February 23, 1929 in St. Louis, MO The Yankees’ first black player, Elston Howard was forced to play the outfield through much of his first five seasons because Yogi Berra was behind the plate. By 1960, Howard was the starting catcher and Berra was more often in the field. Howard was an exceptional defensive catcher; his .993 career fielding average is one of the highest ever, and he pioneered the use of a hinged catcher’s mitt that led to the modern one-handed catching techniques. He was also highly regarded as a handler of pitchers. He was named to the AL All-Star team nine consecutive years.Join the Daily Rewind - Join.Classic Baseball Broadcasts - reconnect with baseball history.Show Notes & Featured AudioGreatest Sports ThrillElston Howard Tops on SportsElston Howard over 100 GamesMentioned in this episode:Classic Baseball BroadcastsClassic Baseball Broadcasts

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