Whitey Ford, baseball player, 1950-1967

Whitey Ford

⭐ Hall of Fame 1974

Born: 10/21/1928 in New York, NY, USA

Died: 10/8/2020 in Lake Success, NY, USA

MLB Debut: 1950-07-01 | Final Game: 1967-05-21

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 178 lbs

Full name: Edward Charles Ford

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Biography

Whitey Ford, born in 1928, was a dominant pitcher in Major League Baseball, whose career spanned from July 1, 1950, to May 21, 1967. Known for his exceptional control and finesse on the mound, Ford played the entirety of his career with the New York Yankees, where he became a cornerstone of the team's success during the 1950s and 1960s. He finished his career with an impressive record of 236-106 and an earned run average (ERA) of 2.75, which underscored his effectiveness as a starting pitcher. Over his 16 seasons, Ford recorded 1,956 strikeouts and notched 10 saves, showcasing his versatility and durability in a changing game. Ford's accolades reflect his significant impact on baseball; he was a ten-time All-Star and earned the TSN Rookie of the Year, Cy Young Award, and World Series MVP honors during his illustrious career. His ability to perform in high-pressure situations helped lead the Yankees to numerous championships, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest pitchers in the franchise's storied history. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1974, Ford's contributions to the game continue to resonate, as he is remembered not only for his remarkable statistics but also for his poise and skill during one of baseball's most competitive eras.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
236 106 498 438 156 45 10 3170.3 2766 967 228 1086 1956 2.75 0

Career ERA 2.75 vs. league average 3.79 across their career seasons — 27.6% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1950 NYY AL 9 1 20 12 7 2 1 112.0 87 35 52 59 2.81 4.36 (+35%) -
1953 NYY AL 18 6 32 30 11 3 0 207.0 187 69 110 110 3.00 4.14 (+27%) -
1954 NYY AL 16 8 34 28 11 3 1 210.7 170 66 101 125 2.82 3.90 (+28%) -
1955 NYY AL 18 7 39 33 18 5 2 253.7 188 74 113 137 2.63 4.00 (+34%) -
1956 NYY AL 19 6 31 30 18 2 1 225.7 187 62 84 141 2.47 3.96 (+38%) -
1957 NYY AL 11 5 24 17 5 0 0 129.3 114 37 53 84 2.57 3.83 (+33%) -
1958 NYY AL 14 7 30 29 15 7 1 219.3 174 49 62 145 2.01 3.86 (+48%) -
1959 NYY AL 16 10 35 29 9 2 1 204.0 194 69 89 114 3.04 3.90 (+22%) -
1960 NYY AL 12 9 33 29 8 4 0 192.7 168 66 65 85 3.08 3.82 (+19%) -
1961 NYY AL 25 4 39 39 11 3 0 283.0 242 101 92 209 3.21 4.03 (+20%) -
1962 NYY AL 17 8 38 37 7 0 0 257.7 243 83 69 160 2.90 3.96 (+27%) -
1963 NYY AL 24 7 38 37 13 3 1 269.3 240 82 56 189 2.74 3.46 (+21%) -
1964 NYY AL 17 6 39 36 12 8 1 244.7 212 58 57 172 2.13 3.58 (+40%) -
1965 NYY AL 16 13 37 36 9 2 1 244.3 241 88 50 162 3.24 3.50 (+7%) -
1966 NYY AL 2 5 22 9 0 0 0 73.0 79 20 24 43 2.47 3.52 (+30%) -
1967 NYY AL 2 4 7 7 2 1 0 44.0 40 8 9 21 1.64 3.30 (+50%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
500 1023 91 177 19 0 3 69 3 113 224 0.173 0.256 0.200 0.457 -5013.9

Career AVG .173 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — 32.0% below league average.

Career OBP .256 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — 20.5% below league average.

Career SLG .200 vs. league average .386 across their career seasons — 48.1% below league average.

Career OPS 0.457 vs. league average 0.709 across their career seasons — 35.5% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1950 NYY AL 20 36 2 7 0 0 0 3 0 4 4 0.194 — — — — 0.0
1953 NYY AL 33 75 10 20 2 0 0 10 0 9 13 0.267 .264 (+1%) .335 (+3%) .397 (-26%) .733 (-13%) -137.6
1954 NYY AL 34 62 7 10 1 0 0 7 0 9 15 0.161 .261 (-38%) .333 (-21%) .390 (-55%) .723 (-39%) -400.3
1955 NYY AL 39 86 9 14 0 0 1 7 0 11 16 0.163 .258 (-37%) .332 (-22%) .393 (-50%) .726 (-37%) -529.1
1956 NYY AL 31 78 9 17 2 0 0 4 0 9 14 0.218 .258 (-16%) .331 (-10%) .397 (-39%) .728 (-26%) -314.7
1957 NYY AL 24 42 4 6 0 0 0 2 0 3 7 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1958 NYY AL 30 73 10 15 1 0 0 2 0 5 10 0.205 .257 (-20%) .324 (-18%) .394 (-44%) .719 (-33%) -379.7
1959 NYY AL 35 65 6 15 4 0 1 6 0 12 11 0.231 .256 (-10%) .323 (+8%) .392 (-14%) .715 (-4%) -3.6
1960 NYY AL 33 53 4 8 2 0 0 3 0 9 14 0.151 .255 (-41%) .323 (-15%) .387 (-51%) .711 (-35%) -287.5
1961 NYY AL 39 96 11 17 1 0 0 10 0 12 17 0.177 .258 (-31%) .328 (-19%) .399 (-53%) .727 (-38%) -598.0
1962 NYY AL 38 85 5 10 2 0 0 5 1 8 22 0.118 .257 (-54%) .326 (-39%) .393 (-64%) .719 (-53%) -778.6
1963 NYY AL 38 92 5 13 2 0 1 4 2 6 22 0.141 .246 (-43%) .308 (-37%) .371 (-47%) .680 (-43%) -633.5
1964 NYY AL 39 67 5 8 1 0 0 2 0 10 23 0.119 .250 (-52%) .312 (-22%) .377 (-64%) .690 (-45%) -463.0
1965 NYY AL 38 82 4 15 1 0 0 4 0 5 26 0.183 .245 (-26%) .310 (-26%) .371 (-48%) .682 (-38%) -488.6
1966 NYY AL 22 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1967 NYY AL 7 13 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.154 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
22 49 4 4 0 0 0 3 7 14 0.082

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1964 WS NYA 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 1.000
1963 WS NYA 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000
1962 WS NYA 3 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0.000
1961 WS NYA 2 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.000
1960 WS NYA 2 8 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 2 0.250
1958 WS NYA 3 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0.000
1957 WS NYA 2 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1956 WS NYA 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.000
1955 WS NYA 2 6 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.000
1953 WS NYA 2 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.333
1950 WS NYA 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
10 8 22 22 0 146.0 132 44 34 94 2.71

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1964 WS NYA 0 1 1 1 0 5.3 8 5 1 4 8.44
1963 WS NYA 0 2 2 2 0 12.0 10 6 3 8 4.50
1962 WS NYA 1 1 3 3 0 19.7 24 9 4 12 4.12
1961 WS NYA 2 0 2 2 0 14.0 6 0 1 7 0.00
1960 WS NYA 2 0 2 2 0 18.0 11 0 2 8 0.00
1958 WS NYA 0 1 3 3 0 15.3 19 7 5 16 4.11
1957 WS NYA 1 1 2 2 0 16.0 11 2 5 7 1.12
1956 WS NYA 1 1 2 2 0 12.0 14 7 2 8 5.25
1955 WS NYA 2 0 2 2 0 17.0 13 4 8 10 2.12
1953 WS NYA 0 1 2 2 0 8.0 9 4 2 7 4.50
1950 WS NYA 1 0 1 1 0 8.7 7 0 1 7 0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 498 396 173 630 33 49

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1950 NYA P 20 0 7 17 0 1
1953 NYA P 32 0 8 35 1 3
1954 NYA P 34 28 7 39 2 3
1955 NYA P 39 33 10 41 1 1
1956 NYA P 31 30 9 57 1 6
1957 NYA P 24 17 6 28 2 5
1958 NYA P 30 29 7 44 6 2
1959 NYA P 35 29 15 49 1 5
1960 NYA P 33 29 12 38 1 2
1961 NYA P 39 39 12 45 5 5
1962 NYA P 38 37 25 58 3 4
1963 NYA P 38 37 20 38 5 3
1964 NYA P 39 36 18 47 1 2
1965 NYA P 37 36 7 53 0 4
1966 NYA P 22 9 7 26 4 2
1967 NYA P 7 7 3 15 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 498

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1963 TSN All-Star P
1963 TSN Pitcher of the Year
1961 Babe Ruth Award P
1961 Cy Young Award
1961 TSN All-Star P
1961 TSN Pitcher of the Year
1961 World Series MVP
1956 TSN All-Star P
1955 TSN All-Star P
1955 TSN Pitcher of the Year
1950 TSN Rookie of the Year

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1964 Most Valuable Player AL 21th 7.0 280 0
1963 Most Valuable Player AL 3rd 125.0 280 3
1962 Most Valuable Player AL 26th 6.0 280 0
1961 Cy Young Award ML 1st 9.0 18 9
1961 Most Valuable Player AL 5th 102.0 280 0
1957 Most Valuable Player AL 19th 4.0 336 0
1956 Cy Young Award ML 3rd 1.0 16 1
1956 Most Valuable Player AL 12th 33.0 336 0
1955 Most Valuable Player AL 15th 21.0 336 0
1953 Most Valuable Player AL 20th 8.0 336 0
1950 Most Valuable Player AL 21th 7.0 336 0
1950 Rookie of the Year AL 2nd 6.0 24 6