Oct. 9 (UPI) — Edward “Whitey” Ford, a pitcher who spent all 16 years of his career with the New York Yankees and led the franchise to six World Series championships, has died, the club announced Friday. He was 91.
Ford died Thursday at his home in Lake Success, N.Y., on Long Island, The New York Times reported. The Chairman of the Board — so called because of his calm demeanor — was the second-oldest living member of the Baseball Hall of Fame at the time of his death.
The cause of Ford’s death wasn’t announced.
Ford compiled a record of 236-106 in his 16 years with the Yankees with a 2.75 ERA. He won the Cy Young Award in 1961 and was inducted into the hall of fame in 1974, his second year of eligibility.
The Yankees signed Ford fresh out of high school in 1947 and he joined the team in 1950. He retired in the middle of the 1967 season after experiencing a circulation problem in his pitching arm. He missed two seasons of play in the early 1950s to serve in the Army during the Korean War.