Steve Garvey is part of a never-ending flow of baseball players turned politicians

On 5 March, former baseball star Steve Garvey made it into the runoff for the US Senate seat from California vacated by the late Dianne Feinstein. Garvey, a conservative Republican, will face Democrat congressman Adam Schiff in the November general election.

Garvey faces an uphill battle in deep-blue California. During debates and public appearances, he’s revealed little knowledge of the issues. He’s relying on his 19 years (1969-87) in the major leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres to propel his campaign. “It’s time to get off the bench. It’s time to put the uniform on. It’s time to get back in the game,” he said in October when he announced his campaign.

Garvey is one of several hundred former major league ballplayers who have run for public office since the late 1800s. More than 100 of them have been elected to a variety of positions, from city councilman to state legislator. A few former players have even become congressmen, US senators, and governors.

From the late 1800s through the late-1900s, baseball was America’s most popular sport. Then, as now, ballplayers’ celebrity was a real asset for aspiring politicians.

Some excelled in both realms. The best known is Jim Bunning. During his major league career (1955-71) he won 224 games, pitched two no-hitters (including a perfect game), and was a seven-time All-Star. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1996. As a player, Bunning was a leader of the Major League Baseball Player Association. He helped recruit Marvin Miller, the MLBPA’s canny executive director, who transformed it into one of the nation’s most powerful unions.

After retiring from baseball, Bunning, a Republican who had led Athletes for Nixon in 1968, returned to his native Kentucky,