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Lottery summary for the week of May 21, 2017

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Body found in river in eastern Pennsylvania

<p>LOUISVILLE, Ky. &#8212; Former U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning, a Hall of Fame pitcher who parlayed his sports fame into a political career as an uncompromising advocate for conservative causes, has died. He was 85.</p><p>Bunning&#8217;s family said the ex-senator and baseball great died late Friday of complications from a stroke suffered last October. Bunning was the patriarch of a large family that included his wife, Mary, and their nine children, 35 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.</p><p>&#8220;The family is deeply grateful for the love and prayers of Jim&#8217;s friends and supporters,&#8221; his family said in a statement. &#8220;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.&#8221;</p><p>Bunning won 224 games in a workman-like 17-year major-league career, mostly with the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Phillies. The big right-hander, known for his intimidating mound presence, pitched the first perfect game in modern National League history and became the first pitcher after 1900 to throw no-hitters in both the American and National Leagues.</p><p>Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said Saturday that Bunning &#8220;led an extraordinary life in the national pastime and in public service.&#8221;</p><p>Bunning&#8217;s success in baseball carried over into politics, as the Kentucky Republican served stints on a city council and in the state Senate before a nearly quarter-century career in Congress.</p><p>U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, his longtime colleague from Kentucky, remembered Bunning for his &#8220;long and storied life.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;From his days in the major leagues to his years as my colleague in the Senate &#8212; and the many points in between, from the City Council to the House of Representatives &#8212; Jim rarely shied away from a new adventure,&#8221; McConnell said in a statement.</p><p>&#8220;This Hall of Famer will long be remembered for many things, including a perfect game, a larger-than-life personality, a passion for Kentucky and a loving family,&#8221; he added.</p><p>Bunning&#8217;s son, David, a federal judge, said in a tweet: &#8220;Heaven got its No 1 starter today. Our lives &amp; the nation are better off because of your love &amp; dedication to family.&#8221;</p><p>Known as a no-nonsense pitcher who threw hard and knocked batters down when necessary, Bunning belonged to a rare group of major league pitchers to throw a perfect game in the modern era. He became the first pitcher since Cy Young to record 100 wins and 1,000 strikeouts in both the American and National Leagues.</p><p>When he retired, his 2,855 strikeouts were second in baseball history to Walter Johnson.</p><p>&#8220;Jim was an incredible competitor and was determined to maximize his ability and make the most of everything he did in life,&#8221; Phillies Chairman David Montgomery said Saturday. &#8220;He clearly succeeded in doing so.&#8221;</p><p>Bunning retired from baseball in 1971, then took his hard-nosed approach to politics.</p><p>&#8220;He was a great American. He was a great Senator, and I know that anyone that knows anything about baseball is going to miss him,&#8221; said fellow Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro.</p><p>Bunning served 12 years in the U.S. House, followed by two terms in the Senate. He was a fierce protector of state interests such as tobacco, coal and its military bases.</p><p>His ornery nature prompted Republican leaders to push him to retire as a senator. As his political party soured on him, Bunning pushed back. At one point, he threatened to sue the party&#8217;s national campaign arm if it backed a primary challenger.</p><p>But in July 2009 he dropped his re-election bid, accusing his GOP colleagues of doing &#8220;everything in their power to dry up my fundraising.&#8221;</p><p>Republican Rand Paul rode a tea party wave to win Bunning&#8217;s seat in 2010.</p><p>Bunning&#8217;s competitive side was evident during his political career. In February 2010, he single-handedly held up a $10 billion spending bill in Congress because it would add to the deficit.</p><p>&#8220;The main qualities it takes for professional athletes and politicians is to have a very thick hide, a thick skin, and to be able to meet and greet people,&#8221; he said in July 2000.</p><p>Longtime U.S. Rep. Harold &#8220;Hal&#8221; Rogers, R-Kentucky, said Bunning was &#8220;an indomitable force on the pitcher&#8217;s mound&#8221; and a &#8220;stalwart champion&#8221; for Kentucky as a congressman and senator.</p><p>&#8220;He was bold and headstrong, but also fiercely loyal &#8212; a combination that made him effective in every endeavor he undertook,&#8221; Rogers said. &#8220;Jim left an indelible mark on our state, on our nation &#8212; and his legacy will endure for generations.&#8221;</p><p>Bunning also used his political status to speak out about the game he loved.</p><p>He declared that athletes who use steroids should be kept out of the Baseball Hall of Fame and have their records nullified. He co-authored legislation calling for stiff punishment for professional athletes caught using steroids. The proposal, which sought a lifetime ban for a third positive test, would have applied to baseball, football, basketball and hockey players.</p><p>Bunning grew up in the northern Kentucky suburbs of Cincinnati and started in minor league baseball in 1950. He made it into the majors six years later.</p><p>While spending most of his career with the Tigers and Phillies, the nine-time All-Star selection also had stints with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers.</p><p>His career highlights included a no-hitter for the Tigers in 1958 and a perfect game for the Phillies on Father&#8217;s Day in 1964. Bunning went 20-8 with Detroit in 1957, his only 20-win season, but won 19 games four times, showing his consistency.</p><p>He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1996.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Bunning </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_BunningMUG.jpg</photo0><caption0>Bunning </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_Bunning-action.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Jim Bunning of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches a perfect game against the Mets at Shea Stadium in New York on June 21, 1964. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_Bunning-action.jpg</photo1><caption1>Jim Bunning of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches a perfect game against the Mets at Shea Stadium in New York on June 21, 1964. </caption1><photoCredit1>AP Photo file photo </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bruce Schreiner</p><p>Associated Press</p></bylineMeta></div>

Former Philadelphia Philly Jim Bunning dead at 85