In 1963 May was selected first in the 1963 first-year player draft by the Chicago White Sox.[5] He pitched over 300 innings in 1964, split between the Single-A Tidewater Tides and Triple-AIndianapolis Indians, with 17 wins and 8 losses in 207 innings in 30 appearances.
May made his Major League debut in 1965 at the age of 20, starting for the Los Angeles Angels against the Detroit Tigers. He pitched 9 innings, gave up one run and one hit, struck out 10 batters, walked 5, threw 139 pitches, and received a no-decision. May appeared in 30 games for the Angels in 1965. May pitched in the Angels minor league system from 1966 to 1968, including a stint with the Seattle Angels. He appeared in 45 games over three seasons. He won 18 games and lost 10, in 248 innings.
May returned to the Major Leagues for good in 1969 with the Angels and appeared in 200 games between 1969 and the beginning of the 1974 season as a starter and reliever. Over 1,013 innings, May posted a record of 47 wins and 67 losses with California.[7]
The New York Yankees purchased May's contract from the Angels on June 15, 1974.[8] He posted 22 wins and 16 losses in 326 innings over 49 appearances with the Yankees.
May re-signed with the Yankees on November 8, 1979. During the 1980 season with New York, May led the American League with an earned run average of 2.46, which was his best career mark. Through his final four seasons in Major League Baseball, May won 28 games and lost 27.
In 1965 with the Angels, May earned a salary of $6,000. In 1983, his final year with the Yankees, his salary was $620,000.[12]
Personal life and death
When May was 17, he enrolled in an underwater diving program and became a certified diver.[13] Following his professional baseball career, May joined Circle K and worked as a store manager in California.[14]
May died on October 19, 2024, at the age of 80; he had been suffering from diabetes at the time although this was not given as the cause of death.[15][16][17]
