Hall of Fame pitcher Whitey Ford, who won six World Series with the New York Yankees, died Friday at age 91.
A 10-time All-Star known as “The Chairman of the Board,” Ford compiled a 236-106 record with a 2.75 ERA and 45 shutouts in 16 seasons in the Bronx (1950, 1953-67).
The left-hander led the American League in wins three times and captured the 1961 Cy Young Award with a 25-4 record, a 3.21 ERA and 209 strikeouts in 283 innings. Ford holds the Yankees’ career records for wins, shutouts and innings pitched (3,170 1/3) and holds the World Series career records for wins (10), starts (22), strikeouts (94) and innings (146).
“The Yankees are incredibly saddened to learn of (his) passing,” the team said in a statement posted to Twitter. “… One of the best lefties to ever toe the rubber. He will be deeply missed.”
Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred also released a statement.
“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,” Manfred said. “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.”
Ford, who missed the 1951 and 1952 seasons while serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, helped the Yankees win 11 pennants and six World Series titles in 1950, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961 and 1962. He was 10-8 with a 2.71 ERA in 22 postseason starts and was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1961 World Series after winning both starts in a five-game series win against the Cincinnati Reds.
Edward Charles Ford, known as “Whitey” because of his blond hair, would have turned 92 on Oct. 21.
Ford, who was inducted into Cooperstown in 1974, is the fourth Hall of Famer to pass away during the past few months. Pitcher Tom Seaver died on Aug. 31, outfielder Lou Brock on Sept. 6, and pitcher Bob Gibson on Oct. 2.
