Rudy May, baseball player, 1965-1983

Rudy May

Born: 7/18/1944 in Coffeyville, KS, USA

Died: 10/19/2024 in Hertford, NC, USA

MLB Debut: 1965-04-18 | Final Game: 1983-09-21

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 205 lbs

Full name: Rudolph May

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Biography

Rudy May was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1965 to 1983, leaving a significant mark on the game during a transformative era in Major League Baseball. Born in 1944, May played in an age characterized by the shifting dynamics of pitching strategies and the emergence of power hitters. Over his 18-year career, he compiled a record of 152 wins and 156 losses, showcasing his durability and persistence on the mound. With an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 3.46, May established himself as a reliable starter capable of competing at a high level throughout his tenure. May recorded a total of 1,760 strikeouts and notched 12 saves, demonstrating his versatility as both a starter and a reliever. His ability to manage games and keep hitters off balance made him a valuable asset to several teams, including the California Angels and the New York Yankees. As a pitcher who navigated the complexities of the 1970s and early 1980s, May contributed to the evolving nature of the game, balancing traditional pitching techniques with the growing emphasis on strikeouts and game management. His career remains a testament to skill and resilience in a highly competitive sport.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
152 156 535 360 87 24 12 2622.0 2314 1007 199 958 1760 3.46 0

Career ERA 3.46 vs. league average 3.71 across their career seasons — 6.8% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1965 LAA AL 4 9 30 19 2 1 0 124.0 111 54 78 76 3.92 3.50 (-12%) -
1969 LAA AL 10 13 43 25 4 0 2 180.3 142 69 66 133 3.44 3.61 (+5%) -
1970 LAA AL 7 13 38 34 2 2 0 208.7 190 93 81 164 4.01 3.89 (-3%) -
1971 LAA AL 11 12 32 31 7 2 0 208.3 160 70 87 156 3.02 3.47 (+13%) -
1972 LAA AL 12 11 35 30 10 3 1 205.3 162 67 82 169 2.94 3.26 (+10%) -
1973 LAA AL 7 17 34 28 10 4 0 185.0 177 90 80 134 4.38 3.75 (-17%) -
1974 LAA AL 0 1 18 3 0 0 2 27.0 29 21 10 12 7.00 3.63 (-93%) -
1974 NYY AL 8 4 17 15 8 2 0 114.3 75 29 48 90 2.28 3.63 (+37%) -
1975 NYY AL 14 12 32 31 13 1 0 212.0 179 72 99 145 3.06 3.71 (+18%) -
1976 NYY AL 4 3 11 11 2 1 0 68.0 49 27 28 38 3.57 3.51 (-2%) -
1976 BAL AL 11 7 24 21 5 1 0 152.3 156 64 42 71 3.78 3.51 (-8%) 188.1
1977 BAL AL 18 14 37 37 11 4 0 251.7 243 101 78 105 3.61 4.00 (+10%) -1230.1
1978 WSN NL 8 10 27 23 4 1 0 144.0 141 62 42 87 3.88 3.69 (-5%) -
1979 WSN NL 10 3 33 7 2 1 0 93.7 88 24 31 67 2.31 4.00 (+42%) -
1980 NYY AL 15 5 41 17 3 1 3 175.3 144 48 39 133 2.46 3.84 (+36%) -
1981 NYY AL 6 11 27 22 4 0 1 147.7 137 68 41 79 4.14 3.58 (-16%) -
1982 NYY AL 6 6 41 6 0 0 3 106.0 109 34 14 85 2.89 3.86 (+25%) -
1983 NYY AL 1 5 15 0 0 0 0 18.3 22 14 12 16 6.87 3.87 (-77%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
536 341 12 42 9 0 0 14 0 22 164 0.123 0.180 0.150 0.330 -2381.9

Career AVG .123 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 52.0% below league average.

Career OBP .180 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — 44.1% below league average.

Career SLG .150 vs. league average .378 across their career seasons — 60.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.330 vs. league average 0.701 across their career seasons — 52.9% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1965 LAA AL 30 30 2 6 3 0 0 1 0 4 15 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1969 LAA AL 44 49 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 22 0.082 — — — — -533.5
1970 LAA AL 38 69 0 6 2 0 0 2 0 4 31 0.087 .253 (-66%) .325 (-59%) .385 (-70%) .711 (-65%) -770.8
1971 LAA AL 32 68 2 10 1 0 0 4 0 4 40 0.147 .249 (-41%) .316 (-39%) .365 (-56%) .682 (-48%) -517.3
1972 LAA AL 35 62 3 7 1 0 0 1 0 3 29 0.113 .243 (-54%) .310 (-50%) .353 (-64%) .664 (-57%) -560.3
1973 LAA AL 34 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1974 LAA AL 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1974 NYY AL 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1975 NYY AL 32 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1976 NYY AL 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1976 BAL AL 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1977 BAL AL 37 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1978 WSN NL 27 42 2 6 2 0 0 3 0 3 19 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1979 WSN NL 33 21 2 3 0 0 0 3 0 0 8 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1980 NYY AL 41 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1981 NYY AL 27 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1982 NYY AL 41 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1983 NYY AL 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
6 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1981 AEDIV NYA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1981 ALCS NYA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1981 WS NYA 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000
1980 ALCS NYA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 1 6 2 0 19.7 18 8 4 15 3.66

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1981 AEDIV NYA 0 0 1 0 0 2.0 1 0 0 1 0.00
1981 ALCS NYA 0 0 1 1 0 3.3 6 3 0 5 8.10
1981 WS NYA 0 0 3 0 0 6.3 5 2 1 5 2.84
1980 ALCS NYA 0 1 1 1 0 8.0 6 3 3 4 3.38

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 535 360 87 382 37 18

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1965 CAL P 30 19 4 15 0 0
1969 CAL P 43 25 6 26 6 3
1970 CAL P 38 34 5 33 3 1
1971 CAL P 32 31 7 31 4 3
1972 CAL P 35 30 2 24 5 2
1973 CAL P 34 28 2 39 1 0
1974 CAL P 18 3 0 11 0 0
1974 NYA P 17 15 4 8 0 0
1975 NYA P 32 31 9 25 2 0
1976 NYA P 11 11 4 10 1 1
1976 BAL P 24 21 9 21 4 2
1977 BAL P 37 37 6 33 4 1
1978 MON P 27 23 5 15 3 2
1979 MON P 33 7 6 15 0 0
1980 NYA P 41 17 5 26 2 2
1981 NYA P 27 22 11 28 1 0
1982 NYA P 41 6 2 19 1 1
1983 NYA P 15 0 0 3 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 535