SOUTHGATE, Ky. (CBS/AP) — The family of former U.S. Senator and Phillies pitcher Jim Bunning said Friday he suffered a stroke this week but is out of intensive care.

Bunning was stricken Tuesday at his home in Southgate. A family statement said he was out of intensive care and in transitional care.

“Thanks to the attention of the doctors and nurses at St. Elizabeth, he has been provided skilled care that is leading him on the road to recovery,” the statement said.

The statement thanked first responders and medical workers who have treated Bunning and asked for privacy.

“We will let everyone know as his health continues to improve,” the family said.

Bunning, a former major league pitcher and Hall of Famer, turns 85 on Sunday. The National Baseball Hall of Fame website said Bunning’s perfect game in 1964 while pitching for the Phillies was the first in the National League in the 20th century. He played from 1955 to 1971, mostly with the Phillies and Detroit Tigers.

Rick Robinson, who worked for Bunning when he served in Congress before he was elected senator, told The Cincinnati Enquirer that Bunning has been in good spirits and even watching the baseball playoffs.

Bunning spent six terms in the U.S. House and two in the Senate.

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