Hall of Fame pitcher Whitey Ford, one of the greatest of the great in Yankees history and thought of as perhaps the “greatest living Yankee” following Yogi Berra’s passing, has passed away at the age of 91.
Edward Charles Ford was a true New Yorker: born October 21, 1928 in Manhattan, raised in Astoria, Queens, and graduating from the Manhattan School for Aviation Trade because his local high school did not have a baseball team.
The Yankees signed Ford out of high school in 1947, and he was immediately nicknamed “Whitey” by Lefty Gomez due to his light blond hair. Whatever was know as, though, he debuted in 1950 and was the Sporting News Rookie of the Year while helping the Yankees to their second of what would be five straight World Series titles.
Ford missed the 1951 and 1952 seasons while serving in the Army during the Korean War, but the lefty returned in 1953 and spent his entire career in pinstripes, going 236-106 with a 2.75 ERA before retiring in the middle of the 1967 campaign. He was a 10-time All-Star and led the Yankees to five more World Series titles in that second span, and was both the AL Cy Young Award winner and World Series MVP in 1961.
Nicknamed “The Chairman of the Board” by catcher Elston Howard for his calm demeanor under pressure, Ford was also called a “Hall of Famer” after being voted into the pantheon of the elite in 1974, and the Yankees retired his No. 16 retired and gave him a plaque in Monument Park in the same year.
Through 2020, Ford’s 236 wins are still the most in Yankees history, and he is also the franchise leaders in starts, innings pitched, and shutouts, while ranking second in both strikeouts and WAR for pitchers. Ford’s 10 World Series victories and 94 World Series strikeouts are also records, as is his .690 winning percentage among pitchers with at least 150 decisions.
He also had one final moment at his old stomping grounds in 2008, throwing out the first pitch for the MLB All-Star Game during the final season of the old Yankee Stadium’s existence.
Ford had been the second-oldest living Hall of Famer since Red Schoendienst's passing in 2018 (Tommy Lasorda, 93, is the oldest). He is survived by his wife, Joan, sons Thomas and Edward, and daughter Sally Ann.