He graduated from high school in Silver Lake, Kansas, near Topeka, and signed with the Philadelphia Phillies at age 18 in 1954. He worked his way through the Phillies\' minor league system for five seasons, but was never called to the majors. Finally, in December 1958, the Phils packaged him and two other players to Los Angeles in exchange for 24-year-old second baseman Sparky Anderson, then a prospect in the Dodger farm system but a future Baseball Hall of Fame manager. The Dodgers kept Golden at Triple-A St. Paul for two full campaigns before recalling him in the closing weeks of the 1960 campaign. He won 20 games for St. Paul in 1960, and led the American Association in both wins and earned run average (2.32).\n', '

Golden then spent the full seasons of 1961 and 1962 in the major leagues. He was a relief pitcher for the pennant-contending 1961 Dodgers, working in 28 games and posting a 1–1 record with no saves. Then he was selected by the brand-new Colt .45s as the 37th pick in the 1961 Major League Baseball expansion draft.\n', '

As a member of 1962 Colts, Golden appeared in 37 games, including 18 as a starting pitcher, and won seven of 18 decisions with an earned run average of 4.07. He was credited with five complete games and two shutouts, including a five-hitter against his old Dodger teammates on June 15, defeating that year\'s winner of the Cy Young Award, Hall of Famer Don Drysdale, 2–0. Five of Golden\'s wins came at the expense of Houston\'s fellow National League expansion entry, the New York Mets, who lost 120 games that season. His five complete games and two shutouts would be the only ones of his MLB career.\n', '

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