Hall of Fame Phillies pitcher, former U.S. Senator Jim Bunning dies at 85
The first pitcher to throw no-hitters in both the American and National Leagues, the wiry sidearmer won 224 games in 17 big-league seasons. Eighty-nine of those victories came during six years with the Phillies, and
"Jim was an incredible competitor and was determined to maximize his ability and make the most of everything he did in life," Phillies chairman
"The family is deeply grateful for the love and prayers of Jim's friends and supporters," his family said in a statement. "While he was a public servant with a Hall of Fame career, his legacy to us is that of a beloved husband, caring father, and supportive grandfather."
Ambitious beyond baseball,
"Recognizing the need to ensure that all players receive fair representation in their dealings with
A conservative Republican despite his union past, he won the first of six consecutive terms as a congressman from Kentucky's
For all of his varied achievements,
On
He won 19 games for
More than a half-century later, Philadelphians -- and many others -- still blame that historic collapse on Mauch's decision start his two best pitchers on short rest.
"I don't blame Gene for that," he told The Inquirer in 1989. "The rest of his pitching staff was either hurt or didn't want the ball. What else could he have done?"
Stern and intensely focused, his will as strong as his arm,
"He was one of the best competitors I ever managed," said former Phillies manager
"Not only was he an incredible workhorse, but he was also a great leader," said fellow Hall of Famer
After retiring at age 40 in 1971,
The father of nine children, he returned to his northern
A member of the
His final
In addition to his nine children,
"Mentally, I've never gotten over it," he said in 2009. "It was as close as I ever got [to a World Series]."
Discovering the slider
The second of three sons,
A 1949 high school graduate, the all-around athlete won a basketball scholarship to
He made steady progress in the Tigers' system and was promoted to Detroit for parts of the 1955 and 1956 seasons. It was in the winter of 1956, while
"[It] was the biggest break of my life," he said. "That was the pitch I needed to throw and get over when I was behind the hitters."
The 25-year-old
On
"That was the only game I ever got Williams out four times," he said. "Four pop-ups."
In that era before free agency,
"Bunning always thinks out his demands so carefully and considerately -- as he sees it -- that if it's reasonable at all, we might as well sign him," Tigers general manager
In 1963,
"We had Short from the left side," Mauch said. "We needed a big righthander."
"We knew when he was warming up that this was something special," Mauch said later, "the way he was throwing so live and as high as he was. Not high with his pitches. High himself."
After retiring the first 15
"C'mon," he shouted from the bench, "let's get that perfect game."
Triandos, his catcher that day, said Bunning grew increasingly silly on the mound as the game progressed. "He was jabbering like a magpie."
With two outs in the ninth inning and a 2-2 count on .047-hitting
"I knew that Stephenson couldn't hit my curveball if I had gone up there and told him it was coming," Bunning said.
He threw it. The batter flailed and missed. Bunning pounded his fist into his glove.
"What a day,"
He negotiated a
The magic continued for Bunning and the overachieving Phils until the final 12 games of the season. As the team squandered a seemingly insurmountable lead, he lost three times.
"For 150 games we played some of the best baseball you ever saw,"
Though baseball's reserve clause left that era's players indentured to team owners,
In 1965,
"After we hired Miller, the owners took some of us to the woodshed,"
"It was the most any player in
But the '67 Phillies finished fifth, and
Over the next four years, he went 45-61. His last two seasons were spent back with the Phillies, who'd signed him after he was released by the
On the Hall of Fame ballot for 15 years beginning in 1977,
"I was convinced I was never going to get in," he said.
At 40 in 1972, he became a minor-league manager, first at double-A Reading, then moving up through the system.
"Working with Jim was a good experience," said
But
Political life
A successful insurance broker with a recognizable face,
He was reelected five times in a heavily Republican district, and
In a close-fought general election,
By the 2004 election, he was exhibiting behavior so odd that some observers contended the 73-year-old was suffering from dementia or some form of mental illness. In addition to claiming his opponent's staff had assaulted his wife,
Still, he won, but by less than 2 percent in a state President
A year later, Time rated him one of America's five worst senators. The magazine claimed he was hostile to staff and fellow senators and "shows little interest in policy unless it involves baseball."
Powerful fellow Kentucky senator McConnell began to ignore him, and by 2009 Mr. Bunning's approval rating had fallen to 35 percent. That's when he announced he wouldn't seek reelection to a seat that would be won by Republican
Despite being elected to national office eight times,
"I didn't think he could smile enough," Ruthven said.
The skepticism reminded some people of similar doubts at the start of
"
Visitation is to be held at
@philafitz
___
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