Wesley Cheek Ferrell was born on February 2, 1908 in Greensboro, North Carolina to Rufus Benjamin "Lonnie" and Alice Clara Carpenter. His father was employed by the Southern Railroad, and the family lived on a 160-acre dairy farm that was also used to grow crops such as hay and tobacco. Wes was the fifth of seven children, all boys. They each played baseball for the local high school team, and two others went on to enjoy long careers in baseball: Rick, a Hall of Fame catcher, and George, an 18-year minor league veteran.\n', '

Wesley starred in baseball and basketball while playing for Guilford High School, and later for the Oak Ridge Military Academy in 1926. He was soon noticed by Bill Rapp, a scout for the Cleveland Indians, and in 1927 they, as well as the Detroit Tigers, offered him a contract while he was playing for a semi-professional team in East Douglas, Massachusetts. He chose the Indians, and joined the team for the remainder of the 1927 season. He made his Major League Baseball debut on September 9, 1927, pitching a single inning against the Boston Red Sox, and gave up three earned runs. Although, he initially made the Indians\' roster in 1928, he was soon demoted to the Terre Haute Tots, of the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League. He pitched well for the Tots, winning 20 games against eight losses, and had a 2.74 earned run average. In September, he was re-called to majors, and pitched two games before the season ended. He started both games, completed one of them, and while he pitched well, he received the loss in both.\n', '

In 1929, he joined the Indians for good, though only a spot-starter at first; he established himself as one of the best pitchers in the American League (AL) by season\'s end. He was noted to have had an excellent fastball, which he complimented with a good curveball and a deceptive changeup. He posted a 21–10 win–record, with 100 strikeouts and a 3.60 earned run average (ERA). His 21 victories placed second in the league behind George Earnshaw\'s 24, and he finished in the top ten in strikeouts, earned run average, and saves. In 1930, he began the season as the Indian\'s number two starting pitcher behind Willis Hudlin, who made the team\'s opening day start. He quickly established himself as the team\'s ace by significantly improving his pitching performance. He increased his win total to 25, which finished second in the league, this time behind Lefty Grove\'s 28, and lowered his ERA to 3.31. His batting skills improved in 1930; his batting average jumped from .237 in 1929 to .297 in 1930.\n', '

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