Joe Nuxhall: 15 Year Old Major Leaguer

THE FOLLOWING IS AN UPDATED ENCORE TIM MOORE BLOG

It happened to Joe Nuxhall on this date in 1944-the youngest player to appear in a Major League Baseball game. Joe was a pitcher-and still in high school when he joined the Cincinnati Reds.

His debut was a bit shaky, giving up five runs on five walks and two hits in an 18-0 loss to St. Louis. The game was played during World War II, where it became common for young people to fill in for the stars, many of whom enlisted in the war effort. There were several players who would never have had a chance, like Pete Gray, a one-armed outfielder who hit .218 and drove in 13 runs.

As for Nuxhall, he didn’t play again for the Reds until 1952 when he was 23 years old. He pitched 15 seasons in the majors and then joined the radio world broadcasting Reds games with Marty Brenneman. Called the “most beloved Reds fan”, Nuxhall became synonymous with the club that afforded his long career.

Below is a short video produced after his death-embedding was disabled by request, but you can click the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1doC09rj_8

Joe Nuxhall was a legend in Cincinnati-and beyond. With most baseball records falling away as the years tick by, this is one that will never be topped. It’s highly unlikely that someone younger than 15 will ever walk onto a major league baseball team.


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