Mel Stottlemyre passes away at age 77

Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty ImagesLong-time Mets pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre passed away on Monday at the age of 77. He served as the Mets’ pitching coach from 1984 to 1993 and oversaw the famous young pitching staff that helped deliver the franchise’s second World Series title in 1986.

Stottlemyre began his career on the other side of town with the Yankees, pitching eleven solid seasons in pinstripes before his retirement in 1974. He started coaching in 1977 as a roving instructor for the Mariners, and in 1984 he became the pitching coach for the Mets under Davey Johnson. Stottlemyre is credited for grooming a generation of great young Mets pitchers that included Dwight Gooden, Ron…