Mel Stottlemeyer obit

Yankees and Mets icon Mel Stottlemyre dead at 77

He was not on the list.


Mel Stottlemyre, a midseason call-up who helped pitch the Yankees into the 1964 World Series and who later was the pitching coach for world championship teams in both The Bronx and Flushing, died Sunday in Seattle. He was 77.

Stottlemyre, who had battled multiple myeloma, a rare form of blood cancer, since 2000, was the pitching coach for the 1986 Mets and for all four of the Yankees’ world titles under Joe Torre before resigning in 2005 after having his fill of owner George Steinbrenner.

Stottlemyre was hospitalized in late December 2017, and at the time, one of his sons, Todd, took to social media to ask for prayers because, he said, his dad was “fighting for his life.” That fight continued until Sunday. His wife, Jean, said at the time of his death, in addition to his cancer, Stottlemyre was also battling the flu and pneumonia.

“Beyond his tremendous accomplishments as a player and coach, Mel Stottlemyre was beloved for his class, dignity and fighting spirit,” Yankees managing partner Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement Monday. “His contributions to different eras in our history guided us through difficult times and brought us some of our greatest all-time success. As a result, Mel’s popularity transcended generations, all of whom thought of him as their own. His plaque in Monument Park will forever serve to celebrate the significance of his legacy.

“His passing is a tremendous loss to the Yankees and all those in the baseball community, and we extend our deepest condolences to Mel’s wife, Jean, and the entire Stottlemyre family.”

Stottlemyre had the misfortune of arriving in The Bronx at the same time the Yankees began their decline in the mid-1960s. After going 9-3 following his August 1964 promotion from Triple-A Syracuse and helping the Yankees to their fifth consecutive AL pennant, the 22-year-old right-hander faced Bob Gibson of the Cardinals three times during that 1964 World Series.Don Zimmer, Joe Torre and Mel Stottlemyre in 2001Nury Hernandez

Stottlemyre beat the future Hall of Famer in Game 1, received a no-decision in Game 5 and, on two days’ rest, was the losing pitcher in the decisive Game 7. Stottlemyre went on to become a fixture in the Yankees’ rotation during one of the franchise’s least successful eras. Twice he led the league in losses, but he also won 20 or more games three times — in 1965, 1968 and 1969.

A five-time All-Star and a good-hitting pitcher who had a five-hit game during his rookie season, Stottlemyre posted a 164-139 career record with a 2.97 ERA. He pitched 250 or more innings in nine consecutive seasons, including 303 in 1969, when he led the league with 24 complete games. After suffering a torn rotator cuff, the Yankees cut him in 1975 and he retired.

Stottlemyre, who was raised and made his home in Washington State, joined the Mariners a few years later as a roving pitching instructor. He came to the Mets in 1984 as Davey Johnson’s pitching coach and helped guide a staff anchored by Dwight Gooden to a world championship in 1986. Stottlemyre left the Mets in 1993.

“Everything I accomplished in the game was because of him,’’ Gooden, who pitched for Stottlemyre on both sides of town, said in a statement. “He taught me so much more than balls and strikes. I’ll miss him dearly.”

In addition to his consistently upbeat and supportive nature, David Cone remembered Stottlemyre’s pitching acumen — and the fact that he could still fool hitters into his 50s.

“Mel was one of the true sinkerball artists,’’ Cone said Monday on “The Michael Kay Show.” “Even when he threw batting practice to pitchers, we had a hard time hitting him. He could still make it move.”Ron Darling and Mel StottlemyreNew York Mets

After two seasons as the Astros pitching coach, Stottlemyre resurfaced in The Bronx in 1996. With a staff that included Cone, Gooden, Jimmy Key and Andy Pettitte, the Yankees would win the World Series in 1996. They would go on to win again in 1998, 1999 and 2000 with Stottlemyre guiding an ever-changing pitching staff.

“I am sorry to hear of Mel’s passing,” Torre said in a statement. “Mel was a role model to us all and the toughest man I have ever met. Sometimes a manager hires a friend to be their coach, but with Mel, as with [Don Zimmer], he was my coach who became a dear friend and someone who became very special to me. I send my deepest sympathies to his wife Jean, boys Mel Jr & Todd as well as the entire Stottlemyre family.”

Following the 2005 season, Stottlemyre clashed with George Steinbrenner when the owner praised Angels manager Mike Scioscia after his team eliminated the Yankees in the playoffs. Stottlemyre interpreted that as a shot against his friend Torre and resigned. He would rejoin the Mariners as their pitching coach in 2008 but stayed just one season.

The Yankees surprised Stottlemyre in 2015 when he returned for Old-Timers’ Day and he was given a plaque in Monument Park. The honor was Hal Steinbrenner’s idea.

“Mel was the franchise during those dark years,” Steinbrenner said at the time, referring to the team’s performance through most of Stottlemyre’s playing career. “And we needed to do this.”

Stottlemyre called the plaque “beyond a doubt the biggest surprise I’ve ever had.”

“Today in this stadium, there is no one that’s happier to be on this field than myself,” he told the crowd. “I have been battling a dreaded disease for quite some time. I’ve had so much help from my family and I can’t say enough about you people, how supportive you’ve been for me over the years.Mel StottlemyreCharles Wenzelberg/New York Post

“This is such a shock to me because the era that I played in is an era where, for the most part, the Yankees have tried over the years, I think, to somewhat forget a little bit. With a successful organization like the Yankees, they’d want to forget those years, probably, as fast as they can.”

Two of Stottlemyre’s sons, Mel Jr. and Todd, pitched in the major leagues and Mel Jr. is currently the Mariners pitching coach. Another son, Jason, reputed to be the best baseball player in the family by his father and brothers, died at age 11 in 1981 after five-year battle with leukemia. Mel Stottlemyre had often said that during his illness, he drew strength from the way his young son had battled his disease.

On that June day when he received his own little piece Monument Park, Stottlemyre spoke of how much his relationship with the Yankees meant to him and admitted it might be the last Old-Timers’ Day he attended.

“The pinstripes, to me they mean everything,” he said. “It’s my ballclub. This is my second home. It’s been a thrill over the years to wear this uniform. I can honestly say every time I put this uniform on — even though we weren’t — I felt unbeatable.

“If I never get to come to another Old-Timers’ game, I will take these memories that I have today and I will start a new baseball club, coaching, up there, whenever they need me.”