One to One with Bill Goodman:
Sen. Jim Bunning
aired September 22 and 24, 2006
Kentucky Republican Sen. Jim Bunning talks about his second term, issues of the day, and his life as a U.S. senator on this edition of One to One.
Bunning, a Hall of Fame pitcher in major league baseball from 1955 to 1971, was first elected to office in 1977 when he won a seat on the city council of Fort Thomas. After serving two years on the council, he was elected to the Kentucky Senate as a Republican. There he was voted minority leader by his Republican colleagues, a rare feat for a freshman legislator. Bunning was the Republican candidate for governor in 1983, losing to Martha Layne Collins. Four years later, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in Northern Kentucky’s 4th District. He served in the House from 1987 to 1999, when he was elected to the Senate.
As an athlete, Bunning is remembered for becoming the first pitcher ever to pitch no-hitters in both major leagues. He recorded his first no-hitter on July 20, 1958 for the Detroit Tigers against the Boston Red Sox. Then on June 21, 1964, he pitched another for the Philadelphia Phillies against the New York Mets. That outing represented one of baseball’s rarest feats: not just a no-hitter but a perfect game, meaning that no runner reached base against Bunning. It was the first perfect game in the National League in 84 years.
