June 10, 1944 – The youngest player in MLB history makes his debut. Relief pitcher Joe Nuxhall at 15 years, 316 days, took the mound for the Cincinnati Reds. The current rules for Major League Baseball require athletes to be at least 18 years of age, but back then there was no such rule.
Nuxhall stood 6 foot-2 inches tall when in the ninth grade in Hamilton, Ohio. On the hill, he was a left-hander with a hard fastball but didn’t have the best placement of pitches. His father Orville Nuxhall was playing minor league ball and in 1943, the father-son tandem was playing together.
The Reds organization was trying to sign Orville to a contract but he declined on the account of having five kids at home. The scouts then became interested in Joe, who was only 14 at the time. Joe Nuxall would become an All-Star and later a radio broadcaster of MLB games.
To find more great daily sports history make sure to check out the Sports Jersey Dispatch and Pigskin Dispatch.
More From Sports History Network
The Irish Premier Division: A Century of Soccer Evolution
The League of Ireland Premier Division stands as the pinnacle of domestic soccer in
Betting on Week 10: Why Eagles vs Packers Could Define NFC Playoff Picture
As NFL Week 10 unfolds, few matchups capture the playoff stakes and storylines like
Exploring the Career of Hall of Fame Offensive Guard Larry Little
As many of you may know, I recently wrote a book about Miami Dolphins
Some of the Most Iconic Soccer Rivalries and the Stories Behind Them
Soccer is more than a game. It’s passion, pride, and pure obsession. Across the
“Dem Bums” No More: The Story of the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers
From 1939 to 1954, the Brooklyn Dodgers had only one losing season and won
From Card Tables to Championships: The Lasting Influence of Casinos on Sports History
Casinos have been complex and fascinating actors in sports culture history. From sponsoring high-profile
How Sports Venues Inspired Modern Restaurant Furniture Throughout History
Not many people are aware of the close connection between the design of modern
The Digital Spectator: How Global Broadcast Technology Transformed Indigenous Sports into World-Class Commodities
The 1964 Tokyo Olympics changed Judo, but not because of medals. The Olympics were