Mel Stottlemyre
Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

A beloved player and coach for both the New York Mets and Yankees, Mel Stottlemyre passed away Sunday after a long battle with bone marrow cancer.

Allison Case

With all the good that’s going around in the sporting world, there is bound to be some sad news to come out of it. That news came Monday morning when it was reported that Mel Stottlemyre passed away at 77 years old.

Stottlemyre made his mark on the sport of baseball, especially I the New York City area. Stottlemyre played for the New York Yankees for his entire career of 11 years. During that time, he went to five All-Star games and finished with a .541 winning percentage.

After his playing days, Stottlemyre served as a pitching coach for the New York Mets before returning to the Bronx just in time for the dynasty to emerge. Stottlemyre served as pitching coach for the Yankees from 1996 up until 2005, winning five World Series in the process.

According to Bill Madden of the New York Daily News, Stottlemyre was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in the spring of 1999 and while he tried multiple treatments, there was no guarantee that he would be cured.

He was able to make another appearance in front of the Bronx crowd in 2015 when he made a riveting speech at Old-Timers’ Day.

“Today in this Stadium, there is no one that’s happier to be on this field than myself,” Stottlemyre said to the crowd. “This is such a shock to me because the era I played in is an era where, for the most part, the Yankees have tried over the years, I think, somewhat to forget a little bit…If I never get to come to another Old-Timers’ Day, I will take these memories and I’ll start another baseball club, coaching up there, whenever they need me.”

Stottlemyre wasn’t just a great coach, but he was a fabulous person in general. Several former players, current broadcasters and acquaintances took to Twitter to share some stories about the recently deceased.

An incredible player, coach and an even better person, the entire baseball world was devastated to hear of his passing. May Mel Stottlemyre rest in peace and hopefully he’s putting together one hell of a team up there.


Allison is just a girl with an enormous passion for the game of baseball and the written word. Based in Upstate New York, her life-long relationship with the New York Yankees is something that she developed through close relationships with her mother and grandfather. An aspiring sports writer, she graduated with a journalism degree and is finding places to share her excitement about the sporting world and how it affects us all.