Back in August, I began a series here at Pinstripe Alley where I was going to put together an All-Star Yankee team of players who were born in a given month. Since then, we as a staff have started doing daily posts for the year 2026, highlighting a Yankee from history whose birthday happens to land on that day. As we near the end of this month, what better way to put a cap on a month’s worth of birthday posts then by using the all-month teams as a way to look back on who we covered? And maybe some we didn’t cover who shared a birthday with someone else?
With that in mind, here are my choices for the All-May Birthday Yankee Team.
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Pitcher: Red Ruffing (May 3rd birthday post)
David Wells could be the #2 starter and Andrew Miller would be a strong option out of the bullpen, but the Hall of Famer Ruffing is the choice as the ace of the May team. Ruffing was a star on the mound for six Yankees’ championship teams and was the result of probably the second best ever Yankees’ trade with the Red Sox.
Catcher: Yogi Berra (May 12th birthday post)
Considering he’s probably the catcher on the overall all-time Yankees’ team, yes obviously Yogi gets the start for this team too. The man has a World Series ring for all 10 fingers. Sure, the infrastructure of MLB was obviously quite different than it is now, and there’s a chance if Yankees’ teams of that era had to go through the amount of playoff rounds you have to now, they could’ve been upset a couple times. Still, though, 10 rings, just think about that.
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First Base: Miguel Cairo (May 4th birthday post)
Not a ton of obvious candidates for first base for May, so we’ll stick the quintessential utility man Cairo there. He did play 39 games at first across his two stints with the Yankees.
Second Base: Billy Martin (May 16th birthday post)
We’re making Billy pull double duty, as he’s going to be player-manager for the May team. Martin said “I may not have been the greatest Yankee to put on the uniform, but I was the proudest.” at his jersey retirement ceremony, which I’ve always found to be a wonderful quote.
Shortstop: Jerry Hairston
Shortstop is another position without a ton of obvious options for May, so we’re putting the 2009 championship bench extraordinaire there.
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Third Base: Charlie Hayes
Chase Headley is another option to put at third, but it’s hard to go against the guy who caught the final out of the 1996 World Series. Plus, we can post the video of it!
Left Field: Bob Cerv (May 5th birthday post)
Cerv is probably best known as being the roommate of Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle during the duo’s 1961 home run chase season. Sadly, his body was found in the Baltimore harbor with stab wounds, after which his union reelected him as treasurer despite his death.
PLEASE NOTE: That last sentence very much DID NOT happen, but if you can guess why I made that joke, I’ll give you a metaphorical pat on the back.
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Center Field: Felipe Alou
We didn’t give Alou a birthday post, as he shares the day with Yogi, who’s a bit more important in Yankee history. However, the longtime MLB manager and father of current Yankees’ third base coach Luis Rojas did have a stint as a player in the Bronx.
Right Field: Bobby Murcer (May 20th birthday post)
The longtime outfielder and broadcaster is one of the most popular figures in Yankees’ history who never ended up winning a ring.
Designated Hitter: Reggie Jackson (May 18th birthday post)
The flipside of that is Jackson, who didn’t have a long Yankees’ career in the grand scheme of things, but he packed some big moments into it. We just have to worry about the interactions with his May manager/teammate over at second base.