Elston Howard, a valuable part of Yankee world series teams: former catcher was a major contributor offensively, defensively, with the pitching staff and in the clubhouse

Baseball Digest, August, 2008 by Randy Schultz

"ELSTON HOWARD. HE COULD do it all. He could catch. He could play first base and the outfield.

"He was a solid batter who could hit for power and drive in runs. He had all the tools.

"It really makes me wonder sometimes where the New York Yankees might have been if Elston had not been playing on the team when he did.

"Elston made a difference."

That is how Bobby Richardson, a former New York Yankee and teammate of Howard's, described the former major leaguer.

Howard played 14 seasons in the major leagues (1955-1968) with the Yankees and Boston Red Sox. He finished his career with a .274 batting average.

While he had many outstanding seasons with the Yankees, his most memorable came in 1963 as a member of the Bronx Bombers. That was the season that Howard carried the Yankees on his shoulders, leading them to a fourth straight American League title.

The Yankees had suffered serious injuries to a couple of key players, including Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris. Despite their loss, New York managed to still have the hitting power as well as pitching strength to win the A.L. pennant by 10.5 games over the Chicago White Sox.

But many on the Yankees credit Howard with carrying the team throughout most of the season.

"I don't know what we would have done without Elston's clutch hitting that year," recalled Yanks manager Ralph Houk. "He led the team in home runs (28) and I think was first or second in RBI (second with 85 behind Joe Pepitone's 89).

"When a team like the Yankees lose the likes of Mantle and Maris at the same time, somehow it wasn't as devastating as it could have been to other teams.

"And Elston was the guy who stepped up for us and led the way."

For his efforts, Howard was awarded the American League's Most Valuable Player award. It had been his second straight season as starting catcher for the Yankees.

Howard, who died of heart failure in 1980, recalled the 1963 campaign in a 1977 interview.

"The Yankees always seemed to have confidence in their abilities," remembered Howard. "And that 1963 campaign was no different.

"Sure, we were concerned when Mickey and Roger went down with injuries. They were the heart of our lineup.

"But we had a good supporting cast surrounding them. And these guys, along with the players who came off the bench, really came through for us.

"And you couldn't say enough about the pitching staff that year. Whitey was our ace.

"But a young kid like Jim Bouton came along and won 20. Ralph Terry and Al Downing contributed as well.

"Unfortunately, we hit a Los Angeles Dodgers team that was loaded with pitching with the tikes of Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. They had very strong pitching."

While most of the Yankees bats went silent during the Series, Howard's remained constant. The St. Louis, Missouri native hit a solid .333 in the short, four-game series sweep won by the Dodgers.

While 1963 turned out to be a MVP campaign for Howard, it was not the greatest season he ever had in a major league uniform. The nine-time All-Star hit a career-best .348 in 1961, the same season Maris and Mantle went on an assault of Babe Ruth's single-season home run mark.

While Maris finished the season with 61, Howard recorded his first 20-homer mark and added 77 RBI.

Considered one of the greatest teams of all-time, the Yankees hit a record 240 homers that year. Interestingly, all three Yankee catchers hit over 20 homers that year including Howard (21), Johnny Blanchard (21) and Yogi Berra (22).

"It was one thing to have a team have three guys hit 20 homers each," recalled Blanchard. "But to have all three of the team's catchers do it was truly amazing.

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"We had so much depth on that team. And our pitching was outstanding as well.

"And Elston handled most of the catching duties that year and did a great job. He really could handle a pitching staff very well.

"He had total command of what was going on in front of him as well. He knew a lot of the American League hitters and could position infielders and outfielders on our team when they they came to bat.

"He was an excellent field general."

Howard came right back in 1962 with another outstanding season, hitting .279 with 21 homers and 91 RBI. A right-handed hitter, Howard had a memorable game on August 19 of that year against the Kansas City Athletics. He recorded eight RBI as the Yankees routed the A's, 21-7.

Howard certainly had come a long way since declining scholarship offers in 1948 at the age of 19 and turning pro with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues.

In 1950, Howard was signed by the Yankees. Following two seasons in the Army (1951-52), Howard returned to the minor leagues.

While playing for the International League's Toronto Maple Leafs in 1954, Howard won the MVP award. He hit .331 with 22 homers and 108 RBI.

New York could no longer keep the talented Howard down on the farm. On April 14, 1955, he became the first African American to play for the Yankees, eight years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Howard got a hit in his first major league at-bat and also got a homer in his first at-bat in the 1955 World Series versus the Dodgers.