Vincent Scott Elarton (born February 23, 1976) is a retired right-handed pitcher. He played for the Houston Astros (–), Colorado Rockies (2001–), Cleveland Indians (2004–, ) and the Kansas City Royals (–) Playing career Minor leagues; Houston Astros (1994–2001) Elarton was chosen by the Astros in the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft (25th overall) when he was 18 years old. Foregoing college for the Minor Leagues, Elarton went from the single-A level to triple-A in and made his Major League debut on June 20, 1998, at 22 years of age. He spent most of 1998 as a relief pitcher and registered a 3.32 earned run average, but gave up the game-winning run in the pivotal Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the eventual league champion San Diego Padres. Elarton started in the bullpen. He was moved to the starting rotation in early July and recorded a 3.48 ERA and 9–5 record. Elarton had shoulder surgery after the 1999 season and started on the disabled list and in Minor League rehabilitation. Despite the injury, he had the best season of his career in 2000, posting a 17–7 record for a poor Astros team that compiled only a 72–90 record. Winning twice as many games as any other pitcher on the team at the hitter-friendly Enron Field while posting a 4.81 ERA, he was named the team's Pitcher of the Year. In 2001, Elarton's ERA rose to 7.14 in 20 starts for the Astros, compiling a record of 4–8 before his trade to the Rockies. Colorado Rockies (2001–2004) He was traded to the Rockies for Pedro Astacio at the trading deadline, returning Elarton to his home state of Colorado. The Rockies' hitter-friendly Coors Field stadium did little to improve his ERA, which finished at 7.06 as he was shut down due to shoulder discomfort, appearing in only 4 games for the Rockies. He also finished the season at fifth-worst in the National League in home runs allowed and eighth-worst in earned runs allowed. Elarton had major shoulder surgery and missed the entire season. He then spent primarily in the minors, posting an ERA of 5.31 with a 6–8 record before getting the call up to the Rockies. Elarton posted a 6.27 ERA in 11 games in the majors. Entering 2004, Elarton was competing for a starting spot in the Rockies rotation. After a good spring training,