1947

Leslie "Tex" Aulds was born on December 28, 1920, in Farmerville, Louisiana. His father put a catcher’s mitt in Tex’s hands when he was around 9 years old and told him to be a catcher, because his father wanted to pitch to him, not catch. An Eagle Scout in his youth, Tex excelled in high-school sports and was first signed to the Cincinnati Reds in 1941.

His first stint in organized baseball was with the Reds-affiliated Class C Tucson Cowboys of the four-team Arizona-Texas League. But World War II intervened and he entered the Army Air Force in September 1942.

Tex was stationed at Randolph Field, near San Antonio. Not surprisingly, he played on the baseball and football teams. He first made a name in competitive sports on the first day of 1944, when he played in the Cotton Bowl for against the University of Texas. He paced the team to the 1944 Service Baseball League championships where they were beaten by the San Antonio Aviation Cadet Center. He continued to dominate in his play and drew much attention from major league scouts.

After being discharged from military service late in 1945, Tex was signed again by the Red Sox, and in 1946 was sent to play for the Eastern League Scranton Red Sox. Scranton won the playoffs (Tex’s six RBIs led the team) and he was named the catcher on the first team Eastern League All-Stars.

Advanced from Single A to Louisville, he began play with the Colonels in 1947 but was spiked badly in April in the second game of the year, requiring 27 stitches just above his right knee. He went to Toronto for rehab, and was returned to Louisville in May. Two days later, the Red Sox brought him up to serve as third-string backstop behind Birdie Tebbetts and Roy Partee. Tex played in just three 1947 Red Sox games. 

He had four major league at-bats and wound up his career in “The Show” going 1-for-4. He was sent down to New Orleans in late July and appeared in 32 games for the Pelicans. He was brought back to Boston in August but saw no further action and was released to Louisville in mid-October.

In 1948, Tex reported to Sarasota and trained with the big-league club, but by the end of March was playing for Louisville.  In 1949, he played for both Louisville and Scranton, with the lion’s share of his limited time for the lower-level team. 

Throughout the 1950s, he played semipro baseball with the Plymouth Oilers of Sinton, Texas, winning the state semipro title in 1951. Tex also  umpired for many years in the collegiate Southwest Conference.

Tex Auld boxed and was a scratch golfer later in his life, passing away after a heart attack at age 77, on October 13, 1999, in Hondo Texas.