Joe Nuxhall Pitches at Age 15

On June 10, 1944, Cincinnati Reds manager Bill McKechnie sent 15-year-old left-hander Joe Nuxhall to the mound in the ninth inning of a game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Nuxhall became the youngest player in modern major league history, a record that stood for 80 years.

The Reds were losing 13-0 and the game was already decided. McKechnie signed Nuxhall earlier that year because the war drained rosters of grown men. Players across both leagues enlisted or were drafted, and teams scrambled to fill spots with whoever could hold a glove. Nuxhall was a high school freshman in Hamilton, Ohio, a big kid who threw hard and happened to be available.

Nuxhall later recalled that his legs were shaking so badly he could barely walk to the mound. He retired the first batter he faced on a ground ball. Then everything fell apart. He walked five batters, gave up two singles, and allowed five earned runs before McKechnie pulled him. His final line showed two-thirds of an inning pitched, two hits, five walks, and five runs.

The Reds sent him back to high school the next day. Nuxhall didn't return to the major leagues until 1952, eight years later, after spending several seasons developing in the minors.

Nuxhall won 135 games over fifteen major league seasons, all but two with the Reds, and made two All-Star teams. His best season came in 1955, when he went 17-12 with a 3.47 ERA. After retiring as a player in 1966, he joined the Reds' radio booth and broadcast Cincinnati baseball for 37 years, signing off every night with, "This is the ol' left-hander, rounding third and heading for home." Nuxhall died on November 15, 2007, at 79.