Flashback Friday: Todd Stottlemyre’s World Series Speech

Have you ever wondered what certain professional baseball players would do for a living if they didn’t play baseball? I have. And if one thing’s for certain, it’s that Todd Stottlemyre could’ve moonlighted as a professional wrestler. 

For this week’s Flashback Friday, we take a look back to Todd Stottlemyre’s speech from the 1993 World Series Victory Celebration.


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I say “speech,” but it sounds much more like he cut WWE promo. Stottlemyre definitely plays the part of the heel very well, and I’d even go as far as to say that Todd kind of reminds me of Chris Jericho in this shoot.

If you’re wondering what spurred Todd Stottlemyre to go after the mayor of Philadelphia Ed Rendell, it was an off-cuff remark Rendell made about Stottlemyre to reporters following Game 4 of the World Series:

“I could envision them (the Phillies) getting swept by a combination of the White Sox’s pitching and the Blue Jays’ hitting. But not this pitching staff. If Frank Thomas could hit a ball 430 feet off Stottlemyre, I could hit one 270. I’d like to bat against him.”

Not wanting to back down from a fight, Todd Stottlemyre then issued his own challenge to the mayor:

“I’ll tell you what. When this thing is over, I’ll fly to Philly. Tell the mayor to put a uniform on, and we’ll see what happens. I’ll probably put the first three behind his head, then paint the outside corner.”

As I was watching the video, I was just waiting for that moment where the mayor of Philadelphia’s entrance music would start playing midway through Todd Stottlemyre’s speech and would challenge him to a match right then and there.

It actually turns out Todd Stottlemyre was no stranger to controversial speeches, as he uttered these words just one year prior at the 1992 World Series Victory Celebration.

So I tip my cap to Todd Stottlemyre, because if he ever wants to show up on RAW and cut a promo denouncing the Philadelphia Phillies or challenging Ed Rendell to a rematch, that’s cool with me.

Ian Hunter

Ian has been writing about the Toronto Blue Jays since 2007. He enjoyed the tail-end of the Roy Halladay era and vividly remembers the Alex Rodriguez "mine" incident. He'll also retell the story of Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS to his kids for the next 20 years.

4 thoughts on “Flashback Friday: Todd Stottlemyre’s World Series Speech

  • August 3, 2012 at 4:04 pm
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    When are we going to get another day like this one?

    I hope it happens before I'm too old to hear and see it.

    I miss Tom Cheek almost as much as I miss winning seasons.

    Brett Lawrie's speech will be epic!

    • August 4, 2012 at 4:09 am
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      Soon enough, Haywood … soon enough. Lawrie will hopefully carry on the tradition set by Todd Stottlemyre!

  • August 3, 2012 at 11:37 pm
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    Aw Ian you're making me feel really old. I've always had a soft spot for Todd. Would love to see the Blue Jays bring him back as a minor league pitching instructor or something. He like Pat H protected his teammates. I think it was early in spring training this year (could have been last year) Todd was interviewed on the Fan 590 and he still sounded as feisty as ever. Oh and congrats on the recent nuptials.

    • August 4, 2012 at 4:12 am
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      I'm actually kind of surprised Todd Stottlemyre isn't still involved with the Blue Jays in some aspect. He definitely isn't afraid to tell people like it is, and depending on who you talk to, that could be a good trait to have in a coach.

      And thanks for the congrats – it seems like it was ages ago, when in fact it's almost been a month. Time flies!

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