hɪz pɹəfˈɛʃənəl bˈeɪsbɔːl kɚɹˈɪɹ bɪɡˈæn ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi sˈɛvən wɪððə hˈɛndɚsən ˈɔɪlɚz, ɐn ʌnɐfˈɪlɪˌeɪɾᵻd tˈiːm ɪnðə klˈæs sˈiː lˈoʊn stˈɑːɹ lˈiːɡ.
His professional baseball career began in 1947 with the Henderson Oilers, an unaffiliated team in the Class C Lone Star League.