Quote:
Originally Posted by oldjudge
It would have been a moot point if he started Ford in game one. Ford threw two complete game shutouts in games three and six. If he had started game one he would have been rested for a game seven if necessary. BTW, the Yankees fired Stengel after that debacle.
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I see- you changed your argument. Hindsight is usually 20-20. The last time the Yankees were in the World Series, 1958, Whitey was credited with zero of his team's 4 wins. In his final start, Game 6, he did not survive the second inning, and was relieved by Art Ditmar, who bailed him out and the team rallied in extra innings. In 1960, Whitey was only 12-9, and Ditmar led the team in wins. So starting Ditmar in Game 1 in favor of Ford was not without reason. But in true fan and media fashion it became beyond dispute that the Yankees would have won if Ford pitched games 1, 4 and 7. Of course, the Yankees scored only 4 runs in the opener and 2 in game 4, as opposed to the 10 and 12 they gave Whitey in his starts, but no doubt he would have still stymied the opponent and carried the day. Open and shut case. Let's release the 70 year old manager--HE cost us the series.
EDITED TO ADD: I don't disagree that the pundits and world-renown baseball experts in New York to this day blame Stengel for not starting Ford in Game 1. I do disagree with the logic that it was the reason Pittsburgh won the Series.