Kids & Family

Little Neck's Own: Edward 'Whitey' Ford

Yankees pitcher was born in Astoria, but lived for a while in Little Neck.

Edward “Whitey” Ford may have gained his fame in the Bronx, but the baseball legend was a Queens native.

Ford, who was given his nickname due to his light blonde hair, was born in Astoria and attended Aviation High School, but later lived in Little Neck.

In 1947, the pitcher was signed to the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent and ended up spending his entire career with the team.

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Three years later, he kicked off his Major League Baseball career in style, winning his first nine games before losing his tenth as a relief pitcher.

The Sporting News went on to name him the Rookie of the Year.

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In 1951 and 1952, Ford served in the Army during the Korean War, but returned to the Yankees in 1953.

He eventually became the team’s number one pitcher, earning another nickname – “Chairman of the Board” – for his ability to remain calm during high tension games.

Although he never pitched a no-hitter, Ford tied a record for two consecutive one-hit games in 1955 and six consecutive strikeouts in 1956.

In 1961, he won the Cy Young Award.

During the course of his 17-year-career, he won a total 236 games, which remains a record for the Yankees.

Ford was the team’s game one pitcher during eight World Series.

He also had 10 World Series victories, which is more than any other Major League pitcher.

In 1961, he was named the most valuable player of the series.

Five years later, Ford underwent surgery for a circulatory problem in his throwing shoulder. He retired at age 38 the following year.

He was elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1974 and, in 2003, he was inducted into the Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame.


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