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Donald Ray Elston
Chicago Cubs
Pitcher
Born: April 6, 1929, Campbellstown, OH
Signed: Signed by the Chicago Cubs as an amateur free agent, December 6, 1947
Major League Teams: Chicago Cubs 1953; Brooklyn Dodgers 1957; Chicago Cubs 1957-1964
Died: January 2, 1995, Evanston, IL (age 65)
With the exception of one inning he threw for the Dodgers in 1957, Don Elston spent his entire nine year major league career with the Cubs. A durable reliever, Elston made his debut with the Cubs in 1953 but then would return to the minor leagues for three full seasons. On May 5, 1957, Elston threw a scoreless ninth inning for the Dodgers against the Braves but then was traded back to the Cubs a few weeks later. He'd appear in at least 60 games three seasons in a row between 1958 and 1960, leading the league in 1958 and 1959 with 69 and 65 appearances respectively. Elston was named to both National League All-Star teams in 1959, earning the save in the first game. He'd finish third in the league in saves that season with a career-high 14.
Elston pitched through the 1964 season and was released by the Cubs before opening day in 1965. He was 49-54 with a 3.69 ERA and 64 saves in 450 games pitched. His 449 appearances with the Cubs are currently fourth all-time for the franchise, behind Charlie Root (605), Carlos Marmol (483) and Lee Smith (458).
Building the Set
December 4, 2021 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards, Babylon, NY) - Card #441
You'll be seeing this particular passage on my 1965 Topps blog for quite some time as we added a whopping 97 cards to our set during the December Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show. If I'm ambitious and compose posts for five cards a week, I should be completely caught up by the end of May. If I'm not as ambitious, I might still be going through this stack by the time we hit July. Either way, I'll enjoy the process and I'm looking forward to taking my time. I've posted a complete summary of this fantastic show over at The Phillies Room.
The Card / Cubs Team Set
Elston wore #36 during his second and longest stint with the Cubs. This is his last appearances in a Topps set, and Elston would have been a minor league coach (see below) by the time collectors were finding this card in packs. Baseball Reference puts his minor league win tally at 118, 14 more than the 104 Topps gives him credit for on the back of this card.
1965 Season
Following his release, Elston joined the Triple-A Salt Lake City Bees, the Cubs' top farm team, as a player/coach. He spent the entire season with the Bees, making 33 appearances (including two starts) and was 4-8 with a 3.58 ERA in 93 innings pitched. Elston officially retired as a player following the season.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1957 Topps #376
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1957-1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1978 TCMA The 1960s I #143
December 4, 2021 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards, Babylon, NY) - Card #441
You'll be seeing this particular passage on my 1965 Topps blog for quite some time as we added a whopping 97 cards to our set during the December Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show. If I'm ambitious and compose posts for five cards a week, I should be completely caught up by the end of May. If I'm not as ambitious, I might still be going through this stack by the time we hit July. Either way, I'll enjoy the process and I'm looking forward to taking my time. I've posted a complete summary of this fantastic show over at The Phillies Room.
After securing Doug's Jim Thome autograph, I returned to Uncle Dick's and their neon green shirts, pulled up a chair, and settled in. Over the course of 45 minutes or so, I found 79 cards needed for our set, including this Elston card which was a little less than $4 after the dealer discount. I was surrounded by six or seven other seated collectors, all who looked similar to me, with a touch of gray, focused on their individual quests. I wiped out Uncle Dick's two 1965 Topps commons binders, paid for my haul and then retreated to a table with Doug to update our checklist.
The Card / Cubs Team Set
Elston wore #36 during his second and longest stint with the Cubs. This is his last appearances in a Topps set, and Elston would have been a minor league coach (see below) by the time collectors were finding this card in packs. Baseball Reference puts his minor league win tally at 118, 14 more than the 104 Topps gives him credit for on the back of this card.
1965 Season
Following his release, Elston joined the Triple-A Salt Lake City Bees, the Cubs' top farm team, as a player/coach. He spent the entire season with the Bees, making 33 appearances (including two starts) and was 4-8 with a 3.58 ERA in 93 innings pitched. Elston officially retired as a player following the season.
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First Mainstream Card: 1957 Topps #376
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1957-1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1978 TCMA The 1960s I #143
33 - Elston non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/11/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
Previous Card: #435 Willie Davis - Los Angeles Dodgers
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Next Card: #437 Chico Cardenas - Cincinnati Reds
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