Whitey Ford

Called 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.

Miles Coverdale, Jr., lives in Spring Hill, Florida.

Miles Coverdale, Jr.
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 249
Bibliographic Info: 33 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2006
pISBN: 978-0-7864-2514-3
Imprint: McFarland

Preface      1

1: Growing up on the Sandlots      3

2: Making the Majors      8

3: Back from the Army      19

4: “Next Year” Unfortunately Arrives      36

5: Chasing Twenty Wins      53

6: Ford vs. Spahn      72

7: A Great Season Interrupted by Injuries      87

8: A Disappointing Season      102

9: Pirates Steal Series, with Help from Stengel      108

10: Ford Finally Wins Twenty      123

11: Another Near No-Hitter and Another Title      144

12: Ford vs. Koufax      161

13: Chasing Ruth Again      175

14: End of an Era      194

15: Where Ford Ranks      211

Appendices      219

Chapter Notes      229

Bibliography      233

Index      235

“the author does an excellent job of telling the life story”—1190kex.com.