May 27, 2017 Former Senator and Baseball Hall of Famer Bunning dies in Fort Thomas Fort Thomas KY: Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning, who went from baseball to a career in politics, has died at the age of 85. During his baseball career, he pitched in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1971 for the Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Los Angeles Dodgers. When Bunning retired, he had the second-highest total of career strikeouts in Major League history; he currently ranks 17th, notes Wikipedia. ^ Bunning died at a Fort Thomas, Kentucky hospital on the night of May 27, 2017 at the age of 85 following a stroke he suffered in October 2016. After retiring from baseball, Bunning returned to his native Northern Kentucky and was elected to the Fort Thomas city council, then the Kentucky Senate, in which he served as minority leader. In 1986, Bunning was elected to the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky's 4th congressional district, and served in the House from 1987 to 1999. He was elected to the United States Senate from Kentucky in 1998 and served two terms as the Republican junior U.S. Senator, Wikipedia notes. Bunning was born in Southgate, Kentucky. He graduated from St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati in 1949 and received a bachelor's degree in economics from Xavier University in 1953. Bunning died at a Fort Thomas, Kentucky hospital on the night of May 27, 2017 at the age of 85 following a stroke he suffered in October 2016. Posted by Richard Hines Northern Kentucky News is NKY's largest news network with the most readers: < Return to start page Baseball Hall of Famer and former Sen Jim Bunning dies in Fort Thomas KY