1961 Topps Baseball #160 WHITEY FORD Graded SGC 6.5 EX-MT+ NEW YORK YANKEES HOF

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Whitey Ford From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigationJump to search For other uses, see  Whitey Ford (disambiguation).
Whitey Ford
Ford in 1953
Pitcher
Born:   October 21, 1928
New York City, New York
Died:   October 8, 2020  (aged 91)
Lake Success, New York
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
Teams
  • New York Yankees  (1950,  1953–1967)
Career highlights and awards
  • 10×  All-Star  (1954–1956,  1958,  1959,  1960–1961²,  1964)
  • 6×  World Series  champion (1950,  1953,  1956,  1958,  1961,  1962)
  • Cy Young Award  (1961)
  • World Series MVP  (1961)
  • 3×  AL wins leader  (1955, 1961, 1963)
  • 2×  MLB ERA leader  (1956, 1958)
  • New York Yankees No. 16  retired
  • Monument Park  honoree
Member of the National
      Baseball Hall of Fame     
Induction 1974
Vote 77.81% (second ballot)

Edward Charles   "Whitey "  Ford   (October 21, 1928 – October 8, 2020),[1][2]  nicknamed "The Chairman of the Board ", was an American professional  baseball  pitcher  who played his entire 16-year  Major League Baseball  (MLB) career with the  New York Yankees. He was a 10-time  All-Star  and 6-time  World Series  champion. In 1961, he won both the  Cy Young Award  and  World Series Most Valuable Player Award. Ford led the  American League  (AL) in  wins  three times and in  earned run average  (ERA) twice. He is the Yankees franchise leader in career wins (236),  shutouts  (45),  innings pitched  (3,170+ 1 /3 ), and  games started  by a pitcher (438; tied with  Andy Pettitte). Ford was inducted into the  Baseball Hall of Fame  in  1974.[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 the  United States Army  during the  Korean 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), and  strikeouts  (94). The Yankees  retired  his uniform number 16 in 1974 and dedicated a plaque in his honor in  Monument Park  in 1987. Ford served as the Yankees  pitching coach  in 1964 while still a player and from 1974 to 1975 after retiring. He also served as the team's  first base coach  in 1968.

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

Early life [ edit]

Ford was born in  Manhattan. At age five, he moved to the  Astoria  neighborhood of  Queens, a few miles from the  Triborough Bridge  to  Yankee Stadium  in the  Bronx.[5]  He attended public schools and graduated from the  Manhattan High School of Aviation Trades.[6]

In 1951, Ford married Joan at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Astoria.[7]  They lived in  Glen Cove, New York  on  Long Island  for a period during the 1950s, and had two sons and a daughter together.[8]

Professional baseball career [ edit]

Early years [ edit]

Ford was signed by the  New 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.[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-ballot  Most Valuable Player  (MVP) votes despite throwing just 112 innings, and won the  Sporting News   Rookie of the Year Award.[10]

Ford shooting a rifle in training for the military

During the  Korean War  era, in 1951 and 1952, Ford served in the  United States Army.[11]  He rejoined the Yankees for the 1953 season, and the Yankee "Big Three" pitching staff became a "Big Four", as Ford joined  Allie Reynolds,  Vic Raschi, and  Eddie 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, and  Mickey Mantle  by manager  Casey 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 the  New 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 the  Cy 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 match  Sandy Koufax's numbers for the  Los Angeles Dodgers  of the  National 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 the  Cleveland Indians  and  Chicago White Sox. When  Ralph 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 the  home run  battle between  Roger 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.[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 and  blowing the exhaust in my face."[7]

Final years and retirement [ edit]

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 catcher  Elston 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 in  ball 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 in  1961. I don't want anybody to get any ideas and take my  Cy Young Award  away. And I didn't cheat in  1963  when I won twenty-four games. Well, maybe a little.[7]

Ford admitted to doctoring the ball in the 1961  All Star  Game  at  Candlestick Park  to strike out  Willie Mays. Ford and Mantle had accumulated $1,200 ($10,267 today) in golf pro shop purchases as guests of  Horace 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.[19]

Career statistics [ edit]
Whitey Ford's number 16 was  retired  by the  New York Yankees  in 1974.

Ford won 236 games for the New York Yankees (career 236–106), still a franchise record.[20]  Ford is tied with  Dave Foutz  for 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 the  live-ball era  in 1920. Only  Clayton Kershaw  (2.51) and  Jacob deGrom  (2.61) have a lower ERA.[22]  Ford's worst ERA in a single season was 3.24.[17]  Ford had 45  shutout  victories in his career,[15]  including eight 1–0 wins.[17]

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

World Series and All-Star Games [ edit]

During his MLB career, Ford had 10  World 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 broke  Babe Ruth's World Series record of  29+ 2 /3   consecutive scoreless innings. The record eventually reached  33+ 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, although  Mariano Rivera  broke it as a postseason record in 2000.[23]  Ford won the 1961  World Series MVP Award. He appeared on eight AL All-Star teams between 1954 and 1964.[15]

Honors and legacy [ edit] Ford's plaque at  Monument Park  in  Yankee Stadium

In 1974, Ford and  Mickey Mantle  were both elected to the  National Baseball Hall of Fame;[24]  at that time, the Yankees retired his number 16.[25]

In 1987, the Yankees dedicated plaques for  Monument Park  at Yankee Stadium for Ford and  Lefty Gomez.[26]

In 1999, Ford ranked 52nd on  The Sporting News   List of Baseball's Greatest Players.[27]  He was nominated that year for the  Major League Baseball All-Century Team.[28]

In 1994, a road in  Mississauga,  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.[29]

In 2000, the ballfield overlooking the  East River  on 26th Avenue, between 1st and 2nd Streets in  Astoria, Queens, was named Whitey Ford Field at a Yankee Stadium ceremony.[30]

Post-playing career [ edit] Ford in 2010

Ford was the Yankees  pitching coach  during the 1964 season.[31]  In 1968, he served as the Yankees as  first base coach,[32]  and in 1974 and 1975 as pitching coach.[33][34]

In 1977, Ford was part of the broadcast team for the first game in  Toronto Blue Jays  history.[35]  In 2008, Ford threw the first pitch at the  2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.[36]  Also in 1977, Ford began serving as the commissioner of the new American Professional Slow-Pitch Softball League (APSPL), one of several  men's professional softball leagues  in the United States.[37][38]

In 2002, Ford opened "Whitey Ford's Cafe", a sports-themed restaurant and bar next to  Roosevelt Field Mall  in  Garden City, New York.[39]  A replica of the  Yankee Stadium facade  trimmed both the exterior and the bar, whose stools displayed uniform numbers of Yankee luminaries and  widescreen TVs  were installed throughout. The main dining area housed a panoramic display of Yankee Stadium from the 1950s, specifically a  Chicago White Sox–Yankee game with Ford pitching and Mickey Mantle in  center field; the Yanks were up 2–0. The servers were dressed in Yankees road uniforms, with Ford's No. 16 on the back.[40]  It lasted less than a year before it closed down.[41]

As of 2015, the 86-year-old Ford was splitting his time between his homes in  Long Island  and  Florida.[4]

Ford died on October 8, 2020, at his home in  Lake Success  on  Long Island  at the age of 91, 13 days before his 92nd birthday. He was watching the Yankees play in Game 4 of the  2020 American League Division Series  on television, and was surrounded by his family.[12]  The cause of death was not immediately announced, but he had suffered from  dementia  for several years.[12][42]  When he died he was the second-oldest living member of the Hall of Fame, after  Tommy Lasorda.[12]  He was the last surviving member of the 1956 World Champion New York Yankees.

Representation in other media [ edit]
  • Ford and Mantle made cameo appearances on a 1984 episode of  Remington Steele   starring  Pierce Brosnan.[43]
  • In 1998,  Grammy Award–winning musician  Everlast  released a CD entitled  Whitey Ford Sings the Blues , and assumed "Whitey Ford" as a nickname.[44]
  • Ford was portrayed by  Anthony Michael Hall  in the  HBO  movie,  61*   (2001), about  Roger Maris  and  Mickey Mantle's 1961 quest to break  Babe Ruth's single-season home run record. It was directed by  Billy Crystal.[45]
  • He was also portrayed by the actor  Tom Wiggin  in the 2007 television miniseries  The Bronx is Burning   as swapping his  Cashmere wool  sweater for a tee shirt belonging to  Reggie Jackson, played by  Daniel Sunjata.
Powered by SixBit's eCommerce Solution
  • Condition: Graded
  • League: Major Leagues
  • Player: Misc
  • Set: 1961 Topps
  • Product: Single
  • Player/Athlete: Whitey Ford
  • Year Manufactured: 1961
  • Original/Licensed Reprint: Original
  • Sport: Baseball
  • Era: Post-WWII (1942-1980)
  • Original/Reprint: Original
  • Manufacturer: Topps
  • Team: New York Yankees
  • Season: 1960
  • Country/Region of Manufacture: United States

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