Born in Manitoba, Ford grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he began his baseball career.

[6] After a recommendation by his older brother, Ford was signed by Bill Watkins, the manager of the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association, in July 1904.

[9] At the end of the 1906 season, the Atlanta Crackers of the Southern Association drafted Ford from Cedar Rapids.

[11] When warming up with catcher Ed Sweeney under a grandstand due to rain, Ford accidentally threw a ball into a wooden upright, marking the surface.

[12] He continued to study the effects of the rough patch on the wind resistance of the baseball when practicing, but did not yet begin to use it in a game.

[13] Ford returned to Atlanta for the 1908 season, and his pitching began to draw attention from major league teams.

[15] Ford made his major league debut for the Highlanders against the Boston Red Sox on April 28, 1909, as a relief pitcher.

After the game, the Highlanders demoted Ford to the Jersey City Skeeters of the Eastern League, where he spent the rest of the 1909 season.

[2][18] Ford also shared the secret of his emery ball with teammates Eddie Foster and Earle Gardner, who he roomed with when the Highlanders were traveling.

[12] For the 1911 season, the Highlanders paid Ford a $5,500 salary ($179,850 in current dollar terms), second-highest on the team behind only Hal Chase, the first baseman and manager.

[24] New York attempted to cut Ford's salary before the 1914 season,[2] so he jumped to the Buffalo Buffeds of the outlaw Federal League.

[25] He had a 21–6 win–loss record for Buffalo in 1914 with 123 strikeouts; his .778 winning percentage was the best in the Federal League that year, and his 1.82 ERA was the second-best, behind Claude Hendrix.

[31][32] Unable to use the emery ball, Ford struggled as he attempted to develop a new pitch, and was released from Buffalo during July.

[35] Following the collapse of the Federal League, his contractual rights reverted to the Yankees, who gave him his unconditional release.