Don Elston, baseball player, 1953-1964

Don Elston

Born: 4/6/1929 in Campbellstown, OH, USA

Died: 1/2/1995 in Evanston, IL, USA

MLB Debut: 1953-09-17 | Final Game: 1964-10-02

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 165 lbs

Full name: Donald Ray Elston

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Don Elston was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1953 to 1964. Born in 1929, Elston made his mark in Major League Baseball during a transformative period characterized by the emergence of power hitters and the increasing importance of bullpen roles. He was known for his competitive spirit and versatility on the mound, contributing as both a starter and a reliever throughout his career. Elston finished his playing days with a record of 49-54 and an earned run average (ERA) of 3.69. Over his tenure, he struck out 519 batters while accumulating 63 saves, underscoring his effectiveness in high-pressure situations. He was selected as an All-Star twice, affirming his status as one of the premier pitchers of his time. Elston’s contributions to the game were significant during an era that saw the evolution of pitching strategies, and his ability to adapt to various roles in the bullpen helped pave the way for future generations of relief pitchers.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
49 54 450 15 2 0 63 755.7 702 310 80 327 519 3.69 0

Career ERA 3.69 vs. league average 3.83 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1953 CHC NL 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 5.0 11 8 0 2 14.40 — -
1957 BRO NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 1 0 0 1 0.00 — 0.0
1957 CHC NL 6 7 39 14 2 0 8 144.0 139 57 55 102 3.56 3.83 (+7%) -
1958 CHC NL 9 8 69 0 0 0 10 97.0 75 31 39 84 2.88 3.86 (+25%) -
1959 CHC NL 10 8 65 0 0 0 13 97.7 77 36 46 82 3.32 3.90 (+15%) -
1960 CHC NL 8 9 60 0 0 0 11 127.0 109 48 55 85 3.40 3.82 (+11%) -
1961 CHC NL 6 7 58 0 0 0 8 93.3 108 58 45 59 5.59 4.03 (-39%) -
1962 CHC NL 4 8 57 0 0 0 8 66.3 57 18 32 37 2.44 3.96 (+38%) -
1963 CHC NL 4 1 51 0 0 0 4 70.0 57 22 21 41 2.83 3.46 (+18%) -
1964 CHC NL 2 5 48 0 0 0 1 54.3 68 32 34 26 5.30 3.58 (-48%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
450 124 6 19 0 0 0 3 0 0 30 0.153 0.160 0.153 0.313 0.0

Career AVG .153 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 40.1% below league average.

Career OBP .160 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — 50.4% below league average.

Career SLG .153 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — 60.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.313 vs. league average 0.711 across their career seasons — 56.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1953 CHC NL 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1957 BRO NL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1957 CHC NL 39 37 0 4 0 0 0 2 0 0 7 0.108 — — — — 0.0
1958 CHC NL 69 14 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.357 — — — — 0.0
1959 CHC NL 65 19 2 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0.211 — — — — 0.0
1960 CHC NL 60 24 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 0.125 — — — — 0.0
1961 CHC NL 58 11 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.182 — — — — 0.0
1962 CHC NL 57 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1963 CHC NL 51 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1964 CHC NL 48 6 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.167 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 450 14 46 128 11 12

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1953 CHN P 2 0 1 0 0 0
1957 BRO P 1 0 1 0 0 0
1957 CHN P 39 14 8 23 2 1
1958 CHN P 69 0 7 19 0 1
1959 CHN P 65 0 3 14 2 1
1960 CHN P 60 0 10 13 4 1
1961 CHN P 58 0 4 18 0 1
1962 CHN P 57 0 5 16 0 2
1963 CHN P 51 0 4 9 0 1
1964 CHN P 48 0 3 16 3 4

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 450