[1] Born in San Pedro de Macorís, Joseph stood 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and weighed 192 pounds (87 kg).

Originally signed by the San Francisco Giants, Joseph played in their minor league system from 1959 to 1963, batting .320, .319, and .326, respectively, in his first three seasons.

[3] On September 16, 1967, against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he hit his first MLB home run, a pinch-hit, walk-off grand slam off Ron Perranoski to give the Phillies an 8-4 win.

Through 2019, Joseph is the last MLB player to hit a walk-off grand slam for his first career home run.

As such, on January 12, 1971, he was traded by the Philadelphia Phillies to the Chicago White Sox for pitcher Bucky Brandon.