Yankees React to the Passing of Hall of Famer Whitey Ford
As the Yankees prepare for ace Gerrit Cole to take the mound in a decisive Game 5 of the American League Division Series on Friday, they'll do so while mourning the passing of Hall of Famer Edward Charles "Whitey" Ford.
The legendary left-hander died peacefully by his family's side at the age of 91 while watching the Yankees game on Thursday night, the team announced Friday afternoon.
Ford, a six-time World Series champion and 10-time All-Star, isn't just one of the best left-handed pitchers in baseball history, but arguably the best hurler to ever don a New York Yankees uniform.
Across 16 seasons in the Majors, all with his hometown team, Ford won 236 of his 438 games started, pitching a total of 3,170 1/3 innings with 45 shutouts along the way. Each of those figures remain tops in Yankees franchise history to this day.
Ford was second in Yankees franchise history with 1,956 strikeouts, third in winning percentage (.690, minimum of 100 decisions), fourth in games pitched (498), fifth in ERA (2.75) and sixth in complete games (156).
Like Cole will do for the first time on Friday evening, pitching on short rest in the playoffs with the season on the line, Ford was New York's stopper, saving some of his best performances for the postseason.
Ford helped pave the way to six Yankees World Series championships in a span of 12 years, including two seasons off in his prime while serving in the Army. To this day, no pitcher has won more games (10), pitched more consecutive scoreless innings (33) or struck more batters out (94) in World Series history than Ford.
“Whitey’s name and accomplishments are forever stitched into the fabric of baseball’s rich history," said Yankees Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner. "He was a treasure, and one of the greatest of Yankees to ever wear the pinstripes. Beyond the accolades that earned him his rightful spot within the walls of the Hall of Fame, in so many ways he encapsulated the spirit of the Yankees teams he played for and represented for nearly two decades."
The southpaw won the American League Cy Young in 1961, his signature season. En route to a Yankees title, the southpaw went 25-4 with 283 innings pitched across 39 starts to lead all of baseball. He went on to win the World Series MVP in '61, tossing 14 shutout innings across two starts against the Cincinnati Reds.
“Today all of Major League Baseball mourns the loss of Whitey Ford, a New York City native who became a legend for his hometown team," Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement from MLB. "Whitey earned his status as the ace of some of the most memorable teams in our sport’s rich history. Beyond the Chairman of the Board’s excellence on the mound, he was a distinguished ambassador for our National Pastime throughout his life. I extend my deepest condolences to Whitey’s family, his friends and admirers throughout our game, and all fans of the Yankees.”
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