The Other Side of Jim Bunning
By Michael Kaufman
Before Jim Bunning became the “Republican moron from Kentucky” –as Bob Gaydos aptly described him in a recent Zest post–he was one hell of a major league pitcher. Bunning was the first man since the legendary Cy Young to win more than 100 games and strike out more than 1,000 batters in both leagues. When he retired in 1971 his 2,855 career strikeouts were second only to Walter Johnson’s 3,508.
In 1957 he was a 20-game winner with the American League Detroit Tigers, for whom he pitched from 1955-1963. After a disappointing 1963 season the Tigers traded him, along with veteran catcher Gus Triandos, to the Phildelphia Phillies for pitcher Jack Hamilton and outfielder Don Demeter. Hamilton and Demeter accomplished little with the Tigers. Bunning went on to assure his place in the Hall of Fame.
In 1965 he topped the National League in shutouts with five and he led the league in that department again in 1967 with six. He was a 19-game winner for three straight years, 1964-1966.
I still have my ticket stub from June 21, 1964, when he pitched a perfect game for the Phillies against the New York Mets on a sunny Fathers Day afternoon at Shea Stadium. At 33 he was in the midst of his first season in the National League. In the late innings the crowd was roaring on every pitch. Mets fans had little to cheer about in those days but on this day they were rooting for Bunning to finish pitching the first perfect game in the National League in 84 years.
When it was over we stood and cheered, “We want Bunning!” Minutes went by but he and his teammates had long disappeared into the dressing room. “We want Bunning!” we chanted even louder. No one left the stadium. Finally, after a few minutes more, he emerged from the dugout and acknowledged our cheers.
Bunning was no right-wing yahoo back then. A graduate of Xavier University in Cincinnati, where he received a bachelor’s degree in economics, he was a leading force in the Major League Players’ Association and served on the union’s Pension Committee. His degeneration into someone who would block the extension of unemployment benefits to hundreds of thousands of jobless American workers is an embarrassment even to his fellow Republicans.
FROM THE VIRTUAL MAILBAG — Thanks to Jack and Peter for their comments on last week’s post. “As significant in the situation as the casual anti-Semitism of the local sports organization (no one would play games on Sunday, or Christian holidays, lesser incorrect religions of course cannot be similarly accommodated) is the fact that Orthodox Judaism, fasting, religious holidays, religion in general and its rules and conventions are all (expletive deleted) and should not be allowed to be taught to/imposed on children,” wrote Jack. “I mean, if a Sikh institution has a team, will their players be allowed to carry iron knives in the game? It’s part of their religion, after all. I can’t wait for the Islamic Fundamentalist High School Houris wanting to play basketball in full chador…” Don’t hold back, Jack.
“Good for the girls,” wrote Peter. “What is the matter with people, anyway? Make nothing into a big deal. Those kids showed so much class.” Thanks, Peter, and as Ted Mack used to say, “Keep those cards and letters coming in.”
Michael can be reached at michael@zestoforange.com.
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