The former Major League pitcher and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre completes the coaching staff of Team USA at the upcoming World Baseball Classic. He will serve as the bullpen coach besides manager Davey Johnson, assistant coaches Mike Schmidt, Barry Larkin, and Billy Ripken, hitting coach Reggie Smith and pitching coach Marcel Lachemann.
The 5-time all-star Stottlemyre pitched in 360 games (W-L 164-139, ERA 2.97) for the New York Yankees between 1964 and 1974. After his active career he became a pitching coach. He worked with the New York Mets from 1984 to 1993, winning the World Series in 1986 together with skipper Johnson. Between 1996 and 2005 he was the pitching coach under manager Joe Torre with the Yankees, winning four more championships in the MLB. In 2008 Stottlemyre coached with the Seattle Mariners.
The 16 World Baseball Classic teams had to submit provisional rosters by Friday, which will be announced on Monday. The tournament is going to start on March 5 with the Asian portion of the competition. Team USA is slotted into Pool C with Italy, Venezuela and Canada.