Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher and U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning has died at the age of 85. According to Bunning’s family, he died shortly before midnight on Friday and had been in poor condition since suffering a stroke last October.
We mourn the passing of Jim Bunning, a Hall of Fame pitcher and former U.S. Senator. He was 85. pic.twitter.com/NVTdhQuYmr
— MLB (@MLB) May 27, 2017
The Hall of Fame pitcher transitioned into a political career shortly after his years playing baseball and was an advocate for conservative causes while serving for the state of Kentucky for more than two decades.
Videos by PopCulture.com
While Rand Paul succeeded Bunning in the U.S. senate, his career in baseball was one fans never forgot. Bunning pitched in the MLB from 1955 to 1971 for the Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers. When he retired in 1971, he had the second-highest total of career strikeouts in MLB history and currently ranks 17th.
Up Next: ‘Dallas’ Actor Jared Martin Dies At 75
His family issued a statement earlier this weekend stating how grateful they were for the love and prayers of his friends and supporters.
“While he was a public servant with a Hall of Fame career, his legacy to us is that of a beloved husband, caring father and supportive grandfather,” the statement read.
Heaven got its No 1 starter today. Our lives & the nation are better off because of your love & dedication to family. pic.twitter.com/qkCjHIM32E
— David Bunning (@horstmuhlmann) May 27, 2017
ESPN reports that MLB commissioner, Rob Manfred also issued a statement and called him a “consistent winner” and highlighted that Bunning was the only Hall of Famer to ever serve in Congress.
More: Former James Bond Roger Moore Dies At 89
Bunning was the patriarch of a large family that included his wife, Mary, and their nine children, 35 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.
Photo credit: Twitter / @maxbevin
