Monday, October 3, 2011

1961 Yankee Of The Day: Whitey Ford

So the time has come to look at the Chairman Of The Board's 1961 season.

His season did not get off on the right foot as he lost the season opener 6-0, lasting less than 7 innings as Minnesota Twins got 5 hits, 3 walks and 3 runs against Ford.

But then Ford went out and shutout KC 3-0 with a masterful 3 hitter despite 4 walks. He fanned 8. Four days later he tossed another complete game against the O's and won 4-2.

But the Detroit Tigers brought Slick down to earth in his next start, as Ford failed to make it to 7 innings for the second time in the month. This time Whitey allowed 11 hits, 2 walks and 6 earned runs. The Yankees scored 11 runs in this game, but the Tigers scored 13. Ford also had 2 hits and 2 RBIs.

His final start in April was on the 30th, the first game of a doubleheader against the new Washington Senators. Ford only pitched 6 innings again, but allowed just 4 hits, 2 walks, 2 runs and struck out 5. The Yankees won the game 4-3, and The Chairman had his third win on the month.

May began with start on the 4th. For the second straight start, he pitched exactly 6 innings, but once again, allowed only 2 earned runs. Ford avenged his loss a month ago to the Twins with a 5-2 win.

His next two starts weren't bad: 6 earned runs in 15 innings, but Ford failed to get a decision in both of them. But then he beat the Orioles again, again by a 4-2 score on the 21st. Ford got an RBI single in the forth that scored an unearned run.

Ford won his next start as well, although he gave up 4 earned runs. In beating the Red Sox 6-4, he lasted 7 innings, gave up 5 hits and walked 2.

Whitey lost just his second game on the season when Boston nipped him 2-1 on the 29th of May. Ford gave up just 2 earned runs and matched his season high so far with 8 K's.

Then came June.

He started 8 games.

And won them all.

He beat the Chicago White Sox on a fine 7 hitter on June 2nd.  Then, thanks to Ford's pitching (7.1 IP 3H, 2ER, 2BB 8K) and hitting (2-3, 1RBI, 1R) the Yankees topped the Twins 7-2 on the 6th.

He was even better his next outing. The poor Kansas City A's could attest. Ford sent them down on slick 5 hitter with 6 strikeouts. He hit his only extra base hit, a double, in the 7th. The downside was he allowed an inside the park homerun to his ex-teammate, Hank Bauer. One of the K's was a pinch hitter and also ex-Yankee, Don Larsen.

The Chairman was anything but in his next start (June 14th) as he allowed 8 hits and 5 earned runs. But the Yankees beat the Indians 11-5 and Whitey was at 10 wins already.

He made it 11 as he turned back the Tigers 9-0 four days later. In 8 innings, he allowed just 3 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 11 batters, a season high to date.

It would again be Kansas City's turn in Slick's next start. They managed to get 3 runs off Ford in 7, but Ford struck out 9, and won 8-3.

The expansion Angels hit Ford hard his next start, with 6 hits, 6 runs (all of them earned), and 4 walks in 7 innings. But the Yankees won anyway, 8-6, as Ford fanned 7 more.

Finally, Washington got their first crack at Ford on the last day in June. But they might have wished they hadn't.

Ford gave up just 5 hits, 3 walks and an unearned run, while fanning 8. I guess the bad part is, Ford failed to reach first base safely, as his 10 game, reaching base streak came to an end.

But in any event, Ford was now 14-2, at the end of June.

Here is The Chairman Of The Board's June statistics:

8 GP
8 GS
8 W
0 L
0 S
64.1 IP
43 H
21 ER
22 BB
55 SO
2.94 ERA
.186 OBA
.253 OBP

And he had no intention of stopping as he won his first July start, 6-2, a complete game, 5 hitter with 11 strikeouts against Detroit. This dropped his ERA to 2.98

The Red Sox got 10 hits and 5 earned runs against Whitey on the 8th, but Ford won his 16th game, 8-5. Then he came back with his second shutout on the season against Baltimore four days later. He gave up 6 hits and K'd 9.

Ford finally had his first no decision since May 14th when he was knocked out after 4.2 innings against Boston on the 21st. The Yankees eventually won, 11-8, but The Chairman had allowed 7 hits, 7 earned runs and 6 walks. His ERA was back over three. And it would stay there for the rest of the season.

But he beat the other Sox, 5-1 with a masterful 7 hits, 0 earned runs in his next start.

And he finished July with another win, 5-4 over the Orioles. Slick was a little less slick in this one as the O's got 7 hits and 4 runs off him, but they ended up losing. Ford had tied a career high in wins with his 19th.

Ford opened August with a pair of no decisions, neither of which was very impressive, unless you want to count his two RBIs on the 2nd. So Whitey had to wait until August 10th to pick up his 20th win and a new career high against the Orioles. The O's made him earn it, as they got 8 hits of Ford in 7 innings but lost 3-1.

The White Sox would also get 8 hits off Ford in only 7 innings. Unlike the O's, it was enough for a 2-1 win over him and the Yankees. But it was just his 3rd loss on the season.

And that 3rd loss was followed by Slick's 21st win in his next outing.

He had to go a little more than nine 9 (9.2). But the Yankees prevailed 4-3 over Cleveland in 10 innings.

Following a no decision on August 23rd, Whitey won his 22nd game against Kansas, even though he went just 5 innings.

He was pitching well on the first of September against Detroit, when he left the mound with 2 outs in the fifth, too early to get a win. Later it was determined to be a strained hip muscle. The Yanks got the win, 1-0.

But then, back and healthy, he tossed his 3rd and final regular season shutout when he blanked the Senators 8-0. He surrendered just 5 hits and 2 walks. He fanned 7. Despite this, his ERA was still 3.22.

Then came his shortest outing on the season.

It was just two innings on September 10th against Cleveland. And he surrendered 7 hits and 5 earned runs. Amazingly, the Bronx Bombers won this game anyway, 7-6.

He beat Detroit 11-1 to move the Yankees closer to push the Tigers to 10 1/2 games out with only 15 games left for catchup. (Ford's buddy Mantle helped not with a homerun, but with 2 runs scored and an RBI.) Ford had a complete game and his 24th win.

But he suffered his 4th loss in his next start against the O's. Actually, Ford lost the game 1-0, so he can hardly be blamed. He allowed 7 hits but just 1 earned run, and fanned 7 batters.

The next start for Slick saw the Yankees make it up to him. Ford allowed 9 hits in only 5 innings against Boston. Yet the Yankees won the game 8-3 making Whitey a 25 game winner on the year.

It was his last win in the regular season, although he pitched a 6 inning scoreless outing in an eventual 2-1 Yankee win on September 29th. And he fanned 9 more to up his career high in strikeouts in a single season to 209.

Ford's final ERA of 3.21, while high, was good enough for 10th in the AL that that year. It was well back of Washington's Dick Donavan who lead the league in that category at 2.40.

Ford's 25 wins were tops though, two more than Yankee Killer (or this year's AL Killer) Frank Lary. And his .862 W% in tops in the league as well. In innings pitched (283), starts (39), and batters faced (1,159) Ford also stood alone atop the league.

His WHIP of 1.2 was good enough for 7th.

On just hits allowed per 9 innings, Ford ranked 8th, just ahead of teammate Ralph Terry with 7.7.

Although not a strikeout pitcher normally, his 209 strikeouts gave Slick an average of 6.6 per nine innings, good enough for 5th, American League-wise.

As for the 209 strikeouts, even better, that was second only to Camilo Pascual's 221.

Ford was one of 7th pitchers tied for 9th in complete games with 11.

As for shutouts, he was tied for 5 others (including teammate Bill Stafford) for 6th place.

On bit a of a negative side, Ford's 242 hits allowed were the 7th most allowed. He also allowed the 8th in the league in homeruns allowed per nine innings (0.73) and also tied for 6th in the league in wild pitches with 8. His 101 earned runs allowed was the 9th most. And his 5 errors topped all AL pitchers.

His 2.3 strikeouts to walks ratio was third in the league.

And his 45 assists was 5th among AL hurlers.

All this was enough to win his first Cy Young award (They only handed out one among both leagues, so Ford had to beat out the likes of Spahn, Koufax, Gibson, Burdette and even others like Joey Jay, Jim O'Toole, Johnny Podres and Stu Miller), his second Sporting News American League Pitcher of the Year, and 5th place in AL MVP voting. Ford was selected for both All Star Games.

And his season, of course did not end there. In the 1960 World Series, Slick had tossed a pair of shutouts. So, not surprisingly, he started game 1 of the 1961 World Series against Cincy.

And Whitey picked a fine time to pitch his best game on the year!

In a pitcher's duel with the Reds' Jim O'Toole, Ford came out on top 2-0 on a 2-hitter. Ford got help from a pair of solo homeruns by Moose Skowron and Elston Howard. Not to mention two fine plays by Clete Boyer at third.

Then with the Yankees leading the series 2-1, Ford took the mound to try and push Cincinnati to the brink. He had upped his World Series consecutive scoreless innings streak to 27.

O'Toole could not be touched through 3. Ford retired the first 7 batters he faced. The Yankees threatened Jim with a walk and a double in the third, but it lead nowhere.

Babe Ruth had the record of consecutive scoreless innings in a World Series with 29 2/3. Ford was now at 29 1/3. Could he do it?

Darrell Johnson singled, bringing O'Toole to the plate. O'Toole hit a tough chopper that Tony Kubek made a fine play on to force Johnson at second. There was no time to get O'Toole.

But when Elio Chacon grounded out to Bobby Richardson, Ford had the record!

A double play in the top of the 4th gave Ford all he would need, although the Reds gave it a great try in the bottom of the frame. Ford gave up a single to Eddie Kasko. Then with only one out, he hit Frank Robinson. He had to induce the dangerous Wally Post to hit into a 6-4-3 double play to get out of that.

Kubek's single drove in the Yankees second run (actually, it was Ford who scored it, having reached base on a walk) in the top of the 5th. Ford retired the first two Reds in the their half of the inning. But once again Johnson, who had once been a teammate of Whitey Ford (actually his catcher occasionally in the late 50s) singled, bringing up Dirk Gernert to bat for O'Toole (who once again had not pitched badly, 5IP 5H 2ER 3BB 2K, and was once again in line for a loss). Gernert bounced to Clete Boyer at third, who fired to second to get Johnson.

Then Boyer helped out Ford with his bat, doubling to left (right to the "328" sign in left) in the sixth against relief pitcher and soon-to-be-author-pre-Jim-Bouton-but-like-it, Jim Brosnan. Moose Skowron, who had beaten out an hit to third, was now on third, and Ford had a chance to add to the 4 run lead.

Old Slick lashed at a pitch and foul tipped it of his right toe. Ouch. This would not hurt as much as the play Coleman was about to make.

Ford grounded to him at first, and Coleman took it and made the putout unassisted. Skowron decided to try and score, but somehow Coleman raced across and, without the ball leaving his hands, tagged Moose out for an unassisted double play.

But when Elio Chacon opened the bottom of the sixth with a single (just out left fielder Yogi Berra's reach, the result of which had Yogi flat on his face), that was it for Ford. Jim Coates came in to pitch and got out of the inning despite the fact that he also hit Frank Robinson with a pitch.

Coates would finish up the shutout, and the Yankees would add three more runs for a 7-0 win. Then the Yankees put the final nail in the Reds coffin with a methodical 13-5 win in game 5, the World Series theirs in 5 games.

Although he was not able to finish the game, it was Ford who would be named the Series MVP with two wins and shutout. This would be the second straight World Series where Ford had two wins, no losses and an ERA of 0.00 in two starts.


References


Golenbock, Peter. "1961." Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949-1964. Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary, 2000. Print, pp. 405-445.

Mantle, Mickey, and Mickey Herskowitz. "The M&M Boys." All My Octobers: My Memories of Twelve World Series When the Yankees Ruled Baseball. New York: HarperCollins, 1994. Print, pp. 129-145.

100 Years Of The New York Yankees. Major League Baseball Productions, 2003. DVD.

Ford, Whitey, and Phil Pepe. Slick. New York: W. Morrow, 1987. Print.

Smith, Ron. The Sporting News Presents 61*: The Story Of Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle And One Magical Summer. St. Louis: Sporting News, 2001. Print.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 03 Oct. 2011.

“1961 World Series.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1961_World_Series.

The World Series Of 1961. Dir. Lew Fonseca. Prod. Dick Borden. Perf. New York Yankees Cincinnati Reds 1961. Major League Baseball Productions Inc, 1961. DVD. DVD Released in 2006.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OMpOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fUkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7218,229046&dq=whitey+ford&hl=en

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