On June 10th, 1944, pitcher Joe Nuxhall of the Cincinnati Reds became the youngest player in major-league history. Nuxhall, only 15 years, ten months old, pitched one-third of an inning in an 18-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. He managed to give up five walks and two hits before manager Bill McKechnie took him out.

I am not sure what you were doing in early June of your 15th year on earth, but I know I was not standing on a Big League mound trying to strike people out. I was still trying to figure out girls and how to drive a car on the busy Townsend, Montana, streets.

In 1944, the Major Leagues were depleted. Most of the Major League stars and prospects were in Europe or the Pacific. Ted Williams was flying planes. A young, prospect name Yogi Berra was training for D-Day. It was the perfect time to see if a young phenom like Nuxhall could face the best “white” players that were available to the Major Leagues.

While the day did not go well for the young Joe Nuxhall, he did eventually make the Major League for good (in 1952 at the age of 23).

In his 16-year career, the left-handed Nuxhall pitched in 526 games. In fact, he holds the Cincinnati Reds record for the most innings pitched by a lefty.

Here are some of his lifetime stats:

• 135 career wins and 19 career saves
• Led the National League in 1955 with 5 Shut-Outs
• Made 2 All-Star Games

Yeah, it was a rocky start for the kid, but in the end he persevered and did quite well for himself.