He signed a bonus contract with the Redlegs as a 19-year-old in 1955 and was placed on Cincinnati's Major League roster per the bonus rule of the time. He made his MLB debut as a defensive replacement for leftfielder Ray Jablonski in a 12--8 road loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on June 12. After pinch running in his second MLB game (for slow-footed catcher Smoky Burgess), Silvera finally had his first National League at bat as a pinch hitter for Roy McMillan in a 16--5 rout of the Phillies at Crosley Field June 26.
Smoky Burgess
Silvera