Elston Howard
First African American Yankee, 1963 AL MVP, and 12-time All-Star catcher/outfielder.
Elston Gene Howard (February 23, 1929 – December 14, 1980) was an American professional baseball player who was a catcher and a left fielder. During a 14-year baseball career, he played in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1948 through 1968, primarily for the New York Yankees. A 12-time All-Star, he also played for the Kansas City Monarchs and the Boston Red Sox. Howard served on the Yankees' coaching staff from 1969 to 1979.
- Role
- Catcher / Left fielder
- Affiliation
- New York Yankees (Primary), Kansas City Monarchs, Boston Red Sox
- Key Achievement
- American League Most Valuable Player (1963)
- Championships
- Played in 10 World Series with the Yankees (1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961,
- Status
- Yankees Hall of Fame (coaching staff 1969-1979)
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
In 1955, Howard was the first African American player on the Yankees roster, eight years after Jackie Robinson had broken MLB's color barrier in 1947. He was named the American League's Most Valuable Player for the 1963 pennant winners, 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 as a catcher 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).
In Their Own Story
The 1963 season was Howard's crowning achievement. He batted .287 with 28 home runs, 85 RBI and a .528 slugging average, finishing third in the league in slugging average and fifth in home runs. He won his first Gold Glove Award and was named the American League's Most Valuable Player, becoming the first black player in AL history to win the honor. In the 1963 World Series, though the Yankees were swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers, Howard hit .333 and drove in the only Yankees run of Game 2. The following year, 1964, he batted .313 (just ten points behind batting champion Tony Oliva) with 84 RBI, again winning the Gold Glove and placing third in the MVP vote. His totals of 939 putouts and 1,008 total chances broke the AL records set by Earl Battey. He also led the AL in fielding average in 1964 with a .998 mark. His lifetime fielding percentage of .993 as a catcher 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).
Reader's Guide
Howard played in nine World Series with the Yankees (1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964) and also played in the 1967 World Series with the Boston Red Sox. He was given the Babe Ruth Award for the 1958 World Series.
Did You Know?
- Howard was the first African American player on the New York Yankees roster in 1955.
- He won the American League MVP in 1963, the first black player to do so in the AL.
- Howard set AL records for putouts (939) and total chances (1,008) by a catcher in 1964.
- His .993 career fielding percentage as a catcher was a major league record from 1967 to 1973.
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