Lee Andrew May (March 23, 1943 – July 29, 2017) was an
American professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
player and
coach. He played in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB) as a
first baseman
A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
and
designated hitter
The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. Unlike other players in a team's lineup, they generally only play as an offensive player and usually do not play defense as ...
from to for the
Cincinnati Reds,
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
,
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...
, and
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...
.
Nicknamed "The Big Bopper" for his power hitting, May produced at least 20 home runs and 80
runs batted in
A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...
(RBI) for 11 consecutive seasons, and is one of only 11 major league players to have 100-RBI seasons for three different teams.
He was a three-time
All-Star player and was the
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...
(AL) RBI champion in 1976.
May appeared in the postseason three times, including the
1970 World Series for the Reds and the
1979 World Series for the Orioles as well as the 1981 postseason with the Royals.
After his playing career, May spent several years as a hitting coach at the major league level for the Royals, Reds, Orioles and
Tampa Bay Rays organizations. May was inducted into the
Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame in 1998 and into the
Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 2006.
In 2009 he was inducted into the
Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.
He was the older brother of former professional baseball player,
Carlos May.
High school
May was a standout in both baseball and football at
A.H. Parker High School in Birmingham. May played fullback on the varsity football team and was offered a scholarship at the
University of Nebraska
A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
. However, the
Cincinnati Reds organization was also interested in him, and the team signed May to an amateur free agent contract with a $12,000 bonus on June 1, 1961.
[Sport Magazine August 1972 "Lee May: The Man Behind the Astros' Surge"]
Minor league
May began his professional career in 1961 with the
Tampa Tarpons in the
Florida State League, a D-league affiliate of the Reds. He played two years in Tampa before moving up to the
Rocky Mount Leafs in the Class A
Carolina League. The following year he was again promoted, this time to the
Macon Peaches in the Class AA
Southern League.
At all three stops, May, like many black players, endured racist taunts not only from an opposing team's white fans but from the fans of his own team as well.
May hated his time in
Macon, Georgia
Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Situated near the Atlantic Seaboard fall line, fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is southeast of Atlanta and near the ...
the most. Not only did he hear racist epithets, but he also had to avoid thrown bottles. May's emergence in 1964 allowed him to be promoted the following year to the
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...
of the Class AAA
Pacific Coast League. During his only season with the Padres, May was one of the best players in the league. He hit 34 home runs while driving in 103 runs and hitting .321. He was called up briefly to the Reds at the end of season but then moved to the Reds' new Class AAA
International League
The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...
team, the
Buffalo Bisons in 1966. A solid AAA season at Buffalo led to his permanent major league promotion.
Major league
Cincinnati Reds 1965–71
May made his major league debut on September 1, 1965, as a pinch hitter against the
Milwaukee Braves
The Milwaukee Braves were a Major League Baseball club that played in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from 1953 to 1965, having previously played in Boston, Massachusetts, as the Boston Braves. After relocating to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1966 they were rename ...
. On September 24, 1966 at
Crosley Field
Crosley Field was a Major League Baseball park in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the home field of the National League's Cincinnati Reds from 1912 through June 24, 1970, and the original Cincinnati Bengals football team, members of the second (1937) a ...
in Cincinnati, he hit his first major league home run against Bob Shaw of the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
. It turned out to be the game-winning homer. May broke camp as a full-time member of the Reds in 1967. That season, May was named
NL Rookie of the Year by ''
The Sporting News
''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...
''. He was also named to the
Topps All-Star Rookie Team. The next two years saw much of the construction of the future
The Big Red Machine. Along with
Johnny Bench
Johnny Lee Bench (born December 7, 1947) is an American former professional baseball player. He played his entire Major League Baseball career, which lasted from to , with the Cincinnati Reds, primarily as a catcher. Bench was the leader of the ...
,
Tony Pérez, and
Pete Rose
Peter Edward Rose Sr. (April 14, 1941 – September 30, 2024), nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1963 to 1986, most prominently as a member of ...
, May helped power arguably one of baseball's great offenses. In 1968, he hit 22 home runs and drove in 80 runs.
Despite only walking 38 times and striking out 100 times, he still had an OPS of .805 which was remarkable during the
Year of the Pitcher.
In 1969, he finished the year with 38 home runs, third in the National League. He also had 110 RBIs which was fourth in the league. May was also second in extra base hits, fourth in total bases, sixth in slugging percentage and sixth in doubles.
Also in 1969, May had three consecutive multi-home run games, a feat that has only happened three other times in major league history.
Teammate
Tommy Helms nickname
A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...
d May "The Big Bopper from Birmingham" which later was shortened to "The Big Bopper." During his time in Cincinnati, May was one of the clubhouse leaders for the Reds. With his pragmatic personality and comic sense of timing, manager
Sparky Anderson often called on May to put out clubhouse fires.
In 1970, the Reds pounded nearly everyone into submission. Batting in the fifth slot, May delivered 94 runs batted in. On June 24, 1970, May hit the last home run in the history of
Crosley Field
Crosley Field was a Major League Baseball park in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the home field of the National League's Cincinnati Reds from 1912 through June 24, 1970, and the original Cincinnati Bengals football team, members of the second (1937) a ...
during the park's final game. The game-winning shot came in the eighth inning off
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
pitcher
Juan Marichal.
May was the most productive member of the
Big Red Machine in the
1970 World Series against the
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...
. He batted .389 with two home runs, six runs scored which was tied with
Boog Powell for Series high and eight RBI which was a five-game World Series record at the time.
He also had the highest
slugging percentage
In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at-bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at-bats for a given player, an ...
and
on-base plus slugging (OPS) with .833 and 1.283 respectively. His three-run homer to left field off
Eddie Watt's first pitch in the eighth inning of Game 4 led to the only Series victory for the Reds who avoided an Orioles' four-match sweep.
Although the Reds slumped in 1971, May continued to slug away, hitting 39 home runs (third in the NL) and driving in 98 RBIs (sixth in NL). Consequently, May was named the Reds MVP for the 1971 season.
Houston Astros 1972–74
With the Reds needing to shore up their infield defense and add speed on the basepaths and seeing
Tony Pérez and May as essentially the same type of player (right-handed power hitters), the Reds sent May to the Houston Astros for future Hall of Famer
Joe Morgan. The Astros, badly in need of power after finishing last in the NL in home runs in 1971, completed a trade with the Reds on November 29, 1971 that sent second baseman Morgan, pitcher
Jack Billingham, infielder
Denis Menke, outfielder
César Gerónimo and minor leaguer
Ed Armbrister for May, second baseman
Tommy Helms and utility man
Jimmy Stewart.
Although his power numbers dropped in the
Astrodome
The NRG Astrodome, formerly and also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, was the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas, United States. It seated around 50,000 fans, with a record atte ...
, the toughest ballpark to hit a home run in the National League, he continued to drive in runs on a regular basis. His 105 RBI in 1973 was second in the league.
During the 1973 season, May set an Astro club record with a 21-game hitting streak. It was during this streak he hit three home runs in one game (also a club record) and collected his 1000th base hit. On April 29, 1974, May became the 17th player in MLB history to hit two home runs in one inning.
Baltimore Orioles 1975–80

May was acquired along with
Jay Schlueter by the
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...
from the Astros for
Enos Cabell and
Rob Andrews
Robert Ernest Andrews (born August 4, 1957) is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative for from 1990 to 2014. The district included most of Camden County and parts of Burlington County and Gloucester County. He is a membe ...
at the
Winter Meetings on December 3, 1974. Averaging 32 homers and 98 RBI as one of MLB's top five power hitters over the previous five seasons, May was expected to improve the Orioles' offensive production at first base.
He took an immediate liking to the American League. In his first at bat in the junior circuit, he hit a three-run home run at
Tiger Stadium. In his first appearance at Boston's
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a ballpark located in Boston, Massachusetts, less than one mile from Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home field of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Boston Red Sox. While the stadium was built in 1912, it was substantia ...
, May crushed two three-run home runs over the park's famed
Green Monster
The Green Monster is a popular nickname for the left field wall at Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. The wall is from home plate at the left-field Foul line (baseball), foul line, making it a popular target f ...
including a game-winning shot.
In 1976, May enjoyed his best season as an Oriole. He hit 25 home runs and led the American League in RBI with 109.
For his effort, May won the Louis M. Hatter Most Valuable Oriole Award.
In his last three seasons with the Orioles, May was primarily used as a
designated hitter
The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. Unlike other players in a team's lineup, they generally only play as an offensive player and usually do not play defense as ...
to make room for a young
Eddie Murray
Eddie Clarence Murray (born February 24, 1956), nicknamed "Steady Eddie", is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman, designated hitter, and coach. Spending most of his MLB career with the Baltimore Orioles, he ranks fourth ...
at first base. Although May was a major contributor in 1979 with 19 homers and 69 RBI, in the
1979 World Series, he only came to bat twice because the DH was not used in that series.
Kansas City Royals 1981–82
After being allowed to leave the Orioles via free agency after the 1980 season, May signed with the Royals as part-time 1B/DH/pinch hitter. Despite hitting .308 in only 48 games in 1982, the 39-year-old May was released by the team in November and he decided to call it a career.
Following his release from the Royals, he was hired back as the team's hitting coach and earned a
World Series ring as part of the
1985 World Series championship team.
Overall career
In his 18-season career, May posted a .267
batting average
Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic.
Cricket
In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
, with 354
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...
s, 1244
runs batted in
A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...
, and 2031
hits in 2071
games
A game is a Structure, structured type of play (activity), play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an Educational game, educational tool. Many games are also considered to be Work (human activity), work (such as p ...
. Defensively, he recorded a .994
fielding percentage
In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a baseball positions, defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putout ...
. May was prone to
strike out; 10 times he fanned more than 100 times in a season and compiled 1,570 in his career. However, he is one of 11 major leaguers to reach the 100-RBI plateau playing for three teams, the others being
Dick Allen,
Joe Carter,
Orlando Cepeda,
Rocky Colavito,
Goose Goslin
Leon Allen "Goose" Goslin (October 16, 1900 – May 15, 1971) was an American professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball for the Washington Senators (1901–60), Washington Senators, Baltimore Orioles#St. Louis B ...
,
Rogers Hornsby
Rogers Hornsby (April 27, 1896 – January 5, 1963), nicknamed "the Rajah", was an American baseball infielder, manager (baseball), manager, and coach (baseball), coach who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the St. ...
,
Reggie Jackson,
Al Simmons,
Vic Wertz, and
Alex Rodriguez
Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975), nicknamed "A-Rod", is an American former professional baseball shortstop, third baseman and designated hitter and current businessman. Rodriguez played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (ML ...
.
May is currently in three different Halls of Fame:
Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame (1988),
Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame (2006), Alabama Sports Hall of Fame (2009). The Big Bopper of Birmingham and
Frank Robinson are the only players to be elected to both the Orioles and Reds Halls of Fame.
Family
Lee May and his wife, Terrye, have three children and nine grandchildren. His son, Lee May Jr., was a New York Mets first-round pick in 1986 and played from 1986 through 1993 in their Minor League system. After that, he began his coaching career in the Mets organization in 1999 and later worked as the minor league hitting coordinator for the
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...
from 2012–2015. He previously served as a manager and coach in the
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...
system for seven seasons beginning in 2004, and then joined the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
organization in 2016, serving as the hitting coach for the
Greenville Drive. May Jr.'s son,
Jacob May, played baseball at
Coastal Carolina University, and was selected by the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
in the third round (91st overall) of the
2013 MLB Draft.
Death
May died of
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...
at a hospital in Cincinnati on July 29, 2017, aged 74. He also had heart disease.
Literary references
May was featured in a ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
'' story written by
Steve Rushin about TV character
Sam Malone from the show ''
Cheers
''Cheers'' is an American television sitcom, created by Glen and Les Charles, Glen Charles & Les Charles and James Burrows, that aired on NBC for eleven seasons from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/C ...
''. Fictitiously, Malone was a former major league pitcher who served up a pitch that May crushed all the way out of Baltimore's Memorial Stadium.
Rushin, Steve. "Everybody Knows His Name," ''Sports Illustrated'', May 24, 1993.
/ref>
See also
*List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders
Listed are all Major League Baseball players who have reached the 2,000 hit (baseball), hit milestone during their career in MLB. Pete Rose holds the Major League record for most career hits, with 4,256. Rose and Ty Cobb, second most, are the only ...
*List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
This is a list of the 300 Major League Baseball players who have hit the most career home runs in regular season play (i.e., excluding playoffs or exhibition games).
In the sport of baseball, a home run is a hit in which the batter scores by ci ...
*List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders
This is a list of Major League Baseball players who have compiled 1,000 runs batted in (RBIs). RBIs are usually accumulated when a batter in baseball enables a runner on base (including himself, in the case of a home run) to score as a result of m ...
*List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders
In baseball, a run batted in (RBI) is awarded to a Batting (baseball), batter for each Baserunning, runner who Run (baseball), scores as a result of the batter's action, including a Hit (baseball), hit, fielder's choice, sacrifice fly, bases load ...
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:May, Lee
1943 births
2017 deaths
African-American baseball coaches
African-American baseball players
American League RBI champions
Baltimore Orioles coaches
Baltimore Orioles players
Baseball players from Birmingham, Alabama
Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players
Cincinnati Reds coaches
Cincinnati Reds players
Houston Astros players
Industriales de Valencia players
20th-century American sportsmen
Kansas City Royals coaches
Kansas City Royals players
Macon Peaches players
Major League Baseball first base coaches
Major League Baseball first basemen
Major League Baseball designated hitters
Major League Baseball hitting coaches
Minor league baseball managers
National League All-Stars
Rocky Mount Leafs players
San Diego Padres (minor league) players
Tampa Bay Devil Rays coaches
Tampa Tarpons (1957–1987) players
20th-century African-American sportsmen
21st-century African-American sportsmen
Deaths from pneumonia in Ohio