New York pitching great Mel Stottlemyre has died from complications of bone marrow cancer at the age of 77 as first reported by Bill Madden of the New York Daily News.

Stottlemyre’s distinguished career can be defined in two parts. First, he spent eleven years as a pitcher for the New York Yankees, from 1964 to 1974. Then he was the pitching coach for four teams, including the New York Mets, for 23 years, tutoring some of the greatest pitchers of his generation. His loss will be immeasurable to fans of New York baseball as he made his most profound contributions to both local baseball teams with a total of five World Series championships to his credit.

Melvin Leon Stottlemyre was born on November 13, 1941, in Hazelton, Missouri. He was signed by the Yankees out of college in 1961 and was called up to the majors in 1964. He immediately became the ace of the staff as injuries plagued Yankee pitchers, most notably Whitey Ford who was out due to a hip injury. He went 9-2 with a 2.06 ERA in 12 starts as the season wound down leading the Yankees to their fifth straight pennant and ninth in ten years.

During the World Series, Ford developed an arterial blockage after losing game one to the St. Louis Cardinals. Stottlemyre had to wear the mantle of ace once again as he took the mound three times in the Series pitted in all three against future Hall-of-Famer, Bob Gibson. Stottlemyre won game two against Gibson, but had a no-decision in game 5. With nowhere else to turn, Yankees’ manager Yogi Berra brought him back on two-days rest for game 7, a game that Stottlemyre and the Yankees lost, 7-5.

After the 1964 season, the Yankees dynasty came to an end as they would finish higher than fourth only once from 1965-1973. Nevertheless, Stottlemyre remained solid as he went 20-9 in 1965, his first full season as a Yankee and appeared in his first of an eventual five All-Star games. He also was an accomplished hitter for a pitcher having a five-hit game and an inside-the-park home run to his credit.

In 1974, Stottlemyre suffered a rotator cuff injury while pitching against the California Angels.  He was told by Yankee management to shut things down and ‘take all the time he needed’ to get better. When the Spring of 1975 arrived, Stottlemyre’s shoulder was not better as rotator cuff injuries were not totally curable in the early ’70s. He was to receive a $30,000 severance if they kept him on the roster, so rather than pay him, Yankee GM Gabe Paul released the popular star. Stottlemyre became bitter towards the Yankees as to how he was treated and remained so for the better part of two decades.

Overall, Stottlemyre’s pitching record was 164-139 with a 2.97 ERA in 360 games. He went to the All-Star game in 1965, 1966, and from 1968-1970. He appeared in only one World Series as a player in 1964, which he lost.

He would fare much better in the Fall Classic as a pitching coach.

After a brief coaching stint with the Seattle Mariners, he was hired as the pitching coach of the Mets in November 1983. It is with the Mets he made his mark as an excellent pitching instructor. Mets star pitchers Dwight Gooden, Ron Darling, Bobby Ojeda, Rick Aguilera, David Cone, and others praised Stottlemyre for his attention to detail and the ability to adjust to their individual styles. He would even be the bullpen catcher for that day’s starter to ascertain the ‘stuff’ his hurler would have that day. Stottlemyre was the Mets pitching coach for ten years including the 1986 World Series team.

He joined the Houston Astros as pitching coach for two years in 1994 and 1995 before mending the fences with the Yankees in 1996. Yankee owner George Steinbrenner personally called Stottlemyre to ask him to come to the Yankees as their pitching coach. He would be joined by new Yankee skipper Joe Torre. With the Yankees, Stottlemyre worked with notable pitching stars Roger Clemens, David Wells, David Cone for a second time, and Mariano Rivera. These pitchers also had universal praise for the work Stottlemyre accomplished with them as his patience and his unwillingness to tinker too much with an accomplished staff, made him a player favorite.

Stottlemyre went on to win four World Series championships with the Yankees, in 1996 and from 1998-2000. He resigned from the Yankees in 2005 and would finish his coaching career with the Seattle Mariners in 2008.

On June 20, 2015, the Yankees surprised Stottlemyre by inviting him to Old Timers day and bestowing upon him a rare honor—a plaque in Monument Park. He gave a speech that day that reminded many of Lou Gehrig‘s heart rendering speech in 1938. With cancer raging through his body, Stottlemyre said, “Today in this Stadium, there is no one that’s happier to be on this field than myself…If I never get to come to another Oldtimers Day, I’ll start another baseball team, coaching up there, whenever they need me”. It would be Stottlemyre’s last appearance at an Old Timer’s game.

Mets and Yankees fans have a natural rivalry being from the same city. The banter and bellicose rooting reaches an apex when the two teams meet on the field each year. But the rivalry can take a back seat in the case of Met Stottlemyre as he was an integral part of both franchises. A great pitcher, pitching coach, and human being, Stottlemyre will certainly leave a hole in the hearts of those who were lucky enough to see him. He will be missed.

Stottlemyer is survived by his wife Jean and two sons, Todd and Mel, Jr. Both sons, incidentally were major league pitchers. His third child, Jason, died of leukemia in 1981.