# Mel Stottlemyre loses the fight to cancer, dies at 77 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 14, 2019, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mel-stottlemyre-loses-the-fight-to-cancer-dies-at-77/827767 "2019-01-14T22:44:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mel-stottlemyre-loses-the-fight-to-cancer-dies-at-77/827767/1 "2019-01-14T22:44:17Z")
Mel was the Yankees’ Ace During the Lean Years. He coached the Mets for 10 years including the 86 World Series Win and the Yanks for 10 years for 4 ring. He was an outstanding pitcher and pitching coach. If modern surgeries had been available when he was playing he probably would have made the Hall of Fame as a pitcher. He won 20 games 3 times, twice with losing teams. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mel-stottlemyre-loses-the-fight-to-cancer-dies-at-77/827767/2 "2019-01-14T23:57:16Z")
The first ace I remember, I think he was the closer when I began to understand what I was watching, as I had been watching Yankee baseball even in my birthing room. I could definitely see my Dad telling my Mom to wait until between innings. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mel-stottlemyre-loses-the-fight-to-cancer-dies-at-77/827767/3 "2019-01-15T13:45:13Z")
I wasn’t alive while Mel was still playing so I remember him best as the Yankees’ pitching coach during their 90s-00s heyday. And as the father of Todd Stottlemyre, who was also a fine pitcher for several years. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mel-stottlemyre-loses-the-fight-to-cancer-dies-at-77/827767/4 "2019-01-15T13:58:05Z")
David Halberstam’s book [“October 1964”](https://www.amazon.com/October-1964-David-Halberstam/dp/0449983676) has an interesting section on Stottlemyre and his contributions during that season.