If Your Birthday is October 21st...

Whitey Ford, was, plain and simple, the greatest starting pitcher in Yankees history. Like teammate Phil Rizzuto, (and of course, Lou Gehrig) he was the rare native New Yorker to excel for his home town team. 236 career victories, a 10-time All Star, owner of the longstanding record World Series scoreless streak and the 1961 Cy Young Award are just some of the highlights that punched his ticket to Cooperstown.  

Zack Greinke is compiling career numbers that put him in the conversation for the Hall of Fame: 219 wins and 2809 strikeouts look even more impressive in this, or any, era. After starring for the Royals, Brewers and Diamondbacks, he's now with the Astros, where, a neck injury slowed him near the end of the season. Still, he and his teammates stand one victory away from their second World Series appearance in three years.

John Flaherty lived his boyhood dream: growing up in suburban Rockland County, he capped his 14 year major league career as the Yankees backup catcher in 2003, '04 and '05. He moved smoothly into the broadcast booth and is now an analyst on YES Network telecasts.

George Bell was one of the best Rule 5 draft selections ever. The Blue Jays pilfered him from the Phillies farm system in 1981 and he went onto be one of their big  bats from 1984-'90 -- highlighted by an MLP season in 1987, when he blasted 47 home runs and drove in 134. Two years later, he hit a walk-off home run in Toronto's last game at Exhibition Stadium.

Jose Lobaton caught for nine years in the majors, all but one as a backup. He understudied Wilson Ramos in both Washington, and, in 2018, with the Mets. Lobaton is among the select circle of players who have been married on a ballfield -- he and his wife Nina took their vows standing at home plate of Tropicana Field in 2012.

Bill Russell played 18 years for the Dodgers and was famous as the shortstop on the infield that played more games together than any in baseball history. He still holds the record for most games by a Los Angeles Dodger.

And we remember:

Bill Bevens, who came within one out of pitching the first World Series no-hitter ever. But Cookie Lavagetto of the Dodgers broke that up in game four of the '47 Fall Classic with what we now call a walk-off two run double (Bevens was far from perfect, he walked 10 that day) -- for a 3-2 Brooklyn win. When you hear Chris Berman describe a deep fly ball with that staccato "back, back, back, back!" -- he's channeling the way Red Barber called that play on radio. 

Despite a popular belief that he never appeared in another major league game, Bevens bounced back and turned in a vital relief appearance in game seven -- blanking the Dodgers for 2-2/3 innings in a 5-2 Yankee victory. But he was sent to the Yanks' farm club in Newark the following spring and never did make it back to the show.