Mel Stottlemyre

Melvin Leon Stottlemyre Sr. (November 13, 1941 – January 13, 2019) was an American professional baseball pitcher and pitching coach. He played in American Legion Baseball, attended Mabton High School in Mabton, Washington, and pitched for Yakima Valley Community College, where a New York Yankees scout discovered him. The Yankees signed him on June 10, 1961, with no signing bonus and assigned him to the Harlan Smokies of the Rookie-level Appalachian League, where he appeared in eight games before a promotion to the Auburn Yankees of the Class D New York–Penn League for seven games. In 1962 he posted a 17–9 record and a 2.50 earned run average with the Greensboro Yankees of the Class B Carolina League, earning a promotion to the Richmond Virginians.

Stottlemyre pitched eleven seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1964 through 1974, all for the New York Yankees, and was a five-time MLB All-Star. He went on to coach for 23 seasons, serving as pitching coach for the Yankees, New York Mets, Houston Astros, and Seattle Mariners, and was a five-time World Series champion as a coach.