Elston Howard

Elston Gene Howard (February 23, 1929 – December 14, 1980) was an American Negro League and Major League Baseball catcher, left fielder and coach. During a 14-year baseball career, he played from 1955–1968, primarily for the New York Yankees. The first African American player on the Yankees roster, he was named the American League's Most Valuable Player for the 1963 pennant winners after finishing third in the league in slugging average and fifth in home runs, becoming the first black player in AL history to win the honor. He won Gold Glove Awards in 1963 and 1964, in the latter season setting AL records for putouts and total chances in a season. His lifetime fielding percentage of .993 was a major league record from 1967 to 1973, and he retired among the AL career leaders in putouts (7th, 6,447) and total chances (9th, 6,977). One of the most regular World Series participants in history, he appeared in ten of them, winning six, and ranks among Series career leaders in several categories. His lifetime slugging average of .427 ranked fourth among AL catchers at the time of his retirement.

Elston Howard
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Photo Credit: deleted_account

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Filmography

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Selected Elston Howard film and TV show credits.

Acting Credits

1980
Himself

1967
1967 World Series (TV Show)
Himself - Boston Red Sox Catcher

1964
Himself - AL Catcher

1964
1964 World Series (TV Show)
Himself - New York Yankees Catcher

1963
Himself - AL Catcher

1963
1963 World Series (TV Show)
Himself - New York Yankees Catcher

1962
1962 World Series (TV Show)
Himself - New York Yankees Catcher

1961
1961 World Series (TV Show)
Himself - New York Yankees Catcher

1960
1960 World Series (TV Show)
Himself - New York Yankees Catcher 

1958
1958 World Series (TV Show)
Himself - New York Yankees Left Fielder 

1957
1957 World Series (TV Show)
Himself - New York Yankees Pinch Hitter 

1955
1955 World Series (TV Show)
Himself - New York Yankees Left Fielder 

1948
Himself 

Self

No records found.

Batting Stats

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Major League batting statistics for Elston Howard.
Year Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG
1955 NYY 97 279 33 81 8 7 10 43 0 20 36 0.290 0.336 0.477
1956 NYY 98 290 35 76 8 3 5 34 0 21 30 0.262 0.312 0.362
1957 NYY 110 356 33 90 13 4 8 44 2 16 43 0.253 0.283 0.379
1958 NYY 103 376 45 118 19 5 11 66 1 22 60 0.314 0.348 0.479
1959 NYY 125 443 59 121 24 6 18 73 0 20 57 0.273 0.306 0.476
1960 NYY 107 323 29 79 11 3 6 39 3 28 43 0.245 0.298 0.353
1961 NYY 129 446 64 155 17 5 21 77 0 28 65 0.348 0.387 0.549
1962 NYY 136 494 63 138 23 5 21 91 1 31 76 0.279 0.318 0.474
1963 NYY 135 487 75 140 21 6 28 85 0 35 68 0.287 0.342 0.528
1964 NYY 150 550 63 172 27 3 15 84 1 48 73 0.313 0.371 0.455
1965 NYY 110 391 38 91 15 1 9 45 0 24 65 0.233 0.278 0.345
1966 NYY 126 410 38 105 19 2 6 35 0 37 65 0.256 0.317 0.356
1967 BOS 42 116 9 17 3 0 1 11 0 9 24 0.147 0.211 0.198
1967 NYY 66 199 13 39 6 0 3 17 0 12 36 0.196 0.247 0.271
1968 BOS 71 203 22 49 4 0 5 18 1 22 45 0.241 0.317 0.335
Career 1605 5363 619 1471 218 50 167 762 9 373 786 - - -

Fielding Stats

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Major League fielding statistics for Elston Howard.
Year Team G GS Inn PO A E DP Fld%
1955 NYY 97 69 569 143 13 2 5 0.987
1956 NYY 98 70 667 204 17 1 5 0.995
1957 NYY 110 93 829 317 19 6 5 0.982
1958 NYY 103 92 831 443 29 2 13 0.996
1959 NYY 125 112 987 711 49 10 41 0.987
1960 NYY 107 80 732 410 40 6 9 0.987
1961 NYY 129 115 1,009 725 47 6 16 0.992
1962 NYY 136 124 1,090 713 44 4 12 0.995
1963 NYY 135 128 1,144 786 51 5 8 0.994
1964 NYY 150 141 1,299 939 67 2 9 0.998
1965 NYY 110 97 849 644 44 6 8 0.991
1966 NYY 126 111 956 665 52 9 17 0.988
1967 BOS 42 33 306 246 14 1 5 0.996
1967 NYY 66 47 422 290 26 5 4 0.984
1968 BOS 71 62 536 377 30 2 3 0.995
Career 1605 1374 - 7613 542 67 160 -



First NameElston
Middle NameGene
Last NameHoward
Full Name at BirthElston Gene Howard
Age51 (age at death)
Date of BirthFebruary 23, 1929
BirthplaceSt. Louis, MO
Date of DeathDecember 14, 1980
Location of DeathNew York, NY
BuriedGeorge Washington Memorial Park, Paramus, NJ
Height6' 2" (188 cm)
Weight196 lbs (88.9 kg)
Star SignPisces
NationalityAmerican
High SchoolVashon (St. Louis, MO)
OccupationFormer Major League Baseball Player
Occupation CategoryBaseball
PositionCatcher, Leftfielder, First Baseman
BatsRight
ThrowsRight
MLB Debut14 April 1955
Last MLB Game29 September 1968

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