After graduating from St. Xavier high school in Cincinnati Jim pitched for Xavier University and after his freshman year he signed a profession contract with the Detroit Tigers.
Bunning started his career in the Motor City on July 20, 1955, after playing in the Tigers minor leagues and earning a degree in economics from Xavier.
Bunning won 100 games with the Tigers, going 118-87 in nine years, playing in five All-Star Games and throwing a no-hitter vs the Boston Red Sox on July 20, 1958.
Bunning was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies after the 1963 season, and in 1964 he went 19-8, including a perfect game on Father's Day vs the New York Mets.
Playing his final 8 years with the Phillies, Pirates, and Dodgers, Bunning would win another 100 games, finishing up with a record of 224-184, a 3.27 ERA and 2,855 strikeouts.
Jim would go on to become a Republican Senator from the State of Kentucky and in 1996 he was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Senator Bunning passed away on May 26, 2017, at the age of 85.
I posted a picture of Bunning's 1958 Topps card becuase of the pink background, reminding me to continue to support National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and heading over to our buddy Collecting Cutch 's blog as he continues to bring awareness each day to Save The Boobies!
PLAY BALL! ⚾️
I'm truly envious of this man's talent. A baseball HOFer and US Senator? That's pretty darn impressive.
ReplyDelete