Top Tigers #23: Jim Bunning
By Blake VandeBunte • Feb 22nd, 2009 • Category: Jim Bunning, Top 100 Tigers- Rank: 23
- Name: James Paul David Bunning
- Position: Pitcher
- Tigers Tenure: 1955-1963
- Awards: Five time All Star, Received MVP Votes Three Times (9th in 1957), Hall of Fame (1996)
- Best Season: 1957. Bunning reached the 20 win plateau for the only time in his career (he won 19 games four times) in 1957 at the age of 25. His 20 wins were tops in the American League and his 2.69 ERA (ERA+ 143) ranked third. He also struck out 182 batters which was the second highest total in the league. So in the pitchers triple crown stats he ranked 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Not a bad year for a 25 year old hurler in his first full season. His performance is even more impressive when you consider that the Tigers were not really that good in 1957 at 78-76. Bunning helped created his reputation as a strikeout pitcher, he would go on to rank amongst the league leaders in the stat many times throughout his career.
- Good Stuff: Bunning is probably best known for his accomplishments as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, but he really did put together some great seasons for the Tigers in the 1950s and early 1960s. He reached double digits in wins for seven straight seasons before leaving Detroit. From 1957-1963 only five pitchers in all of baseball had more wins than Bunning, including Warren Spahn and Whitey Ford, and Don Drysdale. Over that same time period, only Drysdale and Sandy Koufax struck out more batters than the imposing Bunning. Bunning also threw two no-hitters during his career (including a perfect game). He threw a no-hitter for the Tigers in 1958 against the Boston Red Sox.
- Bad Stuff: The National Journal ranked him the second-most conservative US Senator in 2007. I know pitchers are not expected to hit much, but Bunning was flat awful. He retired with an OPS+ of 9. That’s right, a 9 (100 is average). Oh well. The Tigers also gave up on Bunning a bit too early. This is hard to hold against Bunning, but he went on to have four great seasons with the Phillies in the 1960s. Obviously, everything worked out for the Tigers as they won the World Series in 1968. He never once appeared in the playoffs and played on some pretty bad teams which resulted in him losing more games than he probably deserved.
- Place In Tigers History: Bunning is a Hall of Famer and a successful US Senator. You could probably argue that he’s accomplished more than your average American. Bunning served as a congressman from Kentucky from 1986-1998 and as a US Senator since 1998. Bunning is exactly the kind of pitcher the Tigers need in 2009. He knew how to win games, even on some bad teams, and was always known as a strikeout pitcher.
Blake VandeBunte is a posting fiend.
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Jim Bunning was the favorite Tigers’ pitcher of my youth. Bunning had excellent ERA+ and WHIP with excellent Strikeout to walks ratio. I was going on 17 when he was traded to the phillies for outfielder don demeter. Tigers had the best rightfielder in the league in Kaline, and it proved to be a bad trade for the Tigers as Bunning had great seasons with the phils.
Years later when Bunning was finally voted into the HOF, I found out that 1 of my long time post office friends had been to fenway the day in june of ‘58. and he remembered the great play Kaline made on a smash by ted williams to save the nohitter. Although Bunning was a career .167 hitter, I saw my greatest Tigers game from my youth on May 18, 1959. Bunning shut the redsox down 14 - 2 , and Bunning, Kaline, Frank Bolling, and Charlie Maxwell all hit homeruns. So this year is the 50th Anniversary year of my favorite in person game. Also, just a few years ago on Ebay, I was able to find a picture of the 4 Tigers in a group photo from that game. Just wanted to share that with all of you.
When Bunning retired, he had 2855 strikeouts, more than any other pitcher except for the legendary Walter Johnson. It was any early indication of the wait for non large market teams players not getting the required 75% of the vote for HoF enshrinement. I think that Bunnings lack of multiple 20 win seasons could have cost him the vote from the BBWAA, with 5 seasons of 19 wins. Great Pitcher and competitor.
Yeah, that strikeout total is outstanding. I didn’t realize he ranked number two in big league history when he retired. Knowing that, it really is puzzling that the Veteran’s Committee had to vote him in. His numbers clearly get him in there. I guess that’s why we have the VC, sometimes the voters let players fall through the cracks.
Also, what are the odds that Bunning, an awful hitter, went deep when you got to see him play. I’m jealous that you were able to go to games and see those players perform live. Very cool.