Jim Bunning
Jim Bunning Pitcher Born: (1931-10-23) October 23, 1931 (age 83) Southgate, Kentucky Batted: Right Threw: Right MLB debut July 20, 1955 for the Detroit Tigers Last MLB appearance September 3, 1971 for the Philadelphia Phillies Career statistics Win–loss record 224–184 Earned run average 3.27 Strikeouts 2,855 Teams Detroit Tigers (1955–1963) Philadelphia Phillies (1964–1967) Pittsburgh Pirates (1968–1969) Los Angeles Dodgers (1969) Philadelphia Phillies (1970–1971) Career highlights and awards 9× All-Star (1957, 1959, 1961–1964, 1966) AL wins champion (1957) 3× Strikeout champion (1959, 1960, 1967) Pitched a perfect game on June 21, 1964 Pitched a no-hitter on July 20, 1958 Philadelphia Phillies #14 retired Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction 1996 Vote Veterans Committee James Paul David "Jim" Bunning (born October 23, 1931) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher and politician. During his baseball career, he pitched from 1955 to 1971, most notably with the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Phillies. In 1959, the right-hander struck out the side, throwing the minimum nine pitches as a reliever in the top of the ninth inning of Detroit's 5–4 loss to Boston at Briggs Stadium. Sammy White, Jim Mahoney and Ike Delock were the victims of his immaculate inning. When Bunning retired, he had the second-highest total of career strikeouts in Major League history; he is currently 17th. Bunning pitched the seventh perfect game in Major League Baseball history on June 21, 1964, against the New York Mets. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 1996. After retiring from baseball, Bunning returned to his native northern Kentucky and was elected to the city council, then the state senate, in which he served as minority leader. In 1986, Bunning was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 4th congressional district, and served in the House from 1987 to 1999. He was elected to the United States Senate from Kentucky in 1998 and served two terms as the Republican junior U.S. Senator. In July 2009, he announced that he would not run for re-election in 2010, citing difficulty in raising campaign funds. Bunning gave his farewell speech to the Senate on December 9, 2010, and was succeeded by current Senator Rand Paul on January 3, 2011.