A legend passed today

[Ty Cobb]

Modern pitchers owe more than they'll ever know to Jim Bunning. RIP

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/27/s...t-85.html?_r=0

[RickD]

He had 2 distinct careers, MLB and Politics. I think his MLB career often gets overlooked because of his second career.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Ty Cobb

Modern pitchers owe more than they'll ever know to Jim Bunning. RIP

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/27/s...t-85.html?_r=0

Originally Posted by RickD

He had 2 distinct careers, MLB and Politics. I think his MLB career often gets overlooked because of his second career.

Reading portions of that article about his political career, one might prefer to overlook that in favor of his baseball career.

Speaking of which, the local newspaper reprinted its article from June 22, 1964, describing Bunning's perfect game against the Mets at Shea Stadium the previous day. Here are some factoids, in reverse order of not-as-well known and therefore more interesting, perhaps:

• Everybody knows it was on Fathers Day, but not so well known is that it was hotter than hell. As in 98 degrees!
• Mets manager Casey Stengel was quoted as saying "I could see his uniform was all wet, but he didn't give himself any excuses. He didn't have to say he pooped out in the heat because he didn't poop out."
• Still, it was a good thing that he threw only 87 pitches!
• It was the first perfect game in the National League since 1880.
• Bunning did not believe in jinxes. He talked with his teammates about his progress throughout the entire game.
• His wife and daughter were at the game, the first in a doubleheader. They were planning to go to the nearby New York World's Fair but cancelled their plans when Bunning was offered an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show that night.
• From the sixth inning on, Mets fans were cheering Bunning, if not the Phillies, hoping to see history made. They gave him an ovation when he came up to bat in the ninth, they booed Stengel when he sent out a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the inning, then they cheered when the guy struck out.
• Well, no wonder Mets fans didn't mind what was happening. The 1964 Mets would go on to lose a total of 109 games.