Lee May

Lee Andrew May (March 23, 1943 – July 29, 2017) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman and designated hitter from to for the Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles, and Kansas City Royals.

Nicknamed "the Big Bopper" for his power hitting, May produced at least 20 home runs and 80 runs batted in (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 (AL) RBI champion in 1976. In 2009 he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

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. On September 24, 1966, at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, he hit his first major league home run against Bob Shaw of the New York Mets. 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. 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, Tony Pérez, and Pete Rose, May helped power arguably one of baseball's great offenses. In 1968, he hit 22 home runs and drove in 80 runs.

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.

Teammate Tommy Helms nicknamed 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 during the park's final game. The game-winning shot came in the eighth inning off San Francisco Giants pitcher Juan Marichal.

May was the most productive member of the Big Red Machine in the 1970 World Series against the Baltimore Orioles. 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 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. he continued to drive in runs on a regular basis. His 105 RBI in 1973 was second in the league. 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 from the Astros for Enos Cabell and Rob Andrews 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, May crushed two three-run home runs over the park's famed Green Monster 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.

Overall career

In his 18-season career, May posted a .267 batting average, with 354 home runs, 1244 runs batted in, and 2031 hits in 2071 games. Defensively, he recorded a .994 fielding percentage. 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, Rogers Hornsby, Reggie Jackson, Al Simmons, Vic Wertz, and Alex Rodriguez.

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. 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 from 2012 to 2015. He previously served as a manager and coach in the Cleveland Indians system for seven seasons beginning in 2004, and then joined the Boston Red Sox 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 in the third round (91st overall) of the 2013 MLB draft.

Death May died of pneumonia 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 story written by Steve Rushin about TV character Sam Malone from the show Cheers. 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.