1. Early Life
Bunker played for the Capuchino High School varsity baseball team in San Bruno, California, during 1962 and 1963, contributing to the team's Mid-Peninsula League championships. He was also a member of the varsity basketball team. The Baltimore Orioles had identified Bunker and Dave Boswell as the two best pitching prospects in the country. The Orioles, unable to offer large bonuses to both, ultimately signed Bunker after being disappointed by Boswell's performance in his senior year of high school.
2. Professional Baseball Career
Wallace Bunker's professional baseball career included stints with the Baltimore Orioles and the Kansas City Royals, marked by early success and later challenges due to arm injuries.
2.1. Baltimore Orioles (1963-1968)
Bunker's tenure with the Baltimore Orioles saw him emerge as a promising rookie pitcher and contribute to a World Series championship, despite later struggles with arm ailments.
2.1.1. Rookie Season (1964)
As a 19-year-old rookie in 1964, Bunker made an immediate impact, winning his first six starts of the season. His debut performance included a 2-1 one-hitter against the Washington Senators. He quickly became the ace of the Orioles' pitching staff, which also featured experienced pitchers like Milt Pappas and Robin Roberts. Bunker concluded his impressive rookie season with a record of 19-5 and a 2.69 earned-run average, setting an Orioles rookie single-season record for wins. He was recognized with The Sporting News American League Rookie Pitcher of the Year Award and received the only first-place vote for the overall Rookie of the Year honors that was not won by Tony Oliva. In 1964, the Orioles finished third in the American League pennant race, two games behind the champion New York Yankees.
Bunker's popularity soared during his rookie year. Prior to a game on June 17 at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore mayor Theodore McKeldin famously proclaimed the pitching mound "Baltimore's Bunker Hill," even christening it with earth from the actual Bunker Hill. Bunker then pitched the Orioles to a 6-1 victory over the first-place Chicago White Sox, a win that propelled Baltimore into first place. Sixteen days later, he threw his second one-hitter of the season, a 4-0 victory over the Kansas City Athletics, with the only hit being Rocky Colavito's fourth-inning double.
2.1.2. Subsequent Seasons and World Series (1965-1968)
Following his stellar rookie season, arm ailments, likely undiagnosed torn tendons or ligaments common in his era, hindered Bunker's performance. He incurred a "sore arm" in late September 1964 during a cold night game in Cleveland. This injury reduced him to a part-time starter after the 1965 season, during which he posted a 10-8 record. In 1966, he achieved a 10-6 record as the Orioles went on to win the 1966 World Series in a four-game sweep of the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers. In Game 3 of that Series, Bunker notably outdueled Claude Osteen, pitching a six-hit, 1-0 shutout. This performance was part of a remarkable streak of shutouts by Orioles pitchers, sandwiched between complete-game shutouts by Jim Palmer and Dave McNally, as the Orioles set a World Series record by not allowing a run for 33 and one-third consecutive innings. The streak began with Moe Drabowsky's 6 and one-third scoreless innings in relief during Game One.
2.2. Kansas City Royals (1969-1971)
In 1968, the Kansas City Royals selected Bunker in the 1968 MLB expansion draft. He became their winningest pitcher in 1969, finishing the season with a 12-11 record. On April 8 of that year, Bunker threw the very first pitch in Kansas City Royals history. The Royals went on to defeat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 in 12 innings, with Drabowsky, also acquired from Baltimore in the expansion draft, earning the victory in relief.
However, the persistent arm troubles that had limited Bunker to a part-time role continued to plague him and ultimately shortened his career. After slumping to a 2-11 record in 1970, he was released in May 1971. Wallace Bunker pitched his final major league game at just 26 years of age.
2.3. Career Statistics and Pitching Style
Over his professional baseball career, Wallace Bunker compiled a record of 60 wins and 52 losses, along with 569 strikeouts and a 3.51 earned-run average across 1,085 and one-third innings pitched. As a batter, he recorded 31 hits in 331 at-bats, resulting in a .094 batting average. Defensively, Bunker maintained a .969 fielding percentage, which was 16 points higher than the league average for his position.
Bunker's most effective pitch throughout his relatively short career was his sinker. Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle once famously commented on the difficulty of hitting Bunker's sinker, saying it was the type of pitch "you could break your back on."
3. Post-Playing Career
After retiring from professional baseball at a young age, Wallace Bunker embarked on a new career path, focusing on the arts.
3.1. Children's Books Author and Illustrator
Wallace Bunker and his wife, Kathy Bunker, became active in children's literature, working as Artists in Residence at Palm Key Nature Getaway in Ridgeland, South Carolina. Together, they embarked on a collaborative project of writing and illustrating children's books under the collection title "Wal-De-Mar, Friends and Such." They released their first two books in 2015. Their first book, A Lowcountry Tale Concerning Wal-De-Mar Wiggins, introduces a bird character born in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina. Their second publication, I Am Me, explores themes of self-discovery, as the bird protagonist dreams of various possibilities for himself before ultimately realizing the value of simply being himself.
3.2. Published Works
The following children's books have been co-authored and illustrated by Wallace Bunker and his wife, Kathy Bunker:
- A Lowcountry Tale Concerning Wal-De-Mar Wiggins (2015)
- I Am Me (2015)
4. Personal Life
Wallace Bunker and his wife, Kathy Bunker, currently reside in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.