Don Elston

Don Elston
Pitcher
Born: April 6, 1929(1929-04-06) Campbellstown, Ohio
Died: January 2, 1995(1995-01-02) (aged 65) Arlington Heights, Illinois
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 17, 1953 for the Chicago Cubs
Last MLB appearance
October 2, 1964 for the Chicago Cubs
Career statistics
Win-Loss	49-54
Earned run average	3.69
Strikeouts	519
Saves	63
Teams
Chicago Cubs (1953, 1957-1964) Brooklyn Dodgers (1957)
Career highlights and awards
1959 National League All-Star

Donald Ray (Don) Elston (April 6, 1929 - January 2, 1995) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago Cubs (1953, 1957, 1958–64) and Brooklyn Dodgers (1957). Elston batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Campbellstown, Ohio.

A hard-thrower pitcher, Elston played for perennially weak Chicago Cubs teams for most of his nine-year major league career. He began as a starter, but after switching to the bullpen, he became one of the best relievers in the National League. He led the league with 69 relief appearances in 1958, setting a club mark, and In 1959, he tied with teammate Bill Henry with 65 appearances for the league lead. In that season Elston had a career-high 10 victories and was selected for the All-Star Game. He came in the ninth inning of the first game to preserve a 5–4 victory over the American League.

In 450 career games, Elston posted a 49-54 record with a 3.70 ERA and 63 saves.

Elston died in Arlington Heights, Illinois, at the age of 65.

Quotation

• Elroy Face was 18-1 with Pittsburgh in 1959. I was traveling with the Cubs. The Cubs had two relief pitchers: right-hander Don Elston and left-hander Bill Henry. They were constantly protecting leads and no one even knew about it. The year Elroy Face was 18-1 he blew 10 leads. Did you know that? But they had such a good-hitting team they came back in the last inning and won the game for him. Elston and Henry were terrific. – Jerome Holtzman, Hall of Fame writer and MLB official historian [1]

See also

• List of Major League Baseball all-time saves leaders

Sources

• Baseball Library
• Baseball Reference
• 1959 All-Star Game play-by-play

Persondata
Name	Elston, Don
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	April 6, 1929
Place of birth	Campbellstown, Ohio
Date of death	January 2, 1995
Place of death	Arlington Heights, Illinois