The 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m), 185 lb (84 kg) DeLancey was born in Greensboro, North Carolina. He signed with the Cardinals\' farm system in 1930. He spent his first year in the minors playing for the Shawnee (Oklahoma) Robins in the Class C Western Association, making an impressive showing with a .297 batting average on 192 at-bats. In 1931, he was reassigned to the Danville (Illinois) Veterans of the Class B Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League, where he continued to show improvement, ending the year by playing 11 games with the Columbus (Ohio) Red Birds of the American Association. The following year, DeLancey was transferred to the Class C Springfield (Missouri) Cardinals, batting .329 with 118 RBIs, and received his Major League baptism by appearing in eight games for the major league Cardinals in September 1932. In 1933, he returned to the Columbus Red Birds, hitting 21 home runs and batting .285 in 123 games.\n', '

In 1934, he made the Cardinals\' roster and, as a left-handed hitter, platooned with the right-handed Spud Davis to share the Cardinals\' regular catching job. He became a favorite of player-manager Frankie Frisch, and performed admirably on the field, hitting .316 with 80 hits, 18 doubles, 13 home runs, 41 bases on balls and an OPS of .979 in 295 plate appearances. The catching platoon—Davis started 89 games, and DeLancey 65—was highly effective, as the veteran Davis, 29, hit an even .300 with 65 runs batted in and an .830 OPS. The Cardinals outlasted the New York Giants in a September pennant race to take the National League championship on September 29. DeLancey was behind the plate during the clincher, catching fellow rookie Paul Dean\'s complete game.\n', '

The Cardinals\' opponents in the 1934 World Series, the American League champion Detroit Tigers, featured an all-right-handed starting rotation, and manager Frisch responded by starting DeLancey as his catcher in every contest. DeLancey caught every inning (Davis was a perfect two-for-two as a pinch hitter), as St. Louis prevailed in seven games. DeLancey collected only five hits in 29 at bats, but four of them were for extra bases, including three doubles and a home run, hit off Tommy Bridges in Game 5 at Sportsman\'s Park. DeLancey also drove in four runs.\n', '

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