Jerry May (baseball)

Jerry Lee May (December 14, 1943 – June 30, 1996) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1964 through 1973 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals, and New York Mets. May was notable for his defensive skills and ability to handle a pitching staff.[1]

For other people with the same name, see Jerry May.
Jerry May
May in 1966
Catcher
Born: (1943-12-14)December 14, 1943
Staunton, Virginia
Died: June 30, 1996(1996-06-30) (aged 52)
Swoope, Virginia
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 19, 1964, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Last MLB appearance
June 3, 1973, for the Kansas City Royals
MLB statistics
Batting average.234
Home runs15
Runs batted in130
Teams

Baseball career

Originally a pitcher and an outfielder, May threw six no hitters in American Legion Baseball.[2] In 1961, he was contracted as an amateur free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates, who converted him to a catcher.[2] The scout who signed him for the Pirates organization was Syd Thrift, who would later serve as general manager of the Pirates and Baltimore Orioles.

May began his playing career as a reserve catcher to Jim Pagliaroni, before becoming the Pirates' regular catcher from 1967 to 1969. May was the Pirates' catcher on June 12, 1970, when pitcher, Dock Ellis threw a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres.[3] By the 1969 season, Manny Sanguillén had taken over as the Pirates' regular catcher, and in December 1970, May was traded along with Fred Patek to the Kansas City Royals.[4]

Career statistics

In a ten-year major league career, May played in 556 games, accumulating 357 hits in 1,527 at bats for a .234 career batting average along with 15 home runs, 130 runs batted in and a .307 on-base percentage.[1] While May wasn't a strong hitter, he was valued for his defensive skills, posting a .990 fielding percentage over his career.[1] He threw out 42.57% of the base runners who tried steal a base on him, ranking him 11th on the all-time list.[5] May led National League catchers in 1970 with a 50% baserunners caught stealing percentage.[6]

May died in a farming accident on June 30, 1996 at the age of 52.[7]

References
  1. Jerry May at Baseball Reference
  2. Tuning In On New Receivers, by Gordon Forbes, Baseball Digest, September 1966, Vol. 25, No. 8, ISSN 0005-609X
  3. Ellis throws first no-hitter of season
  4. Bucs swing 6-player deal with Kansas City Royals
  5. Catcher's fielding records at The Encyclopedia of Catchers
  6. 1970 National League Fielding Leaders at Baseball Reference
  7. "Ex-big leaguer dies in accident". The Argus-Press. July 1, 1996. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
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