The best baseball players born on May 5

Who are the best players born on each day of the year? We have a list for every day on the calendar.

Here’s a subjective ranking of the top five for May 5:

1) Charles Bender (1884)

Bender debuted with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1903, going 17-14 with a 3.07 ERA and 29 complete games as a 19-year-old rookie. He lowered his ERA in each of his first eight seasons in the Majors, peaking in 1910, when he went 23-5 with a 1.58 ERA. Bender, a member of the Ojibwe tribe, helped the A’s capture three World Series titles in 1910, 1911 and 1913 and may have invented the slider, which was then called a “nickel curve.” He ended his 16-year career with a 212-127 record and a 2.46 ERA, becoming the first Minnesota native to be elected to the Hall of Fame in 1953.

2) Larry Hisle (1947)

A second-round Draft pick of the Phillies in 1965, Hisle placed fourth in National League Rookie of the Year voting after batting .266 with 20 home runs and 18 stolen bases in 1969, his first full season in the Majors. Following back-to-back subpar seasons, Hisle spent the entire 1972 campaign in the Minors and was traded three times before landing with the Twins, where he became MLB’s first designated hitter during a Spring Training game on March 6, 1973.

Hisle developed into a regular outfielder over his five seasons in Minnesota, earning his first All-Star selection after batting .302 with 28 home runs and an American League-best 119 RBIs in 1977. He joined the Brewers as a free agent the following year and hit .290 with a career-high 34 homers and 115 RBIs to draw his second consecutive All-Star nod and place third in AL MVP voting. After his 14-year playing career ended, Hisle won two World Series rings as a hitting coach for the Blue Jays in 1992 and 1993.

3) Charles Nagy (1967)

A three-time All-Star, Nagy enjoyed the finest season of his career in 1992, when he went 17-10 with a 2.96 ERA for Cleveland. He pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning at the Midsummer Classic that year and was left in to hit in the eighth since the AL squad was out of position players. Nagy -- who was wearing a borrowed Rangers batting helmet -- led off with an infield single, becoming the first AL pitcher to record a hit in the All-Star Game since Ken McBride in 1963. Nagy reached the World Series twice with Cleveland, but he fell short both times, most notably surrendering a walk-off single to Édgar Rentería that sealed the championship for the Marlins in Game 7 of the 1997 Fall Classic.

4) Lee Richmond (1857)

One of the first successful left-handed pitchers to play professional baseball, Richmond logged a 3.06 career ERA over six seasons with the Boston Red Stockings, Worcester Ruby Legs, Providence Grays and Cincinnati Red Stockings. He is best known for throwing the first perfect game in Major League history, which he accomplished in a 1-0 win over Cleveland on June 12, 1880.

5) Bob Cerv (1925)

Cerv served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and attended the University of Nebraska through the G.I. Bill before signing with the Yankees for $5,500 in 1950. He debuted in the Majors the following year at 26, though he was relegated to a part-time role until he was sold to the Kansas City Athletics ahead of the 1957 season. Cerv finally flourished with regular playing time in 1958, hitting .305 with 38 home runs and 104 RBIs to earn his first and only All-Star selection.

Cerv was traded back to the Yankees in 1960, but he found himself on the move again when he was selected by the Angels in the expansion draft. He was in the starting lineup for the first Angels game in franchise history on April 11, 1961, playing left field and homering in the first inning. Less than a month later, the Yankees brought Cerv back for his third stint with the club. He famously shared an apartment with teammates Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle as they chased Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record in 1961.

Others of note:

Logan Gilbert (1997)

Selected with the 14th overall pick of the 2018 Draft out of Stetson University, Gilbert debuted with the Mariners in 2021 and made 24 starts in his rookie season before notching 13 wins in both '22 and '23.

Mike Redmond (1971)

Redmond caught for 13 seasons in the Majors, winning a World Series ring with the Marlins in 2003. He was hired to manage his former club following the 2012 campaign, but he was dismissed after posting a 155-207 record over parts of three seasons.

Hideki Irabu (1969)

Irabu starred in his native Japan before making the jump to the Majors in 1997 with the Yankees. The 6-foot-4 right-hander logged a 5.15 ERA over six big league seasons and pitched for the Yankees when they won back-to-back World Series titles in 1998 and 1999.

Want to see more baseball birthdays for May 5? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.