 Unser became one of many baseball players who only appeared in the major leagues during World War II, making his major league debut at age 29 on September 14, 1942, in a home game against the Washington Senators at Briggs Stadium.Over the next two seasons, Unser played sparingly for Detroit, spending part of each season in the minors with the Buffalo Bisons.The following season, he joined the Reds, where he had his best season in .