Wally Bunker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wally Bunker |
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: January 25, 1945 Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| September 29, 1963, for the Baltimore Orioles | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| May 26, 1971, for the Kansas City Royals | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 60–52 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.51 | ||
| Strikeouts | 569 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Wallace Edward Bunker, born on January 25, 1945, is a former American baseball player. He was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. Wally, who threw with his right hand, played for the Baltimore Orioles from 1963 to 1968. He also played for the Kansas City Royals from 1969 to 1971.
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Early Life and Baseball Beginnings
Wally Bunker played for his high school baseball team, the Capuchino High School varsity team, in San Bruno, California. This was in 1962 and 1963. His team won the Mid-Peninsula League championships. Wally also played on the school's varsity basketball team.
The Baltimore Orioles baseball team thought Wally and another player, Dave Boswell, were the best young pitchers in the country. The Orioles decided to sign Wally Bunker to play for them.
Amazing Rookie Season in 1964
In 1964, when Wally was only 19 years old, he had an incredible start to his career. He won his first six games in a row! His very first win was a 2-1 game against the Washington Senators. In that game, he only allowed one hit, which is very rare.
Wally quickly became a top pitcher for the Orioles. He played alongside famous pitchers like Milt Pappas and Robin Roberts. Wally finished the season with 19 wins and only 5 losses. His earned-run average (ERA) was 2.69, which is excellent. His 19 wins are still a record for a rookie pitcher on the Orioles team.
Because of his great performance, Wally won The Sporting News American League Rookie Pitcher of the Year Award. He also received a vote for the main Rookie of the Year award. That year, the Orioles finished in third place in their league.
Wally became very popular in Baltimore. The mayor of Baltimore, Theodore McKeldin, even called the pitcher's mound at Memorial Stadium "Baltimore's Bunker Hill." He even put some dirt from the real Bunker Hill on the mound! After this, Wally helped the Orioles beat the White Sox 6–1. This win put the Orioles in first place. A few weeks later, he pitched another game where he only allowed one hit. He beat the Kansas City Athletics 4–0.
Later Years with the Orioles
After his amazing rookie season, Wally started to have arm problems. These were likely injuries to his tendons or ligaments. In his time, these types of injuries were not always diagnosed well. Wally said his arm started hurting in late September 1964.
These arm issues meant he couldn't pitch as much as a full-time starter in later seasons. In 1965, he had 10 wins and 8 losses. In 1966, he had 10 wins and 6 losses.
In 1966, the Orioles won the 1966 World Series! They beat the defending champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in four games. Wally played a big part in this victory. In Game 3 of the World Series, Wally pitched a complete game shutout. This means he pitched the whole game and didn't let the other team score any runs. He only allowed six hits. This shutout was part of a record-setting streak for the Orioles. They didn't allow any runs for over 33 innings in the World Series!
Playing for the Kansas City Royals
In 1968, the Kansas City Royals team chose Wally Bunker in a special draft for new teams. He became their best pitcher in 1969, with 12 wins and 11 losses.
On April 8, 1969, Wally threw the very first pitch in the history of the Kansas City Royals team! The Royals won that game against the Minnesota Twins 4–3 in 12 innings.
After the 1969 season, Wally's arm troubles continued. These problems limited his ability to pitch and shortened his career. In 1970, his record was 2 wins and 11 losses. He was released from the team in May 1971. Wally Bunker played his last Major League Baseball game when he was only 26 years old.
Throughout his career, Wally Bunker won 60 games and lost 52. He had 569 strikeouts and a 3.51 earned-run average. As a batter, he had 31 hits. Wally's best pitch was his sinker. This pitch moves downward as it gets to the batter. Famous baseball player Mickey Mantle once said that Wally's sinker was a pitch "you could break your back on."
Author and Illustrator of Children's Books
Wally Bunker and his wife, Kathy, are also talented artists and writers. They were "Artists in Residence" at Palm Key Nature Getaway in Ridgeland, South Carolina. They started writing and illustrating children's literature together. Their collection of books is called "Wal-De-Mar, Friends and Such."
- A Lowcountry Tale Concerning Wal-De-Mar Wiggins was published in April 2015. This book introduces children to a cute little bird from South Carolina.
- I Am Me was also published in April 2015. In this story, Wal-De-Mar dreams about who he could be. He then learns how important it is to just be himself.
Wally and Kathy now live in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. They planned to release more "Wal-De-Mar, Friends and Such" books in late 2015.
Books Written by Wally and Kathy Bunker
- 2015 "A Lowcountry Tale Concerning Wal-De-Mar Wiggins"
- 2015 "I Am Me"
