Somewhere between Art Mahaffey and Jim Bunning lies the future career of Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Vince Velasquez, and the new few starts will probably determine where he slots in that discussion.

Bunning, a Hall of Famer who later became a U.S. Senator from Kentucky, has instant name recognition, while Mahaffey, a career 59-64 journeyman, does not. Yet, in his first two games, Velasquez put his name in the record book right between those two with dominating performances. In a 1-0 win over the New York Mets last week, Velasquez had nine strikeouts; in a 3-0 win over the San Diego Padres on Thursday, Velasquez added 16 more strikeouts.

He broke Bunning’s 1964 two-game strikeout record (20) with those 25 strikeouts over two games, while falling just one short of Mahaffey’s single-game record of 17 strikeouts in 1961. If Velasquez finishes 11-19 like Mahaffey did that season, we will find out that he was a flash in the pan and that direction should be determined over the next few starts.

Since he is 2-0 with a pair of shutouts and electric stuff, it is more likely that he is headed in the direction of Bunning, who had a perfect game against the Mets the same year he set the strikeout record. Velasquez, like Bunning and Mahaffey, has a terrific fastball.

In the spring, Velasquez made it known to his teammates that he wanted to be called Vince after being called Vincent his entire career. As a joke, his teammates started calling him “Vinny From Philly” and the nickname stuck.

Now, he is trying to make it a name to remember, and we should know over the next few starts whether he’s headed for greatness or journeyman status.