Washington (AFP) – Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning, who went from baseball to serving in the US Congress, has died at the age of 85, the Philadelphia Phillies said on Saturday.
Bunning, a nine-time all-star, pitched for Major League Baseball’s Detroit Tigers, Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers over a 17-year career from 1955 to 1971.
He had suffered a stroke in October.
Bunning, one of 23 players in major league history to throw a perfect game in the modern era, was selected to the Hall of Fame in 1996 by the Veterans Committee.
In his career, Bunning recorded a 224-184 record and 3.27 ERA with 2,855 strikeouts, which ranks 17th on the all-time major league list.
He threw two no-hitters, becoming the first pitcher after 1900 to throw no-hitters in both the American and National Leagues.
Bunning was also a vocal leader of the players union and a minor league manager before leaving the game to pursue his insurance business and, finally a career in politics.
He won the first of six consecutive terms to the US House of Representatives from Kentucky’s fourth district in 1986 and was twice elected to the US Senate, serving there from 1998 to 2010.
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