R.I.P. Whitey Ford

Whitey Ford, who won a franchise record 236 games as a pitcher for the great New York Yankees teams of the ’50s and ’60s died on the evening of October 8th, 2020. He was 91, and had been suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease in recent years. Ford is the fifth Hall of Fame baseball player to pass away in 2020, joining Al Kaline, Lou Brock , Tom Seaver, and Bob Gibson.

A native of New York, Ford made his debut with the Yankees on July 1st, 1950. He finished the regular season with a record of 9-1 and an ERA of 2.81. He also started Game 4 of the 1950 World Series, pitching 8 2/3 innings and earning the first of his 10 World Series victories in the Yankees’ 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. It was the series clincher as New York swept Philadelphia in four games. He remains the record holder for most World Series pitching victories. He pitched in 11 World Series, six of which were won by the Yankees; he was the MVP of the 1961 Series, with a record of 2-0 with a shutout and no earned runs allowed in 14 innings pitched in New York’s 4-1 Series victory over the Cincinnati Reds. He was actually better in the 1960 World Series, with a pair of shutouts in two starts, but the Pittsburgh Pirates won that Series in seven games.

Ford missed the 1951 and ’52 seasons while serving in the army, returning in 1953 and posting an 18-6 record. He led the majors in ERA with 2.47 in 1956 and 2.01 in 1958; seven of his 14 victories that year were shutouts. His best year was 1961, when he was 25-4 with an ERA of 3.21 in a major league leading 283 innings pitched. He won his only Cy Young Award that year.

Ford battled injuries in his last two years, making just 29 appearances, 16 of which were starts, and retired in May of 1967. He had a career record of 236-106 with a 2.75 ERA. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974, along with teammate Mickey Mantle.