tˈæp mˌeɪd hɪz mˈeɪdʒɚ lˈiːɡ deɪbjˈuː ˌɔn ˈeɪpɹəl twˈɛnti fˈoːɹ, nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈɪfti fˈoːɹ, æz ɐ lˈeɪtˈɪnɪŋ dᵻfˈɛnsɪv ɹᵻplˈeɪsmənt fɔːɹ ʃᵻkˈɑːɡoʊ kˈætʃɚ dʒˈoʊ ɡˌæɹɐdʒɪˈoʊlə, ænd wʊd ɐpˈɪɹ ɪn wˈʌnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi fˈaɪv ɡˈeɪmz fɚðə kˈʌbz ˌoʊvɚɹ ˈɔːl ɔːɹ pˈɑːɹts ʌv sˈɪks sˈiːzənz dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ðə nˈɛkst nˈaɪn jˈɪɹz.
Tappe made his major league debut on April 24, 1954, as a late-inning defensive replacement for Chicago catcher Joe Garagiola, and would appear in 145 games for the Cubs over all or parts of six seasons during the next nine years.