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Post by chiyankee on Jan 14, 2019 12:45:35 GMT -5
Sad day for New York baseball:
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Post by domeplease on Jan 14, 2019 14:05:14 GMT -5
Yes, a SAD DAY. I always liked MEL. May he RIP.
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Post by pippsheadache on Jan 14, 2019 15:47:21 GMT -5
The Yankees would not have won the 1964 American League pennant without Mel Stottlemyre. I vividly remember his debut in mid-August with the Yanks caught in a very tight three-team race for the AL pennant. He beat the White Sox, who along with the Orioles were part of the race back in the day when the only post-season series was the World Series. The Yankees wound up finishing one game ahead of Chicago and two ahead of Baltimore. Without looking it up, I think every one of his starts during the season was a quality start. It seemed like he never got hit very hard.
He pitched like a seasoned veteran from the start, steadied a wobbly rotation and pitched valiantly in the World Series. For the remaining ten years of his career, the Yanks ranged from awful to modest. Like Bobby Murcer, his timing was bad for being with the Yankees, starting his career just as the dynasty was collapsing and ending it just before they became good again. At least Murcer got to play with some good Yankee teams at the end of his career.
For his nine full seasons in the majors, Stottlemyre pitched at least 250 innings in all of them. He relied on a sinker that was probably the best in the majors at the time he pitched. A five-time All Star in nine full seasons. Not too shabby.
As a coach for the Mets and Yanks, he worked effectively with the likes of Doc Gooden and Ron Darling and David Cone and Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera.
Had his career started ten years earlier or ten years later, he would have been a household name pitching for perpetual contenders and pennant winners. He soldiered on during a Yankee Dark Age. Stoical and professional. One of my all-time favorite Yanks for sure.
RIP Mel Stottlemyre. Thanks for the pennant and the memories.
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Post by inger on Jan 14, 2019 19:46:02 GMT -5
I too recall that ‘64 season and the emergence of Mel Stottlemyre. I also recall that was able to win twenty games for some of those tag-tag Yankee outfits in spite of his team mates...
He was a definite favorite of mine for his entire career, which ended way too soon. I would date to say he was overworked, but the ability to log all those innings was a huge part of his value...
More later. Miss ya’ Melvin Leon Stottlemyre, his middle name is my first name, so it’s easy for me to recall...When I see a bolt of lightning this summer, I’ll know the boys batting off you have hit another grounder into the clouds... (The thunder? Why that would be the Mick at bat, of course. Games move along very quickly in that world)...
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Post by Renfield on Jan 14, 2019 21:23:49 GMT -5
One of my childhood idols and one of the only good things on some of those late 60's teams. Remember he got an "emergency" start in one of those All-star games because the designated starter couldn't make it for some reason.
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Post by inger on Jan 14, 2019 21:51:17 GMT -5
One of my childhood idols and one of the only good things on some of those late 60's teams. Remember he got an "emergency" start in one of those All-star games because the designated starter couldn't make it for some reason. Until this post I had no idea you were such an old fart... |
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Post by inger on Jan 14, 2019 22:04:02 GMT -5
Looking back at Mel’s career with the perspective of Baseball Reference seems to disguise how good he was in some ways.
He won 20 games three times in his career, so that’s big. Due to the lack of quality surrounding him on those teams he also lost 20 one year, and led the league in losses that season and one other.
He was very steady, it wasn’t particularly hard to get on base against him. He had virtually no ability to miss bats, and walked about an average number of hitters. What he did do was minimize damage and keep his team in the game. That sinker was like a bowling ball coming into the plate, and could get the DP’s.
If you’d like a modern day Yankee comp, then Wang would be the guy to compare him to, only Stottlemyre did it for about a decade. I’m glad he never pitched for another team. He was 100% Yankee as a player.
He did coach for other teams, which is a bit unfortunate, because he was a good one...
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Post by kaybli on Jan 14, 2019 22:27:52 GMT -5
RIP Mel. You were always pure class.
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Post by Renfield on Jan 15, 2019 4:17:32 GMT -5
One of my childhood idols and one of the only good things on some of those late 60's teams. Remember he got an "emergency" start in one of those All-star games because the designated starter couldn't make it for some reason. Until this post I had no idea you were such an old fart... Young at heart, inger. How do you think I know all those Faces lyrics like you do. They weren't exactly a 90's boy band. |
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Post by inger on Jan 15, 2019 5:09:00 GMT -5
Until this post I had no idea you were such an old fart... Young at heart, inger. How do you think I know all those Faces lyrics like you do. They weren't exactly a 90's boy band. I thought you were sneaking in to listen to your grampy and mee-maws 8 track collection? ... (: Wish I knew then What I know now When I was younger Ooh-la-la |
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Post by Renfield on Jan 15, 2019 7:33:43 GMT -5
Oh, you're so rude.
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Post by pippsheadache on Jan 15, 2019 17:39:30 GMT -5
One of my childhood idols and one of the only good things on some of those late 60's teams. Remember he got an "emergency" start in one of those All-star games because the designated starter couldn't make it for some reason. Renfield, I don't recall that emergency start specifically, but I wonder if it had something to do with the time Denny McLain flew his private plane -- with Mickey Lolich as a passenger -- to the All-Star game. I have some vague recollection of that being controversial at the time. One more Mel Stottlemyre factoid before this thread evaporates -- he is one of only two pitchers in major league history to hit an inside-the-park grand slam. The other was in 1910 and I do not know who the perpetrator was. My memory of Mel was that he was a pretty good-hitting pitcher and a good athlete all-around. Ron Darling gave a very nice tribute to him on MLB Network last night. |
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Post by inger on Jan 15, 2019 17:52:13 GMT -5
Just to give an idea of how difficult it was to win games for the Yankees back in those days...in 1971 and 1972 Stottlemyre won and also lost a combined total of 30 games. In each of those seasons he pitched seven complete game shutouts. So in games in which he did not pitch a complete game shutout he went 16-30... ouch... make one mistake and that might be the game...
And when that sinker was working right during those two seasons, not a single worm felt safe in Yankee Stadium...
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Post by desousa on Jan 15, 2019 17:56:44 GMT -5
I'll never forget him coming up in 64' and saving the Yankees arse. I was at an old timers game at the Stadium and he got a huge hand. Class guy all the way.
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Post by inger on Jan 15, 2019 18:49:52 GMT -5
It looked like the Yanks goose was cooked in ‘64 before Mel gave us all reason to believe... Little did we know what was around the corner starting in ‘65. It was hard for one particiluar 11-year old boy to understand. Suddenly people who knew nothing about baseball were crowing at me about how bad the Yankees were. Worst of all, I lived in Maryland, and the Orioles were getting stronger...Frank, Brooks, Boog, Palmer...They would haunt me for many years before our team rose again...
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