Whitey Ford

Whitey Ford is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played 16 seasons for the New York Yankees.

Life and Career

A native of Queens, Ford made his debut with the Yankees in 1950, but missed the 1951 and 1952 seasons while he served in the U.S. Army in the Korean War. After his return, and well into the 1960s, he established himself as one of the most dominant pitchers of his era, and the ace of the Yankees staff. Ford played on six World Championship teams and was selected to the All-Star team eight times. His best season was arguably in 1961, when he went 25-4 and won the Cy Young Award and the World Series MVP Award; however, his achievements that year were overshadowed by the home run race between Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, as they pursued Babe Ruth's single-season record. Ford compiled a stunningly low 2.75 career ERA, and hold the Yankees record for most career wins by a Yankee, with 236. In 1974, Ford was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.