"AT THE HEART OF BASEBALL'S GREATEST DYNASTY"

FORD, Whitey and PEPE, Phil. Slick. New York: William Morrow, (1987). Octavo, original half blue-gray cloth, original dust jacket. $500.

First edition of Ford's "richly spiced" autobiography, inscribed on the half title by him, "To C— & H— Thanks C— You showed me everything! All the best, Whitey Ford."

"At the heart of baseball is great pitching, the most indispensable part of any team. At the heart of baseball's greatest dynasty was Whitey Ford" (Baseball Hall of Fame). In Slick, the legendary Yankee left-hander describes the practice throwing mudballs and other illegal pitching effects—that he himself "would never consider using," of course, even when he didn't have his best stuff. "Ford's career winning percentage of .690 is the best of any major league pitcher in the 20th century. He led the American League in victories three times and in earned run average and shutouts twice each. He won the Cy Young award in 1961 and World Series records for victories (10), consecutive shutout innings (33) and strikeouts (94)" (New York Times). With preface by Mickey Mantle; 16 pages of illustrations.

A fine copy.