Edward Charles Ford was born in New York City, New York on October 21, 1928. He grew up in an area not far from Yankee Stadium. While Charles was playing in the minor leagues he was given the name of Whitey and it stuck with him throughout his baseball career of eighteen years.

Whitey was a left handed pitcher who was signed with the New York Yankess in 1947 and actually began his career in July of 1950. The Sporting News named him as the “American League Rookie” for the year in 1950. Whitey did not play baseball during the 1951 and 1952 seasons, because of his commitment to the United States Army. After completing his military service, he then rejoined the Yankees for the season in 1953.

Whitey was known for his control of the ball when he pitched, although he did not have an especially fastball. When the game was tense, you could depend on Whitey to be the calm one, so he also earned the nickname of “Chairman of the Board.”

Whitey Ford pitched the first game in the World Series all but two years between 1955 and 1964. He also played in the 1960 series, but not in the first game. He has had more World Series victories than any other pitcher and for forty years held the record for the most consecutive scoreless innings. In 1961, Whitey won the Cy Young Award, the World Series Most Valuable Player and the Babe Ruth Award.

Ford retired at the age of 38 in 1967. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974, at which time they also retired his jersey number, 16.