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Whitey Ford

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, seeWhitey Ford (disambiguation).

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 record236–106
Earned run average2.75
Strikeouts1,956
Teams
Career highlights and awards
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction1974
Vote77.8% (second ballot)

Edward Charles"Whitey"Ford(October 21, 1928 – October 8, 2020),[1][2]nicknamed "the Chairman of the Board",was an American professionalbaseballpitcherwho played his entire 16-yearMajor League Baseball(MLB) career with theNew York Yankees.He was a 10-timeAll-Starand six-timeWorld Serieschampion. In 1961, he won both theCy Young AwardandWorld Series Most Valuable Player Award.Ford led theAmerican League(AL) inwinsthree times and inearned run averagetwice. He is the Yankees franchise leader in career wins (236),shutouts(45),innings pitched(3,170+1⁄3), andgames startedby a pitcher (438; tied withAndy Pettitte). Ford was inducted into theBaseball Hall of Famein1974.[3]

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 Armyduring 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, including consecutive scoreless innings (33+2⁄3), wins (10), games started (22), innings pitched (146), andstrikeouts(94). The Yankeesretiredhis uniform number 16 in 1974 and dedicated a plaque in his honor inMonument Parkin 1987. Ford served as the Yankeespitching coachin 1964 while still a player and from 1974 to 1975 after retiring. He also served as the team'sfirst base coachin 1968.

In the wake ofYogi Berra's death in 2015,George VecseyofThe New York Timessuggested that Ford was now "The Greatest Living Yankee".[4]Ford died on October 8, 2020, at the age of 91.

Early life

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Ford was born inManhattan.At age five, he moved to theAstorianeighborhood ofQueens,a few miles from theTriborough BridgetoYankee Stadiumin theBronx.[5]He attended public schools and graduated from theManhattan High School of Aviation Trades.[6]

In 1951, Ford married Joan at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Astoria.[7] They lived inGlen Cove, New YorkonLong Islandfor a period during the 1950s, and had two sons and a daughter together.[8]

Professional career

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Early years

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Ford was signed by theNew York Yankeesas 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.[9]

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 NewsRookie of the Year Award.[10]

Ford shooting a rifle in training for the military

During theKorean Warera, in 1951 and 1952, Ford served in theUnited States Army.[11]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.[12][13]Ford wore number 19 in his rookie season,[14]but upon his return he changed to number 16, which he wore for the remainder of his career.[15]

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 Mantleby 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."[16]

Ford in 1954

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.[15]Ford won theCy Young Awardin 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 Dodgersof theNational League(NL).[17]

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 IndiansandChicago White Sox.WhenRalph Houkbecame 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 runbattle betweenRoger Marisand 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.[17]

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."[7]

Final years and retirement

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Ford ended his career in declining health. In August 1966, he underwent surgery to correct a circulatory problem in his throwing shoulder.[18]In May 1967, Ford lasted just one inning in what would be his final start,[15]and he announced his retirement at the end of the month at age 38.[17]

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 Howardwas 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.[17]

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 Awardaway. And I didn't cheat in1963when I won twenty-four games. Well, maybe a little.[7]

Ford admitted to doctoring the ball in the 1961All-StarGameatCandlestick Parkto strike outWillie Mays.Ford and Mantle had accumulated $1,200 ($12,087 today) in golf pro shop purchases as guests ofHorace Stonehamat 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.[19]

Career statistics

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Whitey Ford's number 16 wasretiredby theNew York Yankeesin 1974.

Ford won 236 games for the New York Yankees (career 236–106), still a franchise record.[20]Ford is tied withDave Foutzfor the fourth-best winning percentage in baseball history at.690.[21]

Ford's 2.75 earned run average is the third-lowest among starting pitchers whose careers began after the advent of thelive-ball erain 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.[17]Ford had 45shutoutvictories in his career,[15]including eight 1–0 wins.[17]

As a hitter, Ford posted a.173batting average(177-for-1,023) with 91runs,3 home runs, 69runs batted in,and 113bases on balls.In 22 World Series games, he batted.082 (4-for-49) with 4 runs, 3 runs batted in, and 7 walks. Defensively, he recorded a.961fielding percentage.[15]

World Series and All-Star Games

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During his MLB career, Ford had 10World Seriesvictories, 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 Riverabroke it as a postseason record in 2000.[23]Ford won the 1961World Series MVP Award.He appeared on eight AL All-Star teams between 1954 and 1964.[15]

Honors and legacy

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Ford's plaque atMonument ParkinYankee Stadium

In 1974, Ford andMickey Mantlewere 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 Parkat Yankee Stadium for Ford andLefty Gomez.[27]

In 1999, Ford ranked 52nd onThe Sporting NewsList 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 Riveron 26th Avenue, between 1st and 2nd Streets inAstoria, Queens,was named Whitey Ford Field at a Yankee Stadium ceremony.[31]

Post-playing career

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Ford in 2010

Ford was the Yankeespitching coachduring 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 Jayshistory.[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 leaguesin the United States.[38][39]

In 2002, Ford opened "Whitey Ford's Cafe", a sports-themed restaurant and bar next toRoosevelt Field MallinGarden City, New York.[40]A replica of theYankee Stadium facadetrimmed both the exterior and the bar, whose stools displayed uniform numbers of Yankee luminaries andwidescreen TVswere 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 IslandandFlorida.[4]

Ford died on October 8, 2020, at his home inLake SuccessonLong Islandat the age of 91, 13 days before his 92nd birthday. He was watching the Yankees play in Game 4 of the2020 American League Division Serieson television, and was surrounded by his family.[12]The cause of death was not immediately announced, but he had suffered fromdementiafor several years.[12][43]When he died he was the second-oldest living member of the Hall of Fame, afterTommy Lasorda.[12]He was the last surviving member of the 1956 World Champion New York Yankees.

Representation in other media

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See also

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References

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  1. ^Feinsand, Mark (October 9, 2020)."Whitey Ford, 'Chairman of the Board,' dies".MLB.MLB Advanced Media.RetrievedOctober 10,2020.
  2. ^Some sources, such asRetrosheet,claim a 1926 birthdate.
    "Whitey Ford".Retrosheet.RetrievedOctober 22,2008.
  3. ^"1970–1979 Baseball Hall of Fame | 1974 Induction Class".National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.RetrievedSeptember 14,2020.
  4. ^abVecsey, George (September 25, 2015)."Whitey Ford, a Six-Time Champion, Can Add a Title: Greatest Living Yankee".The New York Times.RetrievedOctober 10,2020.
  5. ^Berkow, Ira."ON BASEBALL; Ford Highlight Film Started Early",The New York Times,August 17, 2000. Accessed November 3, 2007. "Vivid in my memory is Stengel's shrug, palms up at his sides, gesturing in response to the mixture of cheers for Ford and boos for his removal. It was a display of sympathy for the kid from Astoria, Queens, who just a few years earlier was playing in street stickball games, and now under a national spotlight and World Series pressure had pitched so beautifully."
  6. ^Travers, Bill (January 20, 1974)."Whitey's Old Teammates Recall Early Triumphs".New York Daily News.p. 116NL – via Newspapers.
  7. ^abcFord, Whitey.Slick: My Life In And Around Baseball,New York: William Morrow, 1987.
  8. ^"Whitey Ford photos".Newsday.RetrievedOctober 9,2020.
  9. ^"They Came from Queens",Queens Tribune.Retrieved on November 4, 2007. "He once lived in Little Neck and attended Aviation High School."
  10. ^"Sporting News Tabs Ford Rookie of Year".Binghamton Press.November 13, 1950. p. 16 – via Newspapers.
  11. ^Blum, Ronald (October 9, 2020)."Whitey Ford, 91, pitcher who epitomized mighty Yankees, dies".Associated Press.RetrievedOctober 9,2020.
  12. ^abcdGoldstein, Richard (October 9, 2020)."Whitey Ford, Beloved Yankees Pitcher Who Confounded Batters, Dies at 91".The New York Times.RetrievedOctober 9,2020.
  13. ^Fischer, David (April 1, 2019).The New York Yankees of the 1950s: Mantle, Stengel, Berra, and a Decade of Dominance.Rowman & Littlefield. p. 71.ISBN9781493038930.
  14. ^Appel, Marty (2018).Casey Stengel: Baseball's Greatest Character.Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. p. 177.ISBN9781101911747.
  15. ^abcdef"Whitey Ford Statistics and History".Baseball-Reference.Sports Reference LLC.RetrievedOctober 9,2020.
  16. ^Terrell, Roy (March 17, 1958)."Part 1: Sal Maglie on the Art of Pitching".SI.Sports Illustrated.RetrievedAugust 7,2020.
  17. ^abcdefRogers III, C. Paul."Whitey Ford".Society for American Baseball Research.RetrievedOctober 9,2020.
  18. ^"26 Aug 1966, 22 - York Daily Record at".Newspapers. August 26, 1966.RetrievedOctober 9,2020.
  19. ^Mays, Willie (1988).Say Hey: The Autobiography of Willie Mays.New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 269.ISBN0671632922.
  20. ^"New York Yankees Top 10 Career Pitching Leaders".Baseball-Reference.
  21. ^"Career Leaders & Records for Win–loss %".Baseball-Reference.
  22. ^"Career Leaders & Records for Earned Run Average".Baseball-Reference.Sports Reference LLC.RetrievedMay 2,2024.
  23. ^Coverdale, Miles Jr. (2006).Whitey Ford: A Biography.Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 155.
  24. ^Bock, Hal (January 17, 1974)."Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford Reach Baseball's Hall of Fame".The Danville Register.p. 3-D – via Newspapers.
  25. ^Anderson, R.J. (October 9, 2020)."Whitey Ford, Yankees legend and Hall of Fame pitcher, dies at age 91".CBSSports.RetrievedOctober 9,2020.
  26. ^"Sports Briefs".UPI.RetrievedAugust 19,2022.
  27. ^Parker, Rob (August 5, 1987)."Ward shuns PH label despite success".New York Daily News.p. 58 – via Newspapers.
  28. ^"100 Greatest Baseball Players by The Sporting News: A Legendary List by Baseball Almanac".Baseball-almanac.RetrievedOctober 9,2020.
  29. ^"The All-Century Team | MLB".Mlb.mlb.RetrievedOctober 9,2020.
  30. ^"google".Google Maps.RetrievedOctober 9,2020.
  31. ^"Whitey Ford Field: NYC Parks".Nycgovparks.org.RetrievedOctober 9,2020.
  32. ^"Yanks Name Ford Coach of Pitchers".Eugene Register-Guard.Associated Press. November 15, 1963. Archived fromthe originalon January 24, 2013.RetrievedAugust 25,2009.
  33. ^"Coach Howard Rejoins Yanks, Replacing Ford".St. Petersburg Times.Associated Press. October 23, 1968.RetrievedAugust 24,2009.[permanent dead link]
  34. ^"9 Jan 1974, 98 – Daily News at".Newspapers. January 9, 1974.RetrievedOctober 9,2020.
  35. ^"30 Dec 1975, Page 8 – Wellsville Daily Reporter at".Newspapers. December 30, 1975.RetrievedOctober 9,2020.
  36. ^Stephen Brunt,Diamond Dreams: 20 Years of Blue Jays Baseball,p. 94, Penguin Books,ISBN0-14-023978-2
  37. ^"16 Jul 2008, 33 – The Dispatch at".Newspapers. July 16, 2008.RetrievedOctober 9,2020.
  38. ^"American Professional Slo-Pitch League (1977-1980)".September 24, 2022.
  39. ^"Softball challenge - OOTP Developments Forums".
  40. ^Details of Whitey Ford's CafefromYahoo! Local.
  41. ^Peter M. Gianotti,Review of White Ford's Cafe[permanent dead link]fromNewsday,October 13, 2002.
  42. ^Conversation with present owner ofGasho of Japanrestaurant, former site of Whitey Ford's Cafe.
  43. ^Madden, Bill (October 9, 2020)."Whitey Ford, the Yankees' famous 'Chairman of the Board,' dies at age 91".New York Daily News.RetrievedOctober 9,2020.
  44. ^Siegel, Ed (October 23, 1984)."Pierce Brosnan & Whitey Ford in 'Remington Stelle'".The Boston Globe.p. 36 – via Newspapers.
  45. ^Mukherjee, Tiarra (September 29, 1998)."Everlast's White Boy Blues".Rolling Stone.RetrievedOctober 9,2020.
  46. ^Gross, Andrew (April 24, 2001)."Borghese's new role: Being Berra".The Journal News.p. 1C, 3C – via Newspapers.
  47. ^"Poetry: World Series".PBS News Hour.October 22, 2002.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related toWhitey Ford.
Sporting positions
Preceded by New York Yankeespitching coach
1964
1974–1975 		Succeeded by
Preceded by New York Yankeesfirst-base coach
1968 		Succeeded by
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