As a teenager, Sandlock dreamed of playing professional baseball after he attended a game at Yankee Stadium and Babe Ruth hit a home run over his head.

He worked as an electrician and was making $200 per month when he quit to become a professional baseball player.

[2] Between 1938 and 1942, Sandlock was a minor league player in Huntington, West Virginia; Bradford, Pennsylvania; Hartford, Connecticut; and Evansville, Indiana.

He spent 1943 working in a munitions plant and playing for a touring USO team under manager Chuck Dressen.

[6] With the Stars, Sandlock became adept at catching the knuckleball thrown by pitcher Johnny Lindell.

[3] The arrangement did not work well, as Lindell led the league in wild pitches (11) and Sandlock allowed a league-leading 15 passed balls in only 64 games.

[5] He spent his final season in minor league baseball as the San Diego Padres won the 1954 PCL pennant.