Whitey Ford: A BiographyCalled the "Chairman of the Board" because of his remarkable control in big-money games, Eddie "Whitey" Ford still holds the record for World Series wins (10), and was Casey Stengel's ace during much of the Yankees' historic mid-century pennant streak. Off the mound, Whitey's carousing with Mickey Mantle was legendary, and he, in many ways, symbolizes the excesses and good fortunes of the Yankees during that era--living hard and winning often. This book delves into the life and baseball career of Whitey Ford, the Hall of Fame left-hander who helped the Yankees win 11 pennants and six world championships. After a childhood on the New York sandlots, he quickly worked his way through the Yankees farm system and, when called up in 1950, won nine straight in a pennant race and then won the final game of the World Series sweep of the Phillies. He would go on to pitch for 16 seasons--all of them with New York--and retire as the winningest pitcher in franchise history. His story is detailed here with a generous helping of play-by-play action and personal anecdotes. Seven appendices offer Ford's career statistics and compare him to other great pitchers, past and present. |
Contents
Preface | 1 |
Making the Majors | 8 |
Back from the Army | 19 |
A Great Season Interrupted by Injuries | 87 |
A Disappointing Season | 102 |
Pirates Steal Series with Help from Stengel | 108 |
Ford Finally Wins Twenty | 123 |
Another Near NoHitter and Another Title | 144 |
Ford vs Koufax | 161 |