Jerry May
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1964-1973)
Jerry May was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1964 to 1973 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Kansas City Royals, and the New York Mets, a span of 10 seasons. In 556 career games, he hit .234 with 357 hits, 15 home runs, and 130 RBI.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 190 lb
- Died
- 6/30/1996 in Swoope, VA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1964-09-19
- Last Game
- 1973-06-03
Full name: Jerry Lee May
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 556 | 1,527 | 120 | 357 | 63 | 10 | 15 | 130 | 1 | 157 | 293 | .234 | .307 | .318 | .625 | -1,056 |
Career AVG .234 vs. league average .248 across their career seasons — 5.7% below league average.
Career OBP .307 vs. league average .314 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .318 vs. league average .368 across their career seasons — 13.7% below league average.
Career OPS .625 vs. league average .682 across their career seasons — 8.4% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | PIT | NL | 11 | 31 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | .258 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1965 | PIT | NL | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1966 | PIT | NL | 42 | 52 | 6 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 15 | .250 | .248 (+1%) | .309 (-6%) | .376 (+2%) | .685 (-2%) | -19.1 |
| 1967 | PIT | NL | 110 | 325 | 23 | 88 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 22 | 0 | 36 | 55 | .271 | .242 (+12%) | .306 (+14%) | .357 (-2%) | .663 (+5%) | 429.5 |
| 1968 | PIT | NL | 137 | 416 | 26 | 91 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 33 | 0 | 41 | 80 | .219 | .236 (-8%) | .298 (-2%) | .340 (-20%) | .638 (-12%) | -598.5 |
| 1969 | PIT | NL | 62 | 190 | 21 | 44 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 23 | 1 | 9 | 53 | .232 | .248 (-7%) | .320 (-16%) | .369 (+4%) | .689 (-5%) | -240.2 |
| 1970 | PIT | NL | 51 | 139 | 13 | 29 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 21 | 25 | .209 | .253 (-18%) | .325 (-4%) | .385 (-25%) | .711 (-16%) | -314.4 |
| 1971 | KCA | AL | 71 | 218 | 16 | 55 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 24 | 0 | 27 | 37 | .252 | .249 (+1%) | .316 (+4%) | .365 (-6%) | .682 (-1%) | -36.6 |
| 1972 | KCA | AL | 53 | 116 | 10 | 22 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 13 | .190 | .243 (-22%) | .310 (-11%) | .353 (-22%) | .664 (-17%) | -276.4 |
| 1973 | KCA | AL | 11 | 30 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | .133 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1973 | NYN | NL | 4 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 556 | 1,527 | 120 | 357 | 63 | 10 | 15 | 130 | 1 | 157 | 293 | .234 | — | — | — | — | -1,056 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (556 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 281 | 745 | 56 | 174 | 7 | 74 | .234 |
| Away | 275 | 782 | 64 | 183 | 8 | 56 | .234 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973-06-03 | NYN | SDP | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1973-06-02 | NYN | SDP | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1973-05-29 | NYN | SFG | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1973-05-24 | NYN | LAD | W | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1973-05-10 | KCR | DET | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1973-05-08 | KCR | DET | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1973-04-26 | KCR | MIL | L | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1973-04-25 | KCR | MIL | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1973-04-17 | KCR | OAK | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1973-04-12 | KCR | TEX | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | PIT | C | 11 | 10 | 80 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 1965 | PIT | C | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966 | PIT | C | 41 | 13 | 114 | 12 | 2 | 3 |
| 1967 | PIT | C | 110 | 103 | 550 | 52 | 4 | 9 |
| 1968 | PIT | C | 135 | 128 | 752 | 70 | 10 | 10 |
| 1969 | PIT | C | 52 | 50 | 325 | 22 | 2 | 3 |
| 1970 | PIT | C | 45 | 39 | 280 | 32 | 2 | 2 |
| 1971 | KCA | C | 71 | 67 | 314 | 38 | 1 | 6 |
| 1972 | KCA | C | 41 | 32 | 175 | 13 | 4 | 1 |
| 1973 | KCA | C | 11 | 9 | 43 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| 1973 | NYN | C | 4 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 525 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Jerry May (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Jerry May: the record in brief
Jerry May's major league career runs from a debut on September 19, 1964 to a final game on June 3, 1973. The season rows list, in order, the Pittsburgh Pirates (1964 to 1970), the Kansas City Royals (1971 through 1973), and the New York Mets (1973). The bio lists May as a catcher who both batted and threw right-handed. May is listed at 6 feet, 2 inches and 190 pounds. May was born on December 14, 1943, in Staunton, VA, USA. May died on June 30, 1996, in Swoope, VA, USA. May's full given name, per the bio, is Jerry Lee May.
May collected 357 hits in 1,527 at bats across 556 games, good for a .234 batting average, plus 15 home runs and 130 RBI. The on-base percentage is .307 and the slugging percentage .318, for an OPS of .625. May's .234 average ran 5.7% below the .248 that the league posted over the same seasons. The OPS comparison is .625 to a league .682, 8.4% below average. No season topped the 91 hits of 1968. The RBI column peaks at 33 in 1968.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jerry May
- What years did Jerry May play?
- Jerry May played in Major League Baseball from 1964 to 1973.
- Was Jerry May a pitcher?
- No. Jerry May was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Jerry May hit?
- Jerry May hit 15 career home runs with 357 hits.
- What was Jerry May's career batting average?
- Jerry May batted .234 over his career, with 357 hits in 1,527 at bats.
- How many RBI did Jerry May have?
- Jerry May drove in 130 runs in his career.
- Is Jerry May in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Jerry May has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.