Ford, Whitey

Ford, Whitey (Edward Charles Ford), 1928–2020, American baseball player, b. New York City. A New York Yankee pitcher for his entire career, he signed with them in 1946. The southpaw threw in the minor leagues until 1950, when he joined the Yankees and helped them win the World Series. After two years in the army, Ford returned to the Bronx in 1953. Known for his fastball, curve, and slider, Ford had a career record of 236–106, with a 2.75 earned run average; in 1961 he won the Cy Young Award. The Yankees won the 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961, and 1962 World Series (and played in 10) during the rest of his career, and Ford set several Series records including 332⁄3 consecutive scoreless innings. After retiring in 1967, he was a first-base coach and pitching coach for the Yankees. Ford was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.

See his autobiography (with P. Pepe, 1987) and Whitey and Mickey (with M. Mantle and J. Durso, 1977).

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