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Melvin Leon Stottlemyre, Sr. (born November 13, 1941 in Hazleton, Missouri) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher and pitching coach. He played 11 years in the Major Leagues, all of them with the New York Yankees. After his playing career, Stottlemyre worked as pitching coach with the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Houston Astros, and Seattle Mariners. [1]. He was one of the anchors of the Yankees for the Joe Torre era starting in 1996. He was also one of the anchors of the Mets for the Davey Johnson era starting in 1984.

Baseball career

Years As a Player

Called up midseason in 1964, Stottlemyre went 9–3 to help the Yankees to their fifth consecutive pennant while being on the cover of The Sporting News. In the World Series, Stottlemyre faced Bob Gibson three times in a seven-game Series. Stottlemyre bested Gibson in Game 2 to even the series, and got a no-decision in Game 5, but lost the decisive Game 7 as the Cardinals won the Series. A sinker-ball specialist, Stottlemyre would pitch 10 more seasons with the Yankees, winning 164 games, including three 20-win seasons; but although the 1964 Series marked the Yankees' 29th pennant in 44 seasons, the ensuing decade would be the franchise's lowest period since the 1910s, with the Yankees not reaching the postseason at all. Stottlemyre was released by the Yankees after the 1974 season with a rotator-cuff injury, and he retired from playing.

Coaching Years

In 1977, Stottlemyre re-emerged in baseball as a roving instructor for the Seattle Mariners. After five seasons in that position, he would eventually be hired by the New York Mets as the pitching coach for ten years (including the 1986 World Series championship team) and then followed by a two-year stint as the Houston Astros pitching coach.

In 1996, Stottlemyre joined the Yankees coaching staff along with the incoming manager Joe Torre. Under Torre, Stottlemyre lowered the team ERA from 4.65 in 1996 to 3.84 in 1997 and then to 3.82 in 1998. Under Stottlemyre, the Yankee team averaged an ERA of 4.23 from 1996 to 2005. After 10 seasons and four World Series victories, Stottlemyre resigned his coaching position on October 12, 2005, following the Yankees' ALDS defeat by the Angels. He cited personal disagreements with Yankees owner George Steinbrenner among his reasons for leaving and cited Steinbrenner's comment that after the division series was over, he had congratulated Angels manager Mike Scioscia. Stottlemyre 's response was: "My first thought was, 'What about Joe?' Joe did a hell of a job, too. To congratulate the other manager and not congratulate your own, after what he's done this year, I laughed." The Yankees replaced Stottlemyre with former Yankees pitcher Ron Guidry.

Stottlemyre was named pitching coach of the Seattle Mariners under manager John McLaren at the beginning of the 2008 season and was retained by interim manager Jim Riggleman after McLaren's firing, but was dismissed after the season ended.

Personal life

Stottlemyre's sons Todd and Mel Jr. both followed their father by becoming major league pitchers.

Stottlemyer's other son Jason died from a coma at a young age of 11 (see book Pride and Pinstripes by Mel Stottlemyre).

Stottlemyre was diagnosed with multiple myeloma but is in remission; he is an avid supporter of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.

See also

• List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
• List of second generation MLB players

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference