Cincinnati Reds 1965–71 May made his major league debut on September 1, 1965, as a pinch hitter against the
Milwaukee Braves. 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 in 1977 as a member of the
Baltimore Orioles. 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. DEAD LINK --> In his last three seasons with the Orioles, May was primarily used as a
designated hitter to make room for a young
Eddie Murray at first base. Although May was a major contributor in 1979 with 19 homers and 69 RBI, in the
1979 World Series, he only came to bat twice because the DH was not used in that series.
Kansas City Royals 1981–82 After being allowed to leave the Orioles via free agency after the 1980 season, May signed with the Royals as part-time 1B/DH/pinch hitter. Despite hitting .308 in only 48 games in 1982, the 39-year-old May was released by the team in November and he decided to call it a career. Following his release from the Royals, he was hired back as the team's hitting coach and earned a
World Series ring as part of the
1985 World Series championship team. ==Overall career==