Elston’s son, Kim, told the Houston Chronicle in an email that the broadcaster was in declining health for several months, but died peacefully.
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Elston was the announcer for Colt .45s and Astros games on radio and television from 1962 through 1986. And in 2006, he won the Ford Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
“He lived a full, vibrant life doing what he loved the most,” Kim Elston said. “His life should be celebrated for his love of life, his family, his accomplishments, his dogs and for his love of the game.
“I’m sure, and I hope he realized it, too, that many, many Astros fans are just that, because of the way he had of putting them into a ballpark with words alone. Now, my hope is that there is a new voice sharing the duties in the press box at the Field of Dreams.”
Elston may have best been known for his telecast of Mike Scott’s no-hitter that clinched the National League West title for the Astros in 1986.
“He was the most underrated play-by-play man I’ve ever listened to,” longtime Houston broadcaster Bill Worrell told the Chronicle. “He could paint a picture with very few words. I appreciated his style, and I appreciated him.”
Elston was born on March 26, 1922, in Iowa, and started his career on radio calling Cleveland Rams football games in the late 1940s. He made his major league debut calling Cubs games on WIND in Chicago from 1955 through 1957 and then spent three seasons calling the Mutual Radio Network’s Game of the Day, which led to his hiring by the Colt .45s.
Kim Elston said his father’s memorial service will be private and his ashes will be placed at the Houston National Cemetery.
