Elston Howard
Elston Gene Howard ( born February 23, 1929 in St. Louis, Missouri, † December 14, 1980 in New York City, New York) was an American baseball player in Major League Baseball.
Biography
Elston Howard was the first African-American player who wore the jersey of the New York Yankees in Major League. His career as a professional baseball player, he began in 1948 with the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro Leagues. He played there as a catcher and outfielder. In 1950 he was gedrafted by the Yankees and played until his Major League debut on April 14, 1955 in the various minor league teams in the New Yorker. Until 1960, he played most of the time in the outfield, as Yogi Berra held the tribe 's position as catcher. From 1957 to 1965 Howard attended every All- Star game. In 1963 he was elected MVP in the American League. In this ceremony, he was the first African- American to be elected to the AL MVP. In 1963 and 1964 he also won the Gold Glove Award.
In 1967 he moved to the Boston Red Sox, where he was a year later ended his career. In 1969 he returned to the Yankees, where he worked for eleven years coach.
Overall, Howard participated in nine World Series in part, with the Yankees eight times, once with the Red Sox. With a total of five defeats Howard in common with Pee Wee Reese, the player with the most World Series defeats.
Howard died in 1980 of a heart condition, the Yankees denied the entire '81 season with a crape. Since July 21, 1984 Howard's number 32 will no longer be awarded by the Yankees. Also a plaque in Monument Park was dedicated to him on that day with the words: A man of great gentleness and dignity.