A product of the New York Yankees farm system, Cerv came up to the big club in 1951 and played primarily off the bench.

In a surprise move, he was traded to the Kansas City A's in 1958 where he had a career season, 34 HR and 104 RBI.

By the time he reached Houston in 1962, Cerv's knees were gone and he proved too slow to be useful in the outfield or on the bases. He ended his career as an original Colt .45, appearing in six games as a pinch-hitter with a .226 batting average.