Original rookie-era news service photo of a young Whitey Ford months prior to his major league debut. Date stamped to March 8, 1950 on verso, Ford would not appear until early July that season, making 12 starts before missing the next two Yankees campaigns in their entirety due to military service. Upon his return, Ford helped the Yankees capture their fifth straight World Series title, embarking on a 16-year career in which he "won a higher percentage of his decisions than any other modern pitcher" according to his page on the National Baseball Hall of Fame's website. Lauded for his greatness in the clutch, the 1961 World Series MVP, six-time World Series champion, and ten-time All-Star was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. Photo measures 7" x 9" with credit stamping from Acme Newspictures applied to verso. A caption related to this image, found on gettyimages.com, reads: "Rookie Pitcher Ed Ford would be playing with the New York Yankees this season. Ford, who came up from the Binghamton club, is taking spring training with his new teammates at St. Petersburg, FL." A classic shot of easily one the greatest Yankees of all-time before he became a legend. Authenticated as a Type I photo by PSA/DNA.