Ford, Whitey

Ford, Whitey (1928-2020), an outstanding left-handed pitcher, helped the New York Yankees win 11 American League pennants and six World Series championships. Ford pitched his entire 16-year career for the Yankees. He won the Cy Young Award in 1961. He has the most wins in Yankee history, with 236, and the most World Series wins by any pitcher in baseball history, with 10. Ford’s calm command on the mound and constant presence on dominant Yankees teams of the 1950’s and 1960’s earned him the nickname “The Chairman of the Board.”

American baseball player Whitey Ford
American baseball player Whitey Ford

Ford was short for a pitcher, at 5 feet 10 inches (1.8 meters), and he did not throw particularly hard. But, he baffled opposing batters with off-speed pitches. After his election to the Baseball Hall of Fame , Ford admitted to cheating during his career by scuffing the ball and applying foreign substances to alter its flight.

Edward Charles Ford was born in New York City on Oct. 21, 1928. The Yankees signed Ford for the 1947 season. One of Ford’s minor league managers, Lefty Gomez , gave him the nickname “Whitey” because of his blond hair. Ford reached the major league club in 1950. Ford did not pitch during the 1951 or 1952 seasons because he was drafted to serve in the United States Army during the Korean War (1950-1953).

Upon Ford’s return from the service, the Yankees manager Casey Stengel started him only in favorable and important matchups. When Ralph Houk replaced Stengel for the 1961 season, Houk moved Ford to a more regular pitching schedule. Ford rewarded his manager with the best season of his career, leading the majors in both wins, with 25, and innings pitched, at 283. Injuries plagued Ford later in his career and forced him to retire at the end of the 1967 season. Ford was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1974, the same year as his friend and teammate Mickey Mantle . Ford died on Oct. 8, 2020.