Former ace, longtime Yankees pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre dies at 77

NEW YORK — Mel Stottlemyre, the former ace who later won five World Series rings as the longtime pitching coach for both the New York Yankees and Mets, has died. He was 77.

The Yankees said Stottlemyre died Sunday. He had been living in the Seattle area and had multiple myeloma for nearly 20 years.

A five-time All-Star and three-time 20-game winner, Stottlemyre went 164-139 with a 2.97 ERA in 11 seasons, all with the Yankees. He is the last pitcher to hit an inside-the-park grand slam, accomplishing the feat in 1965.

Stottlemyre made his major league debut in August 1964, providing a big boost in the pennant race. The 22-year-old rookie then started three times against St. Louis great Bob Gibson in the World Series, eventually losing Game 7 on two days’ rest.

The Yankees went into a tailspin after that, never again reaching the postseason during his playing days. But the right-hander wound up as a key member of five teams that won the World Series as a pitching coach, working with the likes of Dwight Gooden, David Cone and Roger Clemens.

Stottlemyre oversaw the Mets’ staff that won the 1986 title during a decade in Queens and earned four rings as Yankees manager Joe Torre’s pitching coach during a decade in the Bronx.