THE NEW YORK YANKEES - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED PHOTOGRAPH CO-SIGNED BY: JERRY COLEMAN, CLIFF "TIGER" MAPES, WHITEY FORD, BOBBY BROWN - HFSID 292801

NEW YORK YANKEES (1950): WHITEY FORD, JERRY COLEMAN, BOBBY BROWN and CLIFF MAPES
Rookie Whitey Ford is shown being congratulated by three teammates during the Yankees' second of five consecutive World Championship seasons.
Photograph signed: "Whitey Ford", "Bobby Brown", "Cliff Mapes", "Jerry Coleman". B/w, 10x8. Shown in uniform, apparently congratulating Ford in the Yankees clubhouse. This photo must date from 1950, since that is the only year on which all four signers were members of the team. The 1950 Yankees under manager Casey Stengel won 98 games to clinch the American League pennant, and then swept a youthful Philadelphia Phillies team, known as "the Whiz Kinds" in the World Series. It was the second of five consecutive World Championships for the pinstripers, a streak unmatched in Major League baseball history. EDWARD "WHITEY" FORD (1928-2020, HOF 1974) was a rookie in 1950. Amazingly Ford, the Yankees' money pitcher of the fifties and early sixties, was only the #5 starter on the 1950 team, but hewould later earn the nickname "Chairman of the Board". The wily southpaw's lifetime record of 236-106 gives him the best winning percentage (.690) of any 20th century pitcher. He paced the American League in victories three times, and in ERA and shutouts twice. The 1961 Cy Young Award winner still holds many World Series records, including 10 wins and 94 strikeouts, once pitching 33 consecutive scoreless innings in the Fall Classic. Whitey Ford has the most career wins in the history of the New York Yankees with 236. Third baseman BOBBY BROWN (1924-2021) played with the Yanks from 1946 to 1954, claiming four World Series rings in 1947, 1949, 1950 and 1951 while studying for a medical degree. He has a career batting average of .279, hitting .300 or higher in his first three Major League seasons, with 22 home runs and 237 RBIs, as well as 444 putouts, 780 assists and 92 double plays as a defensive player. After leaving the majors, Brown practiced cardiology in the Dallas-Fort Worth area until the early 1980s, when he became a vice-president of the Texas Rangers. He was President of the American League from 1984 to 1994. Infielder JERRY COLEMAN (1924-2014) played 9 seasons with the Yankees (1949-1957), The 1950 all-star appeared in six World Series in nine seasons, compiling a .263 batting average in 723 career games, earning Rookie of the Year honors from the Associated Press in 1949 and World Series' Most Valuable Player honors in 1950. Twice during his tenure as a player, Coleman's career was interrupted because of military service as a Marine pilot, during World War II and Korea, when he flew 120 missions, received two distinguished flying crosses, 13 Air Medals and three Navy citations, while earning the title of lieutenant colonel. Coleman was a broadcaster for the Yankees (1963-1969), and has been a San Diego Padres broadcaster since 1972 (except for 1980, when he managed the team). Outfielder CLIFF MAPES (1922-1996) played five Major League seasons, mostly with the Yankees. A platoon player with good power, Mapes was part of the Yanks' championship 1949 and 1950 rosters, playing a total of five games in the World Series. His career batting average was .242, with 38 home runs and 172 RBIs. Fine condition.