Jerry May (baseball)


Jerry Lee May was an American professional baseball player. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball 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.

Baseball career

Originally a pitcher and an outfielder, May threw six no hitters in American Legion Baseball. In 1961, he was contracted as an amateur free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates, who converted him to a catcher. 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. 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.

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. While May wasn't a strong hitter, he was valued for his defensive skills, posting a.990 fielding percentage over his career. He threw out 42.57% of the base runners who tried steal a base on him, ranking him 11th on the all-time list. May led National League catchers in with a 50% baserunners caught stealing percentage.
May died in a farming accident on June 30, at the age of 52.