Jim Bunning

James Paul David Bunning
Born: October 23, 1931 in Southgate, Kentucky 
Debut: 1955 | Pos: P
Ht: 6'3" | Wt: 195 | B: R | T: R

>> Visit the Jim Bunning biography on Baseball Almanac for complete statistics.

Jim Bunning made his mark as a side-arm pitcher in the major leagues and then made his mark later in his life as a lawmaker.

His career included a 20-win season and four 19-win seasons. In 1967, he won 17 games, but he lost five 1-0 contests.

Some of his career achievements match those of one of the game's greatest pitchers. He equaled two marks of Cy Young -- at least 100 wins in each league and at least 1000 strikeouts in each league. At the time of his retirement, Bunning was No. 2 all-time in strikeouts.

Bunning pitched with an unusual delivery described as a side-arm that ended with his glove touching the ground in front of the mound. 

He also became the third pitcher (Cy Young and Tom Hughes were the others) to throw a no-hitter in both the AL and NL. On July 20, 1958, while pitching for Detroit, he beat Boston in his first no hitter. On June 21, 1964, he went one step farther and threw a perfect game against the Mets as a member of Philadelphia's pitching staff. 

Bunning's career included Detroit (1955-1963), Philadelphia (1964-1967), Pittsburgh (1968-1969), Los Angeles (1969) and Philadelphia (1970-1971).

He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996 by the Committee on Baseball Veterans. His number was retired by the Phillies in 2001. 

Following his retirement, he was a manager in the minor leagues for five years. He was elected to the Kentucky state legislature and ran unsuccessfully for governor. The voters in Kentucky elected him to the U.S House of Representatives in the 1986 election and he served there until 1999 when he was elected to the U.S. Senate.

Bunning and his wife, Mary, have raised 9 children.

See Also:  Cy Young, Perfect Games