february march american professional baseball player played catcher major_league_baseball mlb cleveland_indians chicago_white_sox career games recorded batting average accumulated home runs runs batted rbi born raised georgia played amateur baseball cleveland indians signed spent years minor leagues serving world war played years minor leagues return mlb debut indians indians traded sent spent half years athletics returning cleveland spending season played managed minor leagues seasons banned minor leagues ban moved birmingham alabama died early life career born raised georgia fifth seven children birthplace tennessee border originally registered tennessee attended tennessee played high school basketball football teams moved shannon georgia age order pursue career baseball began playing career shannon spent years team spotted scout cleveland indians organization signed professional contract signed indians professional debut batting average home runs games spent year played games flint arrows promoted indians class minor league affiliate games senators hit triples home run team win score seven games team batting average military service season began joined military serve world war served united_states_navy time pacific served uss bay ship attack january emerged unscathed attack end war returned baseball spent season batting average games promoted season batting average led league following season joined cleveland_indians spring training end march considered sure thing major league roster major_league career cleveland_indians decided roster cleveland indians season manager chose major league debut month later game june hits plate appearances cleveland win played games course season batting average played game world series striking appearance world series indians owner wanted improve pitching staff despite finding worthy starting job despite considering trading instead traded chicago_white_sox early season manager accused pitches loss fined fought threatened leave team buried short time later played games season ended year batting average triples october traded fox played years went result trade considered baseball history spring training athletics battled starting job catcher ended splitting time course season finished year hitting home runs rbis games took athletics manager high hopes heading season saying lot better catcher people think hit head stray baseball bat game spent time hospital result split time season appeared career best games hitting walks season ended american baseball team toured japan start season rumored subject trade involving boston_red_sox players deal missed kidney infection struggled returning hitting games late june waived athletics picked indians spent rest year finished home runs rbis average games remained backup catcher season battled injuries season including bruised hand broken thumb split finger losing finished year batting average games january traded exchange manager traded hopes compete starting job defense served backup catcher mlb appearance september games average later life new_york_giants purchased contracts january sent minor league played year planned retire baseball played game minneapolis later year general manager wanted join young pitchers minor leagues work veteran catcher obliged joined team season games season batting average seven home runs playing games suspended argument manager season ended retired game work service station returned baseball spent season season joined manager fired month later protest refused play game retired year later banned life minor leagues came light accepted acting liaison intentionally balls order stands advantage baseball career moved birmingham alabama wife children ran automobile named died birmingham age
Joe Tipton