Losses big and small

 Yesterday was a tough day for Yankee fans, first and most importantly with the sad news of Whitey Ford's passing. The greatest pitcher in Yankees history, Ford was a native New Yorker who grew up in Queens and lived on Long Island, by all accounts a gentle character with an old-time New York toughness underneath. Then in the evening Gerrit Cole pitched beautifully but ended up losing to the Rays, 2-1, ending the Yankees season. Cole's gallant effort in defeat was reminiscent of Ford's stellar outings in the 1955 and 1960 World Series, which the team lost despite Ford's fantastic pitching. Aaron Boone's questionable pitching decisions in the ALDS pale in comparison to Casey Stengel mishandling the rotation in 1960, causing Ford to pitch only twice instead of three times, which led to Stengel's firing. Hopefully Cole's Yankees will bounce back in 2021 the way Ford's did in 1956 and 1961.