James Eric Bullinger (born August 21, 1965) is an American former professional starting pitcher. He played for the Chicago Cubs (1992-1996), Montreal Expos (1997) and Seattle Mariners (1998) of Major League Baseball (MLB). He batted and threw right-handed. He is the brother of pitcher Kirk Bullinger. Jim Bullinger was converted to a pitcher in the Cubs' farm system, after initially playing as a shortstop. Before going pro, Bullinger played for the University of New Orleans, where his team made it to the 1984 College World Series.
Career
He made his major league debut on May 27, 1992. On June 8 of that year, he hit a home run on the first pitch he faced in his first at-bat in the majors, one of only five pitchers to accomplish this feat.
In a seven-season career, Bullinger posted a 34–41 record with 392 strikeouts and a 5.06 ERA in 642.0 innings pitched.
He was a better than average hitting pitcher, batting .188 (31-for-165) with 14 runs, 9 doubles, 4 home runs, 19 RBI, 13 walks, 20 sacrifice hits and 2 sacrifice flies in 186 games.
He posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage, handling 171 total chances (72 putouts, 99 assists) without a miscue in his major league career.