Born in Smyrna, Tennessee, Gooch began his professional baseball career in 1916 at the age of 18 with the Talladega Tigers of the Georgia–Alabama League. He didn\'t play professionally in 1917 or 1918 as he returned to help on the family farm after his oldest brother had died in a drowning accident and his second oldest brother had been called into military service during World War I. Gooch was also called into military service and was aboard a train heading to the service when news of the Armistice broke.\n', '

In 1918, Gooch tried out to play for the New Orleans Pelicans but didn\'t make the team. Despite this setback, the eager Gooch continued to show up for the team\'s practices. His eagerness to play finally convinced the Pelicans to sign him to a contract. He was sent to play in Cleveland and then to Mobile, where he was released. The Birmingham Barons then signed him after The Barons’ manager, Carlton Molesworth, remembered his dedication during one of his team\'s visits to play in Mobile. It was in Birmingham where Gooch first played with future Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, Pie Traynor, and the two men developed a lifelong friendship. In 1920, he posted a .288 batting average in 136 games for the Barons.\n', '

Gooch made his major league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 9, 1921 at the age of 22. Gooch had his best season offensively in 1922 when veteran catcher Walter Schmidt, held out for more pay and didn\'t play until August. He posted a career-high .329 batting average in 105 games, and collected an extra-inning six-hit game, two four-hit games, and eight three-hit games. He also had 102 assists defensively, third best in the league. In 1925, he played as a backup catcher to Earl Smith while posting a .298 batting average along with 30 runs batted in to help the Pirates win the National League pennant. The Pirates then went on to defeat the Washington Senators in the 1925 World Series. He appeared in three games of series and went hitless in 3 at bats.\n', '

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