Jim Bunning Biography

Jim Bunning served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1987 to 1999 and in the U.S. Senate from 1999 to 2011 after a career as a professional baseball pitcher. Jim Bunning is the sole Major League Baseball player elected to the U.S. Senate and enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Jim Bunning's career strikeout total placed him second all-time upon retirement, and he now stands at 22nd in Major League history. He graduated from St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati in 1949 and received a bachelor's degree in economics from Xavier University in 1953. Jim Bunning pitched in the minor leagues from 1950 to 1954 and briefly in 1955, where his fastball, curve, and delivery were noted. Bunning posted the first regular-season perfect game since Charlie Robertson in 1922, with Don Larsen's perfect game occurring in the 1956 World Series. In 1964 Jim Bunning contributed to the Phillies' National League pennant race, where they led for much of the season before losing to the St. Louis Cardinals.