Jim Bunning, ex-senator and baseball Hall of Famer, suffers stroke

Jim Bunning, the former U.S. senator and a National Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher, suffered a stroke this week at his home in Southgate, but is recovering and even watching playoff baseball, according to family and friends.

"He has been provided skilled care that is leading him on the road to recovery," the family said in a statement issued Friday. Bunning, who turns 85 Sunday, suffered the stroke on Tuesday, the family said. He is out of intensive care and moved into transitional care, the family said.

"The Bunning family wants to thank the first responders and medical personnel who have been treating dad. We sincerely appreciate the thoughts and prayers of all who are concerned about our father’s health. However, so we can focus our efforts on dad’s recovery, we ask the press to respect our family’s privacy at this time. We will let everyone know as his health continues to improve," the statement said.

Family friend Rick Robinson, who worked for Bunning while he served in Congress before moving to the Senate, reported Friday that Bunning was in good spirits.

The former pitcher was "up last night watching the baseball playoffs," Robinson said. In that game, the Chicago Cubs defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers, one of Bunning's former teams.

A native of Southgate, Bunning first came to fame as a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers in 1955. He remains well known for two no-hitters, one of which was a perfect game against the New York Mets on June 21, 1964.

He eventually won 224 games, earned seven All-Star appearances and retired with a career earned run average of 3.27. His teams also included the Philadelphia Phillies, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Dodgers.

Bunning was elected into the baseball hall of fame in Cooperstown in 1996 by the hall's veterans' committee.

After his retirement in 1971, Bunning returned home and turned to politics, first serving on Fort Thomas' city council. He then gained a seat in the Kentucky state senate as a conservative Republican, later losing for governor against to Democrat Martha Layne Collins in 1983.

He won the Northern Kentucky seat in Congress in 1986, and then won Kentucky's U.S. Senate seat in 1988. There, he served two terms, briefly flirting with running for re-election in 2010 before deciding to retire.