Whitey Ford, legendary pitcher for the New York Yankees known as ‘Slick’ – obituary
Whitey Ford, who has died aged 91, was one of baseball’s greatest pitchers; he spent his entire career with the New York Yankees, winning the World Series six times. He had the best winning percentage of any pitcher in the 20th century, and when Yogi Berra died in 2015, the New York Times declared that Ford was now “the greatest living Yankee”.
Edward Charles Ford was born on October 21 1928 in Manhattan, moving to Queens with his family when he was five; he attended Manhattan High School of Aviation Trades.
He joined the Yankees in 1947 as an amateur, and was farmed out initially to the minor leagues, where he acquired the nickname “Whitey” for his light blond hair.
He began his Major League career back in New York in 1950, and at the end of his first season was named Rookie of the Year, winning nine straight games as the Yankees reached the World Series (pitchers start games in rotation, usually playing once every fourth game or so). He won the fourth game of the best-of-seven series to register a clean sweep over the Philadelphia Phillies.
During the Korean War he served in the US Army, returning for the 1953 season – and the Yankee’s “Big Three” pitching staff of Allie Reynolds, Vic Raschi and Eddie Lopat became the “Big Four”.
Ford would gain the nickname “Chairman of the Board” for his coolness under pressure. He was also known as “Slick”, thanks to an epithet given to him and his team-mates Billy Martin and Mickey Mantle by the Yankees manager Casey Stengel: he called them “Whiskey Slicks” for their love of New York’s nightlife. Ford would title his 1987 autobiography Slick.
The Whiskey Slicks once spent the evening drinking with a famous sumo wrestler on a tour of Japan. They thought it might be fun to throw some insults at the wrestler, who continued to nod and smile. At the end of the evening he said: “Thank you very much for a nice evening”, in immaculate English.
A left-hander, Ford was not the most powerful of pitchers, depending more on guile, varying his deliveries and exercising pinpoint control; Casey Stengel said Ford was the man he would always turn to if he absolutely needed to win a game.
Whitey Ford epitomised the ruthless efficiency of the Yankees, with whom he won the World Series in 1950, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961 and 1962; he also made five losing appearances.
His best year was 1961, when he had a 25-4 win-loss record, and won the Cy Young award for best pitcher, though the season was dominated for many observers by the celebrated home-run battle between Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris.
Ford was also an expert in the art of keeping runners at their base: he set a record in 1961 by pitching 243 consecutive innings without allowing a stolen base. Over his career he won 236 games and lost only 106, a winning percentage of .690.
In retirement he admitted to occasional ball-tampering during his career, sometimes using the diamond on his wedding ring or a sharpened buckle on his shinpad, and sometimes with mud. But he insisted: “I didn’t begin cheating until late in my career, when I needed something to help me survive.”
After his playing days Ford opened a restaurant briefly, and did some commentary work. He and Mantle were elected together to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. “He was the best pitcher I ever saw and the greatest competitor,” Mantle said of his friend.
Whitey Ford married Joan in 1951; they had a daughter and two sons.
Whitey Ford, born October 21 1928, died October 8 2020
