Yankees inspiration, Mel Stottlemyre passes away at 77

Mel Stottlemyre, who spent 21 seasons with the Yankees — 11 as a player and 10 as the pitching coach, passed away on Monday at the age of 77 following a 20-year battle with multiple myeloma.

As a teenager in the late ’90s, many of my fondest baseball memories had to do with the Yankees and their string of World Series titles. Of course, there was The Boss, The Core Four and their stoic skipper, Joe Torre.

However, there was another constant figure in the Yankee dugout that walked softly but carried a big stick — pitching coach, Mel Stottlemyre.

Stottlemyre always knew how to get the very best out of his pitchers, as his combination of finesse and wisdom played an integral part in the overall development of Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera. Pettitte would go on to rack up 256 career victories while Rivera became the all-time saves leader with 652.

From 1996-2005, Stottlemyre also worked with the likes of David Cone, Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina and David Wells, guiding the Yanks’ pitch corps to four championships, to go along with the one he already had from the ’86 Mets, when Mel mentored a 21-year-old Doc Gooden.

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Unfortunately, Stottlemyre resigned from the Yankees following the 2005 season due to George Steinbrenner’s constant meddling. Often, The Boss would deploy pitching advisor, Billy Connors, to keep a close eye on Stottlemyre — something that irked the typically reserved Joe Torre.

The thing that some younger fans don’t realize is that Stottlemyre pitched his entire career in the Bronx, from 1964-1974.

A five-time All-Star, Stottlemyre won 20 games or more in a season three times while going 164-139 with a 2.97 ERA, 1.219 WHIP, minuscule 0.6 HR/9 and 2.7 BB/9 across 2661.1 innings pitched.

Stottlemyre pitched for the Bombers when they were anything but, only reaching the postseason once in his 11-year career. During the 1964 World Series (his rookie year), Mel went 1-1 with a Game 2 complete game, a 3.15 ERA, 1.200 WHIP and 12:6 K:BB ratio across 20 innings. Two of his three appearances came against the incomparable Bob Gibson, including a series-ending Game 7 loss on just two days’ rest.

A torn rotator cuff in 1974 and subsequent release by the Yanks before the start of the ’75 season would spell the end of Stottlemyre’s playing career.

However, the durable right-hander, known for his incredible sinkerball, most-deservingly received his monument at Old Timers’ Day in 2015.

Following a 20-year battle with bone marrow cancer, Stottlemyre passed away near his home in Washington State. An outpouring of love and condolences soon reverberated throughout Major League Baseball and the players Stottlemyre touched.

Doc Gooden via Newsday:

"“Mel was more than a pitching coach to me. He was a dear friend. Everything I accomplished in the game was because of him. I’ll miss him dearly.”"

Joe Torre via Newsday:

"“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 Zim [Don Zimmer], he was my coach who became a dear friend and someone who became very special to me.”"

David Cone via Twitter:

"He was more than a great pitcher and fantastic pitching coach. He was a father figure and touched so many in a positive way. We lost a great man. RIP Mel Stottlemyre"

Hal Steinbrenner via Twitter:

"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. We extend our deepest condolences to Mel’s wife Jean & the entire Stottlemyre family."

Mel Stottlemyre was a class act — a symbol of what being a Yankee truly means and there’s no doubt, his legacy will last for as long as the interlocking NY does.