Almost exactly eight years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier in Brooklyn, Elton Howard became the first African-American to don the Yankees pinstripes. When Howard was called up to the Bronx in 1955, he still had quite a battle to fight. Howard had began as an outfielder in the Negro Leagues and continued to play the position as he rose through the Yankees farm system.

     However, with guys like Mantle, Bauer, Slaughter, Cerv and Woodland ahead of him, there was no way he could crack the outfield. Playing to Howard’s size, the Yankees converted him to a catcher and within two seasons he was backing up Yogi Berra. In 1960, the year this bat dates to, Berra was moved to the outfield and Elston Howard was finally made the Yanks’ starting backstop. In his first World Series as a starter, Howard hit .462 against Pittsburgh and the next season hit .348.

     Howard’s Hillerich & Bradsby O16 model bat shows excellent game use and is un-cracked. At 36 inches in length and weighting 35.6 ounces, the bat is a testament to the Yankee catcher’s size and strength. The barrel shows several ball marks and cleat imprints. Bat rack paint streaks can be seen and there are many scuff marks from storage and contact with other bats. Model number O16 is stamped into the knob end. The wood has aged to a very warm golden brown, making this already desirable Elston Howard gamer even more attractive. The bat comes with a full GU 8 LOA from PSA/DNA (1B02640) for the game use.

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