Don Elston

Donald Ray Elston

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 170 lb.
• High School Camden (OH) High School
• Debut September 17, 1953
• Final Game October 2, 1964
• Born April 6, 1929 in Campbellstown, OH USA
• Died January 2, 1995 in Evanston, IL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Except for one game with the Brooklyn Dodgers, pitcher Don Elston played his entire big league career with the Chicago Cubs. He made his debut on September 17, 1953, the same day Hall of Famer Ernie Banks also made his first major league appearance in the Cubs lineup. In the late 1950s, along with lefty Bill Henry, he was part of one of the best bullpen tandems in baseball. Nicknamed "Everyday Elston", he led the National League in appearances in 1958 and 1959 and was an All-Star in 1959. As one of the top firemen of his time, he was cited as one of the inspirations for the creation of the "save" statistic for measuring a reliever's effectiveness.

Elston later went on to manage briefly in the minors. After retiring from baseball, he remained in Chicago, IL and was involved in many charitable causes there, including Chicago Baseball Cancer Charities. Elston died at age 65 from a heart attack, shortly after retiring from his sales job.

Through 2008, he is the only major leaguer to have Elston as a last name, although Elston Howard had it as a first name.

Notable Achievements

• NL All-Star (1959)
• 2-time NL Games Pitched Leader (1958 & 1959)

Related Sites

• Don Elston at the SABR Bio Project

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