to give his team the win by a score of seven to four. In 81 games with the team, Tipton had a .313 batting average. Military service Before the 1943 season began, Tipton joined the military to serve in World War II. He served in the United States Navy and was part of the Pacific Theater of Operations from 1943 to 1945. During his time in the Pacific, he served on the . The ship was hit by kamikaze attack in January 1945; Tipton emerged unscathed from the attack. After the end of the war, Tipton returned to baseball. He spent the 1946 season with the Harrisburg Senators, and had a .327 batting average in 104 games. In 1947, he was promoted to the Wilkes-Barre Barons of the Eastern League. That season, he had a .375 batting average, which led the league. The following season, Tipton joined the Cleveland Indians for spring training. By the end of March, he was considered a sure thing to make the major league roster. Major League career The Cleveland Indians decided to keep only two catchers on the roster for the 1948 Cleveland Indians season, and manager Lou Boudreau chose Tipton to back up Jim Hegan. He made his major league debut on May 2, and a month later, in a game on June 6, he had five hits in five plate appearances to give Cleveland a win against the Philadelphia Athletics. Tipton played in 47 games over the course of the season and had a .289 batting average. He also played in one game during the 1948 World Series, striking out in his only appearance. After the World Series, Indians owner Bill Veeck wanted to improve the pitching staff. Despite finding Tipton to be worthy of a starting job and despite Veeck considering trading Hegan instead, Tipton was traded to the Chicago White Sox for Joe Haynes. Early in the season, White Sox manager Jack Onslow accused Tipton of tipping pitches after a loss to the St. Louis Browns and fined him $500. The two then fought and Tipton threatened to leave the team, but they buried the hatchet a short time later. He played in 67 games during the season, and ended the year with a .204 batting average and three triples. On October 19, 1949, the White Sox traded Tipton to the Philadelphia Athletics for Nellie Fox. Fox played 14 years