New York Yankees legend Rudy May dies aged 80 – just hours before the World Series begins
New York Yankees legend Rudy May has passed away at the age of 80.
It comes just hours before Game 1 of the World Series, in which the Yankees will play the Los Angeles Dodgers in California.
May, a pitcher, played 16 years in Major League Baseball. He spent seven seasons with the Yankees in two stints and also represented the California Angels, Montreal Expos and Baltimore Orioles.
May passed away on Saturday according to The New York Post. A cause of death has not yet been announced.
May had a 152-156 record throughout his career, good for a 3.46 ERA and 1,760 strikeouts.
Yankees legend Rudy May has died at the age of 80 – hours before the World Series starts
May pitches against Jerry Terrell of the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium in April 1976
May was signed by the Yankees from the Angels in June 1974.
After leaving for Baltimore in 1976, the left-handed pitcher returned to The Bronx as a free agent in 1979 after leaving the Expos.
He played on the Yankees team that was defeated in both the 1981 World Series and the 1980 American League Championship Series. He even had the best ERA in the American League in 1980 with 2.46.
Over the course of his Yankee career, he compiled a 54-46 record over seven seasons and finished with a 3.12 ERA.
May admitted that he could no longer pitch in spring training in 1984 and decided to retire.
After a brief stint as a high school coach in California, May built a career in marketing consulting at Circle K and British Petroleum.