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 still stands more than 80 years later.

The Reds were losing 13-0. The game was already decided. McKechnie had signed Nuxhall earlier that year because the war had drained rosters of grown men. Players across both leagues had enlisted or been 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.

He was terrified. Nuxhall later recalled that his legs were shaking so badly he could barely walk to the mound. He retired the first batter he faced, getting a ground ball for an out. Then everything fell apart. He walked five batters, gave up two singles, and allowed five earned runs before McKechnie mercifully pulled him. His final line for the day 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 did not return to the major leagues until 1952, eight years later, when he was 23 years old and had spent several seasons developing in the minor leagues.

The second act of his career was far more successful. Nuxhall won 135 games over fifteen major league seasons, all but two with the Reds. He 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, he spent 36 years as the Reds' radio broadcaster, becoming one of the most beloved voices in Cincinnati sports history.

His signature sign-off on every broadcast was, "This is the ol' left-hander, rounding third and heading for home." Nuxhall died on November 15, 2007. He was 79. Somewhere in the record books, he is still 15.