Books and articles about Mel Stottlemyre

Called up from Richmond in midsummer 1964 for the pennant race, the sinkerballer went 9-3 to help the Yankees win their fifth consecutive AL pennant. In the World Series against the Cardinals, he won Game Two with a complete-game 8-3 victory and pitched well in Game Five, surrendering two runs in seven innings for a no-decision. But, coming back on two days' rest (ace Whitey Ford had arm trouble), Stottlemyre lost the final game when he surrendered three runs in the fourth inning.

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Even as the Yankee dynasty collapsed around him in 1965, Stottlemyre went 20-9, leading the AL in innings and complete games. He led the league with 20 losses in 1966, and tied for the lead with 18 losses in 1972, his only losing seasons before his final campaign. Through the Yankees' fallow period he remained the classy, reliable staff ace and had two more 20-win seasons (1968-69), serving as one of the team's few ties to a more successful era. He pitched at least 250 innings in each of his nine full seasons. A torn rotator cuff forced his retirement in 1974, just before the Yankees began a new era.

Stottlemyre is currently the Mets' pitching coach, and supervised the conversion of Dwight Gooden from a pure power pitcher to a wilier and hopefully more durable style. His son Todd pitches for the Blue Jays, and Mel Jr. played in the Mets' farm system. (TJG)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » August 12, 1964: Mickey Mantle homers from each side of the plate in the same game for the 10th and final time, a ML record, and New York beats Chicago 7–3 at Yankee Stadium. Mel Stottlemyre, in his major league debut, is the winner, scattering seven hits. » August 22, 1964: The Yankees lose the first game to Boston, 5–3, extending their losing streak to six games. Boston scores three runs in the 8th inning to win it. In the nitecap, New York wins, 8–0, as Mickey Mantle and John Blanchard both homer, and Roger Maris drives in three runs. Mel Stottlemyre wins his 3rd game in a row since being recalled from Richmond. The Yanks end the day five 1/2 games behind the Orioles, with the White Sox in 2nd place, one 1/2 games back. » September 26, 1964: Behind rookie Mel Stottlemyre's 2-hitter, the Yankees roll over the Senators, 7–0, for their 11th win in a row. Stottlemyre leads the offense with a ML-record-tying five hits, the last pitcher to collect that many and just the 8th pitcher this century to do so (Jim Callahan of the White Sox did it twice). With a single in his last at bat in his last game, he's had six hits in a row. » October 8, 1964: Rookie Mel Stottlemyre beats Bob Gibson 8–3 to even the World Series. The Yanks score four in the 9th after Gibson is taken out for a pinch hitter. » April 25, 1965: At Yankee Stadium, Mel Stottlemyre and California's Rudy May lock up in a pitching duel until Mickey Mantle scores the only run of the game with a 4th inning solo shot into the left field bleachers. » May 11, 1965: Mel Stottlemyre stops the Red Sox, 5–3, and Mickey Mantle reaches base four times, once on his 6th homer of the year. » June 5, 1965: At Yankee Stadium, Mel Stottlemyre goes 10 innings to win 4–3 over the White Sox. Stottlemyre also clouts a 4th inning homer, off Gary Peters, for the first Yankee score in 24 innings. Mickey Mantle adds a homer in the 6th off Peters, and Elston Howard, recovering from elbow surgery a month ago, wins the game with a single in the 10th. » July 20, 1965: Mel Stottlemyre of the Yankees becomes the first pitcher to hit an inside-the-park grand slam since Deacon Phillippe did it for the Pirates in 1910. Stottlemyre's bases-loaded drive in the 5th off Bill Monbouquette assures him a 6–3 victory over the Red Sox. » April 10, 1967: At D.C. Stadium, LBJ tosses out the first ball to open the season. But the Senators manage just two hits off Mel Stottlemyre as the Yankees win, 8–0. New York jumps on starter Pete Richert for seven runs in the 3rd inning, collecting six straight hits, to put it away. » April 21, 1967: At Fenway, rookie Bill Rohr again tops the Yanks, beating Mel Stottlemyre, 6–1. Elston Howard's 7th-inning homer is the only Yankee score. Rohr will return to the minors after the Gary Bell acquisition and resurface with the Indians next year. » September 2, 1967: Washington's Bob Priddy loses his 1–0 lead to the Yankees when Mickey Mantle clouts a 2-run pinch homer in the 8th and New York wins, 2–1. Mel Stottlemyre is the winner, allowing six hits and no walks. For Mantle, it is his 14th game-winning hit of the year, eight of them home runs. » October 1, 1967: In a 4–3 loss to the Yankees and Mel Stottlemyre, Dave Duncan hits the last homer for the Kansas City Athletics. The team is relocating to Oakland. » April 10, 1968: In New York, just 15,744 show up for the opener at the Stadium between the Yanks and California. Poet Marian Moore tosses out the first ball and rookie catcher Frank Fernandez catches it. Fernandez then belts a home run off George Brunet and Mel Stottlemyre wins, 1–0. Fernandez has one of three hits off Brunet, while Stottlemyre allows just four hits. This is one of four shutouts (out of ten games) pitched on Opening Day. » August 24, 1968: New York's Mel Stottlemyre tops the Tigers ace Denny McLain, 2–1. » April 7, 1969: At RFK Stadium, 45,000 fans, including President Richard Nixon, look on as Ted Williams makes his managerial debut for the Senators. The Yanks spoil it, winning 8–4, pinning the loss on Camilo Pascual, and routing him in the third inning with back-to-back homers by Jerry Kenney and Bobby Murcer. Playing for the old Senators, Pascual lost the '56 opener to New York, and the '57 opener to the Orioles. He won the 1960 opener against the Red Sox and, for the new Washington Senators, lost last year's opener to the Twins. Mel Stottlemyre wins his 3rd straight opening complete game, despite giving up 14 hits. » April 12, 1969: At Detroit, the Yanks Mel Stottlemyre allows just one hit -— a 4th inning double by Bill Northrup -— in beating Denny McLain and the Tigers, 4–0. For the 3rd time in two years, Northrup saves the Tigers from being the victims of a no hitter. » July 23, 1969: Willie McCovey hits two home runs as the National League beats the American League 9–3 for its 7th straight All-Star Game win. Mel Stottlemyre starts for the AL when Denny McLain is late arriving from a dental appointment. » August 13, 1969: Joe Pepitone returns to the Yankees but does not play in their 5–2 loss to the Twins. Rich Reese is 4-for-4 with two homers and two singles to drive in four runs for the Twins as Jim Kaat is the winner over Mel Stottlemyre (16-9). Reese will have hits his first three at bats tomorrow before flying out. » April 7, 1970: At Yankee Stadium, Mel Stottlemyre makes his 4th straight Opening Day start, joining Lefty Gomez and Jack Chesbro as the only Yankee hurlers to do so. The Red Sox counter with newly acquired Gary Peters, who allowed no earned runs in 32 spring training innings. Boston jumps out to a 4–0 lead in five innings, but the Yanks score three in the 6th to chase Peters. But that's all the scoring as Boston wins, 4–3. » May 21, 1970: A generous Mel Stottlemyre hands out 11 walks to Washington in eight 1/3 innings, but the Senators are unable to score. Steve Hamilton gets the last two outs to preserve the 2–0 win. The 11 walks in a shutout ties Lefty Gomez, who did complete his 1941 shutout. Danny Cater's 2-run homer in the 5th accounts for the scoring off Dick Such, making his first ML start. » July 27, 1970: The Yankees 5–2 beat California, 5–2, behind Mel Stottlemyre, who is helped by Gene Michael in the 9th. With the score tied, Michael pulls the hidden ball trick on Angel pinch runner Jarvis Tatum. The Yanks score three in 10th to win. » May 27, 1972: The Tigers use a wild pitch, two bunts, and a single to top Mel Stottlemyre and the Yankees, 2–1. Joe Coleman is the winner for the first place Tigers. » June 29, 1972: Jim Palmer's 8-game win streak ends as the Yanks chase the ace in the 2nd inning of a 4–3 win. Mel Stottlemyre, with relief from Sparky Lyle, gains his 7th win. » July 21, 1972: The Yankees sweep the Angels, winning 6–0 and 3–0 over the Angels. Fritz Peterson and Mel Stottlemyre apply the whitewash. » September 1, 1972: Mel Stottlemyre hurls a 4-hitter to stop the White Sox, 4–0. Rookie Charlie Spikes has two hits in his ML debut, drives in a row and saves a run with a sparkling catch in right field. » July 13, 1973: Bobby Murcer hits three home runs, all off starter Gene Garber, and knocks in all the runs in the Yankees' 5–0 win over the Royals. Mel Stottlemyre scatters six hits in racking up his 39th shut out. » April 6, 1974: The Yankees open their two-year stay at Shea Stadium before a crowd of 20,744. 12-year-old Teddy Kennedy, Jr., flanked by his father and Mayor Abe Beame, tosses out the first ball. Missing from the ceremony is George Steinbrenner, indicted two days ago for illegal campaign contributions. Graig Nettles' two-run homer in the 4th off the Indians Gaylord Perry opens the scoring and the Yanks score four more times to win, 6–1. Charlie Spikes scores the only Cleveland run in the 9th following a triple off starter and winner Mel Stottlemyre. Perry, who is warned once for an illegal pitch, is the loser today, but he will win his next 15 decisions. » June 11, 1974: Mel Stottlemyre makes his 272nd consecutive start, with no relief appearances, to set an American League record but he loses to California, 5–4. Dick Lange is the wining pitcher.