Whitey Ford, Yankees’ all-time wins leader, dies

Whitey Ford, a Hall of Fame pitcher who won more World Series games than any other pitcher, died on Friday, the New York Yankees announced. He was 91.

Edward Charles “Whitey” Ford was born on Oct 21, 1928 and grew up in Queens. He made his major league debut for the Yankees in 1950 and spent his entire career with the Bronx Bombers.

In the 1950s, when Pulitzer Prize-winning sports columnist Jim Murray wrote that rooting for the Yankees was like rooting for General Motors or U.S. Steel, there was one man who was “Chairman of the Board.”

He helped the Yankees win six World Series titles and 11 American League pennants in his 16 seasons. Ford had a career record of 236-106, setting the Yankees club records for victories. His career winning percentage of .690 is the best for any pitcher with at least 300 career decisions. Ford was the Cy Young Award winner in 1961, and was a 10-time All-Star.

Ford’s status as the best pitcher on the best team was exemplified by his marks in the World Series, where he was chosen as a Game 1 starter eight times. His 10 World Series victories are more than any other pitcher, and he pitched 33 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings in World Series play, breaking a mark set by Babe Ruth.

Ford and Mickey Mantle were the icons for their edition of the Yankees dynasty and, fittingly, they went into the Hall of Fame together in 1974 and his number 16 was retired by the Yankees that year.

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