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