The native of Elizabeth, New Jersey, threw and batted left-handed; he stood 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall and weighed 175 pounds (79 kg).

He made his MLB debut on April 17, 1945, and singled in his first at bat off Curt Davis of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

He also hit his first MLB home run that April 24, a solo blast off the New York Giants' Andy Hansen.

But no midsummer classic was played that season and no official All-Star teams were officially chosen by the two leagues because of wartime travel restrictions Dinges then split 1946 between the Phils and their Utica Blue Sox Eastern League affiliate.

He backed up right-handed-hitting first baseman Frank McCormick in 26 games and batted .308, slugging his second big-league homer as a pinch hitter off Ed Bahr of the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 12.