Former New York Yankees Pitcher Rudy May Dead At 80

Rudy May, a former New York Yankees pitcher who once led the American League in ERA, has died at the age of 80, the club announced on Friday.

While the cause of May's death isn't known, a report on social media indicates he was "suffering from diabetes for a long time."

May's passing comes just before the start of the most anticipated World Series in decades ... featuring baseball's two biggest stars, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, from arguably the two most popular teams.

In fact, the last time the Yanks and Dodgers played in the W.S., Rudy was on the Bronx Bombers squad.

During the '81 Fall Classic, Mays pitched 6.1 innings, posting a 2.84 ERA while striking out five batters in the series -- which the Yankees eventually lost.

May's career in the major leagues spanned 16 years... which included seven with the Yankees, seven with the Angels, two with the Montreal Expos, and two with the Baltimore Orioles.

He finished with a career ERA of 3.46 in 535 games.

Mays isn't the only passing the league is mourning. L.A.'s own Fernando Valenzuela passed away Tuesday night at the age of 81

Valenzuela won the NL Rookie of the Year and CY Young Award in 1981 ... while also guiding the team to their fifth world title in their win over the Yankees.