On June 10, 1944, Joe Nuxhall made his Major League Baseball debut for the Cincinnati Reds against the St. Louis Cardinals, and the reason that was noteworthy is he was just 15 years and 316 days old, becoming the youngest player in MLB history. It was the height of World War II, and many professional players were serving overseas. Teams scrambled to fill rosters, and with limited opportunity, the Cincinnati Reds took a chance on a tall, left-handed high school pitcher from Hamilton, Ohio.
In the top of the ninth inning, with the Reds trailing 13–0, Nuxhall was called in as a relief pitcher. The nerves were understandable, he faced nine batters, allowing five earned runs on two hits and five walks, recording two outs before being relieved. Nuxhall went back to the minors and didn't return to the majors until 7 years later in 1952. That being normal if he didn’t make his debut at just 15 years old.
From there, he built a solid 16-year pitching career, mostly with the Reds, making 2 all-star teams and winning 135 games. He later became a broadcaster for the team and would be inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame.
Nuxhall would say on his debut:
“I was pitching against seventh-, eighth- and ninth-graders, kids 13 and 14 years old... All of a sudden, I look up and there's Stan Musial and the likes. It was a very scary situation.”
What’s Happening
Panthers beat Oilers 6-1 to take 2-1 series lead.
Murray State becomes 4th 4 seed to make College World Series.
Denzel Clarke makes catch of the year.
This Day In Sports History
1944: Joe Nuxhall becomes youngest player in MLB history at 15 years, 316 days old. (See article)
1972: Hank Aaron hits career home run #649 to pass Willie Mays at 2nd all time.
1974: Mike Schmidt hits ball off PA speaker at Astrodome.
1981: Pete Rose ties Stan Musial for most hits in NL history at 3,630.
Random Stat Of The Day
Chick Reiser and Dennis Johnson hold the record for the most shot attempts in an NBA Finals game without a make. In 1948, Reiser went 0-14 for the Baltimore Bullets against the Philadelphia Warriors, and in 1978, Johnson went 0-14 for the Seattle Supersonics against the Washington Bullets in 38 minutes. Resier would win the title while Johnson did not.