One of the more dominant pitchers in this era, Mel Stottlemyre Sr. rode a nasty sinker to gather three 20 win seasons. His' low sinker, thrown with outstanding control was his bread-and-butter pitch - in nine different seasons of hurling more than 250 innings - Stottlemyre never walked 100 batters in any season. His' lifetime ERA of 2.97 and his 40 shutouts rank as one of the best since baseball's 'dead ball era'. He made his major league debut in August of '64, and posted a 9-3 record to help the Yankees win the pennant. Against the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series, Stottlemyre became a household name. He started Game 2, and out pitched Hall of Famer Bob Gibson, by throwing a complete game 7-hitter in a Yankees' 8-3 victory. He left Game 5 after allowing only a single run thru seven innings - but was the loser in Game 7, lasting only four innings. The next year, 1965, Stottlemyre allowed only 250 hits in 291 innings, and compiled his first 20 win season - 20-9, 2.63 ERA. Father of Mel Stottlemyre Jr, pitcher. |