Don Elston

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

See also

• List of Major League Baseball all-time saves leaders

Sources

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Baseball Library
• 1959 All-Star Game play-by-play
• Venezuelan Professional Baseball League batting and pitching statistics