Whitey Ford (1974)


Date of Birth: 10/21/1928
Birthplace: New York, New York

Whitey Ford came from a baseball family, with a father and two uncles who played semi-pro baseball. As a child, he played stickball and sandlot baseball. At the age of 13, he organized a baseball team.

In high school, Ford started out playing defensively at first base. He didn't become a pitcher until his junior year.

New York Yankees

Ford was signed by the New York Yankees prior to the 1947 season. He spent his first three seasons in the minors.

Ford had a strong first year with the Yankees, winning nine games (to one loss) and finishing with a 2.81 ERA in 20 games. He was named the Sporting News Rookie of the Year in 1950.

Ford spent the 1951 and 1952 seasons in the United States army, serving in the Korean War. He returned to the Yankees in time for the 1953 season. That year he had 18 wins and 6 losses, 110 strikeouts to 110 walks, and a 3.00 ERA in 207.0 innings in 32 games. The following season, he had a 16-8 win-loss record, 125 strikeouts to 101 walks, and a 2.82 ERA in 210.2 innings in 34 games.

In 1955, Ford won the Sporting News Pitcher of the year award, and he led the AL in wins and complete games. He pitched 18 complete games (out of 39 games played), and he had 18 wins to 7 losses and a 2.63 ERA in 253.2 innings.

Ford led the AL in ERA in 1956. He finished the season with 19 wins and 6 losses, 141 strikeouts to 84 walks, and a 2.47 ERA in 225.2 innings in 31 games. The following year, he pitched in just 24 games and he had a 2.57 ERA and an 11-5 win-loss record in 129.1 innings.

In 1958, Ford again led the AL in ERA. That season he had a 14-7 win-loss record with 145 strikeouts to 62 walks and a 2.01 ERA in 30 games. His ERA jumped up to 3.04 in 1959, when he had 16 wins and 10 losses in 35 games. His numbers in 1960 were similar: 3.08 ERA and 12 wins to 9 losses in 33 games.

Although Ford's ERA went up to 3.21 in 1961, he still had an outstanding year, winning the AL Cy Young award and the Sporting News Pitcher of the Year award. He led the AL in wins and in innings pitched and he had career highs in innings pitched, wins, and strikeouts. He finished the season with 25 wins to just 4 losses, 209 strikeouts to 92 walks, and a 3.21 ERA in 283.0 innings in 39 games. He also had an excellent postseason in 1961, winning both the World Series MVP award and the Babe Ruth award. In 2 games, he pitched 14.0 innings and he gave up 6 hits and no runs.

Ford continued to play well in 1962 and 1963. He had 17 wins and 8 losses, 160 strikeouts to 69 walks, and a 2.90 ERA in 257.2 innings in 38 games in 1962. The following year, he won his third Sporting News Pitcher of the Year award and he led the AL in innings pitched and wins. He finished the 1963 season with 24 wins and 7 losses, 189 strikeouts to 56 walks, and a 2.74 ERA in 269.1 innings in 38 games.

In 1964, Ford had a 2.13 ERA in 39 games. He had 17 wins and 6 losses in 244.2 innings, and he struck out 172 batters while walking only 57. His ERA went up to 3.24 in 1965, but his other numbers were similar to 1964: 16-13 win-loss record, 162 strikeouts to 50 walks, 244.1 innings pitched, 39 games played.

Ford had limited playing time in his last two seasons, pitching 73.0 innings in 22 games in 1966 and 44.0 innings in 7 games in 1967.

Awards and MLB Records

  • Sporting News Rookie of the Year in 1950
  • Sporting News Pitcher of the Year (3 times)
  • AL Cy Young award in 1961
  • World Series MVP in 1961
  • Babe Ruth award in 1961
  • Led AL in ERA (2 times)
  • Led AL in wins (3 times)
  • Led AL in innings pitched (2 times)
  • Led AL in complete games in 1955

Career Statistics

Statistics for Ford in 13 full seasons (1953-1965) in the major leagues include:

  • 5 seasons with over 150 strikeouts, with a high of 209 in 1961
  • 8 seasons with an ERA under 3.00, with a low of 2.01 in 1958

Career pitching statistics for Ford include:

  • 498 games played
  • 3,170.1 innings pitched
  • 236-106 win-loss record
  • 1,956 strikeouts to 1,086 walks
  • 2.75 ERA

Career postseason statistics for Ford include:

  • 22 games played
  • 144.0 innings pitched
  • 10-8 win-loss record
  • 94 strikeouts to 34 walks
  • 2.75 ERA

Source for Information
Wikipedia - Whitey Ford
ESPN - Whitey Ford
Baseball Reference - Whitey Ford

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