| Whitey Ford | |
|---|---|
 Ford in 1953 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1928-10-21)October 21, 1928 Manhattan, New York, U.S. | |
| Died: October 8, 2020(2020-10-08) (aged 91) Lake Success, New York, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 1, 1950, for the New York Yankees | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 21, 1967, for the New York Yankees | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 236–106 |
| Earned run average | 2.75 |
| Strikeouts | 1,956 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| As player As coach | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1974 |
| Vote | 77.8% (second ballot) |
Edward Charles "Whitey"Ford (October 21, 1928 – October 8, 2020),[1][2] nicknamed "the Chairman of the Board", was an American professionalbaseballpitcher who played his entire 16-yearMajor League Baseball (MLB) career with theNew York Yankees. He was a 10-timeAll-Star and six-timeWorld Series champion. In 1961, he won both theCy Young Award andWorld Series Most Valuable Player Award. Ford led theAmerican League (AL) inwins three times and inearned run average twice. He is the Yankees franchise leader in career wins (236),[3]shutouts (45),innings pitched (3,170+1⁄3), andgames started by a pitcher (438; tied withAndy Pettitte). Ford was inducted into theBaseball Hall of Fame in1974.[4]
Ford signed with the Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1947 and made his major league debut in 1950. Following a two-year sojourn to serve in theUnited States Army during theKorean War, Ford returned to the Yankees in 1953 and pitched for them until retiring in 1967. During his tenure with the team, Ford set numerous World Series pitching records, includingconsecutive scoreless innings (33), wins (10), games started (22), innings pitched (146), andstrikeouts (94). The Yankeesretired his uniform number 16 in 1974 and dedicated a plaque in his honor inMonument Park in 1987. Ford served as the Yankeespitching coach in 1964 while still a player and from 1974 to 1975 after retiring. He also served as the team'sfirst base coach in 1968.
In the wake ofYogi Berra's death in 2015,George Vecsey ofThe New York Times suggested that Ford was now "The Greatest Living Yankee".[5] Ford died on October 8, 2020, at the age of 91.
Ford was born inManhattan. At age five, he moved to theAstoria neighborhood ofQueens, a few miles from theTriborough Bridge toYankee Stadium in theBronx.[6] He attended public schools and graduated from theManhattan High School of Aviation Trades.[7]
In 1951, Ford married Joan Bartels at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Astoria.[8] They lived inGlen Cove, New York onLong Island for a period during the 1950s, and had two sons and a daughter together.[9]
Ford was signed by theNew York Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1947 and played his entire career with them. While still in the minor leagues, he was nicknamed "Whitey" for his light blond hair.[10]
Ford began his Major League Baseball career on July 1, 1950, with the Yankees. He won his first nine decisions before losing a game in relief. Ford received a handful of lower-ballotMost Valuable Player (MVP) votes despite throwing just 112 innings, and won theSporting News Rookie of the Year Award.[11]
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During theKorean War era, in 1951 and 1952, Ford served in theUnited States Army.[12] He rejoined the Yankees for the 1953 season, and the Yankee "Big Three" pitching staff became a "Big Four", as Ford joinedAllie Reynolds,Vic Raschi, andEddie Lopat.[13][14] Ford wore number 19 in his rookie season,[15] but upon his return he changed to number 16, which he wore for the remainder of his career.[16]
Ford eventually went from the number-four pitcher on a great staff to the universally acclaimed number-one pitcher of the Yankees. He became known as the "Chairman of the Board" for his ability to remain calm and in command during high-pressure situations. He was also known as "Slick", a nickname given to him,Billy Martin, andMickey Mantle by managerCasey Stengel, who called them Whiskey Slicks. Ford's guile was necessary because he did not have an overwhelming fastball, but being able to throw several other pitches very well gave him pinpoint control. Ford was an effective strikeout pitcher for his time, tying the then-AL record of six consecutive strikeouts in 1956, and again in 1958. Ford never threw a no-hitter, but he pitched two consecutive one-hit games in 1955 to tie a record held by several pitchers.Sal Maglie, star pitcher for theNew York Giants, thought Ford had a similar style to his own, writing in 1958 that Ford had a "good curve, good control, [a] changeup, [and an] occasional sneaky fastball."[17]
In 1955, Ford led the American League in complete games and games won; in 1956 in earned run average and winning percentage; in 1958, in earned run average; and in both 1961 and 1963, in games won and winning percentage.[16] Ford won theCy Young Award in 1961; he likely would have won the 1963 AL Cy Young, but this was before the institution of a separate award for each league, and Ford could not matchSandy Koufax's numbers for theLos Angeles Dodgers of theNational League (NL).[18]
Some of Ford's totals were depressed by Yankees' manager Casey Stengel, who viewed Ford as his top pitching asset and often reserved his ace left-hander for more formidable opponents such as theCleveland Indians andChicago White Sox. WhenRalph Houk became the manager in 1961, he promised Ford that he would pitch every fourth day, regardless of the opponent; after exceeding 30 starts only once in his nine seasons under Stengel, Ford had 39 in 1961. Indeed 1961 was his first 20-win season, a career-best 25–4 record, and the Cy Young Award ensued, but Ford's season was overshadowed by thehome run battle betweenRoger Maris and Mickey Mantle. As a left-hander with an excellent pick-off move, Ford was also deft at keeping runners at their base: He set a record in 1961 by pitching 243 consecutive innings without allowing a stolen base.[18]
In May 1963, after pitching a shutout, Ford announced he had given up smoking. He said, "My doctor told me that whenever I think of smoking, I should think of a bus starting up andblowing the exhaust in my face."[8]
Ford ended his career in declining health. In August 1966, he underwent surgery to correct a circulatory problem in his throwing shoulder.[19] In May 1967, Ford lasted just one inning in what would be his final start,[16] and he announced his retirement at the end of the month at age 38.[18]
After retiring, Ford admitted in interviews to having occasionally doctored baseballs. Examples were the "mudball", used at home in Yankee Stadium. Yankee groundskeepers would wet down an area near the catcher's box where the Yankee catcherElston Howard was positioned; pretending to lose balance, Howard would put down his hand with the ball and coat one side of the ball with mud and throw it to Ford. Ford also engaged inball scuffing, sometimes used the diamond in his wedding ring to gouge the ball, but he was eventually caught by an umpire and warned to stop. Howard sharpened a buckle on his shinguard and used it to scuff the ball.[18]
Ford described his illicit behavior as a concession to age:
I didn't begin cheating until late in my career when I needed something to help me survive. I didn't cheat when I won the twenty-five games in1961. I don't want anybody to get any ideas and take myCy Young Award away. And I didn't cheat in1963 when I won twenty-four games. Well, maybe a little.[8]
Ford admitted to doctoring the ball in the 1961All-StarGame atCandlestick Park to strike outWillie Mays. Ford and Mantle had accumulated $1,200 ($12,474 today) in golf pro shop purchases as guests ofHorace Stoneham at the Giants owner's country club. Stoneham promised to pay their tab if Ford could strike out Mays. "What was that all about?" Mays asked. "I'm sorry, Willie, but I had to throw you a spitter," Ford replied.[20]
| Category | Seasons | W | L | Pct | ERA | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | R | HR | BAA | BB | K | WP | HBP | Fld% | Avg. | HR | RBI | SH |
| Total | 16 | 236 | 106 | .690 | 2.75 | 498 | 438 | 156 | 45 | 11 | 3170+1⁄3 | 2,766 | 967 | 1,107 | 228 | .235 | 1,086 | 1,956 | 75 | 28 | .961 | .173 | 3 | 69 | 65 |
Ford is tied withDave Foutz for the fourth-best winning percentage in baseball history at .690.[21] His 2.75 earned run average is the third-lowest among starting pitchers whose careers began after the advent of thelive-ball era in 1920. Through 2023, onlyClayton Kershaw (2.48) andJacob deGrom (2.53) have a lower earned run average.[22] Ford's worst earned run average in a single season was 3.24.[18]
He appeared on eight AL All-Star teams between 1954 and 1964, going 0-2 with an 8.25 ERA in the All-Star game.[16]
During his MLB career, Ford had 10World Series victories, more than any other pitcher. Ford also leads all starters in World Series losses (8) and starts (22), as well as innings, hits, walks, and strikeouts. In 1961, he brokeBabe Ruth's World Series record of29+2⁄3consecutive scoreless innings. The record eventually reached33+2⁄3, although MLB rule-makers retroactively reduced the record to 33 innings since Ford did not complete a full inning before allowing the streak-ending run. It is still a World Series record, althoughMariano Rivera broke it as a postseason record in 2000.[23] Ford won the 1961World Series MVP Award.
He batted .082 (4-for-49) with 4 runs, 3 runs batted in, and 7 walks in the Fall Classic.[16]
In 1974, Ford andMickey Mantle were both elected to theNational Baseball Hall of Fame;[24] at that time, the Yankees retired his number 16.[25]
In 1984, Ford was elected to theLong Island Sports Hall of Fame.[26]
In 1987, the Yankees dedicated plaques forMonument Park at Yankee Stadium for Ford andLefty Gomez.[27]
In 1999, Ford ranked 52nd onThe Sporting News List of Baseball's Greatest Players.[28] He was nominated that year for theMajor League Baseball All-Century Team.[29]
In 1994, a road inMississauga,Ontario, was named Ford Road in his honor. The north-central area of Mississauga is known informally as "the baseball zone", as several streets in the area are named for Hall of Fame baseball players.[30]
In 2000, the ballfield overlooking theEast River on 26th Avenue, between 1st and 2nd Streets inAstoria, Queens, was named Whitey Ford Field at a Yankee Stadium ceremony.[31]
Ford was the Yankeespitching coach during the 1964 season.[32] In 1968, he served as the Yankees asfirst base coach,[33] and in 1974 and 1975 as pitching coach.[34][35]
In 1977, Ford was part of the broadcast team for the first game inToronto Blue Jays history.[36] In 2008, Ford threw the first pitch at the2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.[37] Also in 1977, Ford began serving as the commissioner of the new American Professional Slow-Pitch Softball League (APSPL), one of severalmen's professional softball leagues in the United States.[38][39]
In 2002, Ford opened "Whitey Ford's Cafe", a sports-themed restaurant and bar next toRoosevelt Field Mall inGarden City, New York.[40] A replica of theYankee Stadium facade trimmed both the exterior and the bar, whose stools displayed uniform numbers of Yankee luminaries andwidescreen TVs were installed throughout. The main dining area housed a panoramic display of Yankee Stadium from the 1950s, specifically aChicago White Sox–Yankee game with Ford pitching and Mickey Mantle incenter field; the Yanks were up 2–0. The servers were dressed in Yankees road uniforms, with Ford's No. 16 on the back.[41] It lasted less than a year before it closed down.[42]
As of 2015, the 86-year-old Ford was splitting his time between his homes inLong Island andFlorida.[5]
Ford died on October 8, 2020, at his home inLake Success onLong Island at the age of 91, 13 days before his 92nd birthday. He was watching the Yankees play in Game 4 of the2020 American League Division Series on television, and was surrounded by his family.[13] The cause of death was not immediately announced, but he had suffered fromdementia for several years.[13][43] When he died he was the second-oldest living member of the Hall of Fame, afterTommy Lasorda.[13] He was the last surviving member of the 1956 World Champion New York Yankees.
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | New York Yankeespitching coach 1964 1974–1975 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | New York Yankeesfirst-base coach 1968 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
