Pinky May

Born in Laconia, Indiana, May threw and batted right-handed, stood 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and weighed 165 pounds (75 kg). His nickname stemmed from his reddish hair. Tommy John, who played under May in the minor leagues, recalled "Pinky was a short man with glasses, a ruddy face, and a sunny disposition." He signed with the New York Yankees in 1932 after graduating from Indiana University. May spent seven seasons in the Yankee farm system, but his path to the "Bronx Bombers" was blocked by third baseman Red Rolfe. The parent Yankees won four American League pennants and a like number of World Series during May's tenure in their organization. Finally, on October 4, 1938, May was drafted out of the Yankee system—but by the Phillies, the worst team in the National League in 1938 with a dismal outlook for their immediate future. During May's five seasons in Philadelphia, the Phils av…