crowd compared with the 165 patrons in attendance when the future Hall-of-Famer hurled a no-hitter four years earlier in the Florida Instructional League for the first win of his professional career.1

The Florida Instructional League was created in 1958 to allow young prospects an opportunity to perfect their skills. Playing a 48-game schedule from mid-October to mid-December, the league initially consisted of teams affiliated with the Milwaukee Braves, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, and Kansas City Athletics.2 In the fall of 1964, the league had grown to eight teams and a 56-game schedule. Games were played daily, with doubleheaders on Sundays. Mondays were an off day.3

The Athletics signed Hunter for a $75,000 bonus after he graduated from high school in 1964. The 18-year-old right-hander did not pitch during the summer but was sent to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, to remove shotgun pellets remaining in his foot from a hunting accident that occurred the previous November.4

Assigned to the Athletics FIL team, based in Bradenton, Florida, for the 1964 fall season, Hunter joined a pitching staff that included future A’s major leaguers Chuck Dobson, Paul Lindblad, Jim Nash, and Blue Moon Odom. Among the notable position players on the team were Dave Duncan, Ted Kubiak, Tony La Russa, Rene Lachemann, and Joe Rudi.

The A’s chose former big-league catcher Haywood Sullivan to manage their FIL team. Bill Posedel, who pitched from 1938 through 1946 for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Braves, served as pitching coach.5 Posedel was Oakland’s pitching coach from 1968 through 1972, retiring from the A’s after the club won the first of three consecutive World Series titles from 1972 through 1974.

Hunter debuted against the White Sox FIL club on October 13, 1964, pitching two innings of scoreless relief in a 3-2 loss.6 He made his first start five days later, pitching four scoreless innings in a 3-1 loss against the Orioles.7 Hunter lost his next three starts, allowing 10 earned runs in 22 innings against the Twins,8 Mets,9 and Red Sox.10 The A’s offense, last in the FIL that season in almost every category (runs, home runs, batting average, OPS), scored a total of three runs in those contests.

Hunter’s next starting assignment, on November 15, was the second game of a Sunday double-header against the White Sox at the A’s home park, McKechnie Field.11 With fair skies and temperatures in the low to mid 80’s,12 the paid attendance of 165 was the season’s second-largest crowd.13

The visitors’ lineup included future major leaguers Buddy Bradford, Rich Morales, Rich Severson, and Ed Stroud, along with an experienced major-league outfielder, Dave Nicholson, who was assigned to the club’s FIL team to work on cutting down on his strikeouts. Nicholson, 25, had played parts of two seasons with the Baltimore Orioles and the last two full seasons with the White Sox. He struck out 175 times in 1963, a major league record at the time.14

The A’s were shut out in the first game, a seven-inning affair per league doubleheader rules. Despite having nine batters on base via walks, the A’s managed only four singles and left 11 runners on base, losing 3-0.15

In the second game, also seven innings, the A’s finally put a run on the board in the bottom of the first inning. White Sox starter Andy “Rube” Rubilotta walked the A’s leadoff batter, shortstop Kubiak. One out later the 21-year-old left-hander walked center fielder James Strickland. Catcher Lachemann followed with a single, driving in Kubiak.16

That run proved all the support Hunter would need as he held the White Sox hitless and scoreless. Despite five errors committed by the A’s, the only real trouble Hunter faced occurred in the fifth. Hunter’s throwing error to first and an error by third baseman Skip Lockwood put two White Sox runners on base. Hunter struck out pinch-hitter Mickey Vandehey, a .138 hitter over the course of the full season, to end the inning.17

The A’s scored a second run in the fifth inning on four walks by Rubilotta. Lockwood received credit for an RBI when his bases-loaded walk scored right fielder John Sanders.18

The A’s added two more runs in the sixth off White Sox reliever Bill Dawson, making the final score 4-0. Sanders led off the inning with a hard single to center. Left fielder Rudi and first baseman Randy Schwartz each grounded out to third, but two-out walks to Lockwood and Hunter loaded the bases. Kubiak’s single drove in the final two runs.19

Hunter struck out three and walked only one. That baserunner was erased on a double play. If not for the A’s errors, Hunter potentially could have faced the minimum 21 batters in his no-hitter.20

In November, Kansas City general manager Pat Friday visited Bradenton to observe the A’s FIL team. “I am very pleased with the progress our youngsters are making in Florida,” he said. “Particularly impressive has been the showing of our pitching staff.” Friday named Nash, Don Buschhorn, Lindblad, Hunter, and Odom as the pitchers who most impressed him.21

Hunter started three more games before the FIL season ended in December. He finished the campaign with a 3-5 record and a 3.76 ERA. Hunter’s no-hitter, pitched during the same month that Kansas City’s general manager was in Bradenton, likely helped his case when roster decisions were made the following spring.

At the end of 1965’s training camp, the Kansas City A’s faced a dilemma. The team was carrying eight players designated as first-year performers, including Hunter and Odom. Under the rules at the time, the A’s could option only one of those eight players to the minors without first asking for irrevocable waivers.22

The A’s had invested $75,000 in bonus money each in Hunter and Odom, but Hunter’s “stuff” was characterized as only average during spring training.23 Rather than risk losing either pitcher, the A’s used their one designated option on Odom, and placed Hunter on their Opening Day 28-man major-league roster, along with six other first-year players.24

The deadline for cutting the roster from 28 to 25 players was midnight on May 11.25 At that point in the season Hunter had yet to see any action but was still kept on the A’s major league roster.

Hunter appeared in his first big-league game on May 13, pitching two scoreless innings in relief against the White Sox. Although he tired and was hit hard in his fourth inning of relief against Chicago on May 17, he pitched well in relief against the Twins four days later.26

Assessing the 19-year-old’s progress after three major league appearances, A’s pitching coach Tom Ferrick said, “Hunter has unusual poise and control for a pitcher with his experience … He has a surprisingly good curve for a youngster who has pitched no more than he has. His fast ball sinks and it tails a little. He can’t throw it by the hitters consistently, but he’s sneaky fast. He can come sidearm with both his fast ball and his curve, which has the effect of giving him two more pitches. He’s working on his change and he’s showing improvement.”27

Hunter turned the tools Ferrick described into a 15-year, Hall-of-Fame career with the A’s and Yankees. He won 224 regular-season games and nine more in the postseason, and posted 20 or more victories for five straight seasons (1971-75). The 1974 American League Cy Young Award winner, Hunter was a key member of five World Championship teams.

Acknowledgments

This article was fact-checked by Kurt Blumenau and copy-edited by Keith Thursby.

Photo credit: Catfish Hunter, Trading Card Database.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org. for player, team, and season pages, and other data. Baseball-Reference and Retrosheet do not provide box scores of minor-league games, but the November 16, 1964, edition of the Bradenton (Florida) Herald printed a box score on page 11.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=5f84ed8c

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=76ea8b42

Notes

1 Kent Chetlain, “No-Hitter for Catfish,” Bradenton (Florida) Herald, November 16, 1964: 11.

2 “Top Farm Talent for Florida Loop,” The Sporting News, October 15, 1958: 1.

3 Kent Chetlain, “Sullivan to Manage A’s FWIL Squad,” Bradenton Herald, September 28, 1964: 2-B. The eight teams in 1964 and their Florida locations were the Baltimore Orioles (Clearwater), Boston Red Sox (Sarasota), Chicago White Sox (Sarasota), Detroit Tigers (Dunedin), Kansas City A’s (Bradenton), Minnesota Twins (St. Petersburg), New York Mets (St. Petersburg), and the Washington Senators (Tampa). At the time various newspaper articles referred to the league as the Florida Winter Instructional League (FWIL). However, Baseball-Reference lists it as the Florida Instructional League (FIL). The FIL operated from 1958 through 1973 and in 1976 and 1977. See “Florida Instructional League (Winter Rookie) Encyclopedia and History,” Baseball-Reference, com, https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?code=FLIL&class=WRk, last accessed June 9, 2026.

4 Ron Young, “Catfish Hunter Hooks Batters with No-Hitter,” The Sporting News, November 28, 1964: 26.

5 “Sullivan to Manage A’s FWIL Squad.” Sullivan was named Kansas City’s manager in May of 1965. He resigned after the 1965 season to join the Boston Red Sox, later becoming GM and a part owner of the Red Sox. Posedel pitched from 1938 to 1941; missed 1942-45 for military service; then pitched a final big-league season in 1946.

6 “A’s Off to Poor Beginning,” Bradenton Herald, October 14, 1964: 13.

7 “A’s Lose Two to O’s; Play Tigers Tomorrow,” Bradenton Herald, October 19, 1964: 14.

8 “A’s Whitewashed by Twins Twice,” Bradenton Herald, October 26, 1964: 13. Hunter faced future major leaguers Frank Quilici (1-for-3) and Joe Nossek (3-for-3). Twins pitcher Dave Boswell threw a two-hitter and went 2-for-2 against Hunter, including a home run.

9 “Stubby Overmire’s Tigers Battle A’s Here on Friday,” Bradenton Herald, November 3, 1964: 11. Mets outfielder Cleon Jones went 1-for-3. Tug McGraw pinch-hit and singled against Hunter.

10 Kent Chetlain, “Odom’s Troubles Mystery to A’s,” Bradenton Herald, November 9, 1964: 11. Hunter faced three Red Sox who started for Boston in the 1967 World Series; Mike Andrews (2-for-4), Joe Foy (1-for-2), and George Scott (a homer in two at-bats),

11 Built in 1923, the ballpark was first used as the spring training site for the St. Louis Cardinals. The Pittsburgh Pirates moved there for spring training in 1969 and the park was named after former Pirate manager Bill McKechnie. Rebuilt in in the early 1990s, it was renamed LECOM Park in 2017. As of 2026, it remains the spring training home of the Pirates. See “LECOM Park,” ballparksofbaseball.com,  https://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/ballparks/lecom-park/, last accessed June 9, 2026.

12 “The Weather,” Bradenton Herald, November 15, 1964: 3 A.

13 “No-Hitter for Catfish.”

14 “No-Hitter for Catfish.”

15 “No-Hitter for Catfish.”

16 “No-Hitter for Catfish.”

17  “No-Hitter for Catfish.”

18  “No-Hitter for Catfish.” Lockwood was converted to pitching in 1968 while in the A’s minor league system. Selected by the Seattle Pilots in the 1968 expansion draft, he was primarily a starter for the Milwaukee Brewers from 1970 through 1973. Converted to a reliever by the Angels in 1974, he pitched out of the bullpen for the Mets (1975 through 1979) and the Red Sox (1980) before retiring.

19 “No-Hitter for Catfish.”

20 “No-Hitter for Catfish.”

21 “FWIL A’s Progress Pleases Friday,” Bradenton Herald, November 25, 1964: 12.

22 Joe McGuff, “Should A’s Toss Catfish Back? It’s Stickler on Friday’s Line,” The Sporting News, March 27, 1965: 25.

23 “Should A’s Toss Catfish Back? It’s Stickler on Friday’s Line.”

24 Joe McGuff, “A’s Trim List to 28 Players,” Kansas City Times, April 6, 1965: 18. In addition to Hunter, the A’s kept pitchers Buschhorn and Tom Harrison, catcher Lachemann, infielder Lockwood, and outfielders Sanders and Rudi on the roster. Prior to the May 11 final roster reduction, only Lachemann and Lockwood, with one pinch-hit appearance each, and Harrison and Sanders, each as a pinch-runner, saw any action. Only Hunter, Lachemann and Lockwood stayed with the A’s for the entire season. Lachemann played in 92 games, sharing catching duties with Billy Bryan. He hit  nine homers, with a .227 batting average. Lockwood appeared in 42 games, primarily as a pinch-hitter, and managed only four singles in 33 at-bats. Hunter pitched in 32 games (20 starts), finishing the season with a 8-8 record and a 4.26 ERA.

25 Joe McGuff, “Hour of Decision Nears for A’s,” Kansas City Star, April 27, 1965: 11.

26 Joe McGuff, “Catfish Begins to Make Mark,” Kansas City Star, May 23, 1965: 2 S. Against the Twins, Hunter entered the game in the bottom of the second with bases loaded and one out and induced a double play on a grounder to short to end the threat. After setting the Twins down in order in the third, a walk and two “fluke” singles loaded the bases in the fourth with no outs. Hunter retired the next three batters on a foul out, a fly out to short right, and a fly out to third.  He was relieved after walking the leadoff batter in the fifth.

27 “Catfish Begins to Make Mark.”