Stranger Than Fiction: The Youngest Major Leaguer

Imagine what it would feel like to step out on the pitcher’s mound, before a crowd of thousands of fans, and pitch to a major League baseball player who has played the sport for years and has racked up numerous home runs.

Now, imagine how intimidating it would feel if you were only 15-years-old and you had been signed to pitch for a Major League team with hopes of going to the World Series.

Joe Nuxhall was that 15-year-old youth. Years later he reflected on the experience.

“I went from 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.”

Joe was born in Hamilton, Ohio on July 30, 1928. By the time Joe was a teenager, the United States was involved in World War II. Many American baseball players had been sent off to fight in the conflict which left few players behind to keep the game of baseball alive until the war ended.

The absence of the more experienced players left the team rosters very thin. As a result, they had to begin recruiting players who couldn’t fight in the war.

Joe was the biggest player of his class in Hamilton. He stood 6’2 and weighed in at 190 pounds. He was a left hander with a steady fastball but sometimes lacked control of the pitch.

Joe had been playing in a semi-pro league for several years with his father, Orville. The Cincinnati Reds hoped to recruit Orville, but, he was busy raising five children with his wife and didn’t have time for the demands of a busy schedule on the road. So, he turned down the opportunity.

The scouts Reds then recruited Joe who was just 14-years-old at the time. Joe wanted to wait until the following year to make his Major League debut.

On June 10, 1944, 15-year-old Joe got his chance to make a name for himself in baseball history at Crosley Field. The Reds were trailing the St Louis Cardinals in the ninth inning with a score of 13-0.

The crowd went wild and cheered their young pitcher as he strode to the pitcher’s mound. His name, announced over the loudspeaker, echoed through the stadium. If anyone had doubted the young man’s ability, they were about to be convinced he was up to the task.

Thousands of anxious fans cheered as the nervous youth stepped up to the mound to face his first batter, St. Louis short stop, George Fallon. Within moments, Fallon hit the ball which grounded and he was tagged out as he ran to first base.

The crowd roared and Joe became more confident. But, things were about to begin going badly and tested Joe’s ability and his courage.

Joe’s wild pitches proved to be his undoing. He walked the next five batters, allowed two hits and five runs. Joe was relieved by another pitcher and he retired disappointed to the dugout. He realized he had a lot to learn about baseball and pitching. But, Joe was not about to give up.

He was sent to play in the Minor League until he could get his pitching under control. He swore he would one day come back to the Major league.

And come back he did. Joe made his triumphant return to the Major League in 1952. During the next 14 years he pitched 135 victories and struck out 1,372 players, he won the All-Star selection twice.

He retired from baseball in 1966 and began broadcasting as a sportscaster on the radio in 1967. He continued as the voice of the reds until 2007 when he died at the age of 79.

Joe’s debut at the age of 15 gave the youth a taste for baseball and a longing to return. He learned to take disappointment but never to get discouraged. He stands as a role model for other kids who could learn from his desire to never give up on his dreams no matter how hard things get.

Michael Williams is the author of a book entitled “Stranger than Fiction: The Lincoln Curse.” The book is a collection of 50 strange and unusual but true stories. The stories will leave the reader convinced that perhaps Mark Twain was right when he said “truth is stranger than fiction.”

The book is 187 pages in a softbound edition with numerous photos. The book can be purchased from amazon.com for $19.95 plus shipping and handling or you can save shipping cost and save $2 on the purchase price by ordering a signed copy directly from the author. Send $17.95 to P.O. Box 6421 Sevierville, TN. 37864.

Williams has recently written a second book entitled “Great Kids in History.” The book is a collection of 22 stories of amazing kids that have accomplished amazing feats. It is available on amazon.com or on Kindle Direct. You can order a signed copy for your child by sending $8.95 to P.O. Box 6421 Sevierville, TN. 37864.

Both books are available in print or as an e-book. For more information visit the website www.strangerthanfictionnews.com