Player Profile: Jim Bunning

Name:	James Paul David Bunning
Right-handed pitcher
Lived:	1931 -
Career span:	1955 - 1971
Hall of Fame?	Yes (1996)
Primary teams:	Detroit Tigers (1955-1963); Philadelphia Phillies (1964-67,1970-71)
Best Year:	1957 - 20 wins, 2.69 ERA, 182 strikeouts
Major awards:	Seven time All Star

Player notes: Bunning has distinguished himself in his post-baseball career as a member of Congress, where he has served since 1986. He is not the only former major-leaguer to have served in Congress, but he is the only man to be elected to the Hall of Fame as a player and also get elected to Congress.

Bunning was a fine pitcher for many years, and since he split his career almost evenly between the two leagues, he achieved many distinctions involving both leagues. He was the first pitcher after Cy Young to win over 100 and strike out over 1,000 in each league. He also pitched a no-hitter in each league, with the NL effort being a perfect game. He led his league in strikeouts three times, won a total of 224 games, and struck out 2,855 batters in his career. Unfortunately, he never had the opportunity to pitch in the postseason.

Based solely on his record he is borderline as a Hall of Famer, and perhaps benefited in the eyes of the Veterans Committee from having been a Congressman. Still, there are less deserving players enshrined in the Hall, and between his fine career as a player and his post-baseball accomplishments, it would be hard to argue that he is not a distinguished ambassador for the sport.