Mel Stottlemyre

Melvin Leon Stottlemyre Sr. was born on November 13, 1941, in Hazleton, Missouri. He developed his pitching skills in American Legion Baseball and attended Mabton High School in Mabton, Washington, and Yakima Valley Community College. A scout for the New York Yankees discovered Stottlemyre while he pitched for Yakima’s baseball team, leading to him signing a contract without a bonus on June 10, 1961.

Stottlemyre’s professional baseball career began in the Rookie-level Appalachian League with the Harlan Smokies. He progressed through the minor leagues, including stints with the Auburn Yankees and Greensboro Yankees. In 1963, he was promoted to the Class AAA International League with the Richmond Virginians. In 1964, he was called up to the New York Yankees midseason, where he went 9–3 and helped the team secure their fifth consecutive pennant. He appeared in the 1964 World Series, facing Bob Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals three times. Over his 11-season playing career, all with the Yankees, Stottlemyre earned 164 wins and maintained a 2.97 earned run average, throwing 40 shutouts. He was a five-time MLB All-Star (1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970) and was recognized for his hitting as a pitcher, including an inside-the-park grand slam on July 20, 1965, and a five-for-five hitting performance on September 26, 1964.

After retiring as a player in 1974, Stottlemyre transitioned to coaching. He first served as a roving instructor for the Seattle Mariners in 1977. In 1984, he became the pitching coach for the New York Mets, where he mentored Dwight Gooden during his Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Award seasons. He was part of the 1986 World Series championship team with the Mets. He then spent two years with the Houston Astros as their pitching coach before joining the New York Yankees coaching staff in 1996 alongside manager Joe Torre. During his tenure with the Yankees, the team won four World Series Championships (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000). He resigned from the Yankees in 2005 due to disagreements with owner George Steinbrenner. In 2008, he returned to coaching as the pitching coach for the Seattle Mariners before retiring from baseball at the end of the season. Stottlemyre was honored with a plaque in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium in 2015. He passed away on January 13, 2019, at the age of 77, after a long battle with multiple myeloma.