"A pitcher of plain excellence, Stottlemyre is neat and efficient with little flair or style. He's a sinkerball specialist who led the staff with seven shutouts last season. A typical Stottlemyre game, according to Thurman Munson is 'no pitch above the waist and a fastball that weighs about a hundred pounds.'
Mel is the only Yankee left from the team's last pennant winner in 1964. He contributed nine victories to that club after being called up in August. He's three times a 20-game winner with something less than the best of clubs.
Born November 13, 1941 in Hazleton, Missouri, Mel is a fine all-around athlete. He had five hits in as many as bats in a 1964 game, and his seven lifetime homers include an inside-the-park grand slam."
-Joe Gergen, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1973 Edition
"'Just call me The Old Campaigner,' grins Mel Stottlemyre. It's sort of amusing when Mel is reminded that he is the senior Yankee and the only one left from the 1964 pennant winners. After all, the 'Old Campaigner' is all of 31 years old.
Mel is more than the dean of the Yankees, of course. He's still the number one pitcher - whose specialty has become shutouts - and the recognized leader of the team.
And those shutouts. Fourteen in the last two years, a Yankee record. Only Whitey Ford has pitched more shutouts for the Yankees, and no active American League pitcher has had more than Mel. He does them all in the same manner he pitches every game - with that great sinker ball.
Mel may be the only man left from 1964 - but he'll be a big man again when that next pennant comes, too. He's the leader, and the Yankees go nowhere without Mel. That being the case, they are in good hands."
-The New York Yankees Official 1973 Yearbook
"The senior member of the Yankee staff also owns the current longevity record on the ballclub.
Mel hurled seven shutouts last season, as he did in 1971, giving him 14 for two consecutive seasons - a Yankee record. However, Mel also ran into some tough luck last year as he was the victim of a shutout six times; and four other times he lost games by one run. Invariably, Mel comes up with the toughest assignment, facing the contending clubs and the toughest pitching opponents. Twenty-three of his thirty-six starts last year were against first division clubs.
The classy veteran goes into the 1973 season with 36 lifetime shutouts, most among active American League pitchers and second on the all-time Yankee list, tied with Red Ruffing - Whitey Ford tops this list with 45. Each year Mel advances closer to the top of the all-time Yankee pitching list: he's currently 9th in games - 306; 5th in innings pitched - 2,276; 7th in wins - 142; 20th in winning percentage - .550; 5th in strikeouts - 1,122; 2nd in shutouts - 36; 9th in complete games - 127; and 7th in ERA - 2.93.
He was the first big find of Yankee Northwest scout Eddie Taylor, who signed him for the 1961 season. Mel progressed rapidly and found himself in AAA ball in his third year. During a year and a half at Richmond (AAA), he spent half his time as a relief pitcher due to his natural sinking fastball. In 1964 he blossomed into a starter and was 13-3 at Richmond when the Yanks brought him to New York in August in the midst of a hot pennant race. He helped lead them to their last AL flag, winning nine and losing three. Mel is the only Yankee left from that club and his one remaining ambition is to play in another Yankee World Series.
Always an all-around athlete, Mel lettered in baseball, basketball and football in high school. He led American League pitchers in fielding last year, handling 71 chances flawlessly for a perfect percentage of 1.000. He has been one of the better hitting pitchers in baseball, with seven lifetime home runs including an inside-the-park grand slam. Mel once went five-for-five at Washington on September 26, 1964."
-1973 New York Yankees Press/TV/Radio Guide
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