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Yankees pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre dies at 77 after a long battle with bone cancer.
http://web.yesnetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20190114&content_id=302698234&oid=36019
Longtime New York Yankees pitcher and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre died Sunday in Seattle after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 77.


Born in a small town in Washington, Stottlemyre was bound for the big city when Yankees scout Eddie Taylor discovered him at Yakima Valley Community College and signed him to a $400-per-month contract. He reached the big leagues in 1964, after a 13-3 season in Triple-A, when the Yankees were in a pennant race with a pitching staff plagued by injuries.

He turned into the ace of the staff, and by the time he retired in 1974, he'd compiled 164-139 lifetime record in 360 games, starting all but four of them. He had a career ERA of 2.97 and threw more than 250 innings in nine of his 11 seasons with the Yankees.

He was a three-time 20-game winner and a five-time All-Star selection.

In 1977, he joined the Seattle Mariners organization as a roving pitching instructor, and before the 1984 season, the Mets hired him as pitching coach, where he worked with Dwight Gooden, Ron Darling and Sid Fernandez during his 10 seasons with the team.

He never won a World Series as a player, but he was part of the 1986 Mets team that won the title.

After two years with Houston, Stottlemyre joined new manager Joe Torre with the Yankees in 1996, where he led a pitching staff that helped the Yankees win four World Series in five years. He resigned after the 2005 season, agitated with owner George Steinbrenner.

He worked despite being diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2000 and underwent multiple treatments, which sent the cancer into remission. It recurred in 2011, and he continued to battle the blood-marrow cancer throughout his remaining years.

On Oldtimers Day in 2015, a plaque honoring Stottlemyre was unveiled in Monument Park in Yankee Stadium.

"Today in this stadium, there is no one that's happier to be on this field than myself," he said, choking up. "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 Oldtimers Day, I will take these memories and I'll start another baseball club, coaching up there, whenever they need me."

Stottlemyre is survived by his wife, Jean, and two sons, Todd and Mel Jr., both former major league pitchers. The couple's third son, Jason, died in 1981 of leukemia.
 
I don’t get the Yankees approach this offseason. I mean I’m glad they aren’t pushing hard to get Machado. We don’t need another ARod in contract and behavior. But I would at least entertain Harper at 1B.

But more pressingly, we desperately need starting pitching. I would have rather given Corbin the 5th year than resign Happ. I would have preferred Robertson over Britton. About the only good move pitching wise has been the trade for Paxton. But even he is a question mark health wise.

The Yankees have so much more financial flexibility after resetting the luxury tax. I appreciate their new found financial restraint, but at the same time why aren’t they flexing it by fixing their most pressing need? Every starter in the rotation has a question mark. Will Severino regain his first half form? How many dead arm games and will his elbow still hold with Tanaka. Will CC’s knees give out? Can Paxton remain healthy? Will age catch up to Happ? And our depth is freaking Sonny Gray.... who is useless in Yankee Stadium.

Maybe the Yankee front office believes that it's the Red Sox year again in 2019 so the Yankees are saving their money for next year :p.
 
Maybe the Yankee front office believes that it's the Red Sox year again in 2019 so the Yankees are saving their money for next year :p.
I don't want them spending 300 million for a bloated 10 year contract where only 6 will be good years for Machado or Harper.
 
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