European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 4, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 36 the stars and stripes sports saturday june 4, 1994at 15, Nuxhall grew up in a when he met Musial and cardinals by Mike Bass the sporting news it has been almost 50 years since the Day Joe Nuxhall was sitting on the Bench in Crosley Field figuring he would do nothing More than usual a watch the game from the Cincinnati reds dugout. Nuxhall was 15, signed out of nearby Hamilton Ohio and destined for die minors. But world War ii ravaged major league rosters and though school was in session the reds let Nuxhall suit up for Home games. On this particular saturday june 10, 1944, the St. Louis cardinals were crushing the reds. Cincinnati manager Bill Mckechnie was experimenting with his pitching staff. He started Bill Lohrman recently up from the minors. Two pitchers later with the deficit 70, he gave the Ball to Buck Fausett whom the reds had promoted As a third baseman that year. And then it was Nuxhall a turn. A after the score was 13 to 0,�?� the sporting news reported a Mckechnie took the Blanket off Joe Nuxhall in the it was a baby Blanket. Nobody in the 20th Century had pitched in the major leagues at 15. And you would have to go Back to 1887, to 14-year-old Fred Chapman who pitched five innings in one game for the Philadelphia athletics of the american association to find the youngest big leaguer. A Joe a Mckechnie yelled across the dugout. The kid was spending the Day mesmerized by the offensive show of the eventual world series champions. To this Day Nuxhall does no to know Why he was on the roster. When Mckechnie screamed Nuxhall figured he was talking to somebody else. A Joe a Mckechnie yelled again. This time Nuxhall looked a go warm up a Mckechnie said. So Nuxhall did. He says he was in Shock As he went to the bullpen and that roughly every third pitch got past the bullpen Catcher. A now All of a sudden in a in the Damn game a nut Hall says a scared to what was Nuxhall doing there that he was even discovered by the reds was a Fluke. When Joe was 14, the reds were interested in his father 34-year-old Orville Nuxhall and decided to scout him during a sunday league game on the Hamilton Baufield but Joe was pitching of one of the other Fields that Day too and caught the attention of three scouts. The reds offered Orville a contract to play in Ogden Utah but he had five kids and a Good Job at the Fisher body Plant and said no. They invited Joe to Crosley Field on an off Day to throw for Mckechnie. A i done to know Why but that Day i was throwing the Ball Over the plate with frequency Quot Nuxhall says a i shocked he was offered a $500 Bonus plus $175 per month to sign a contract with Ogden. But Joe had just completed eighth Grade and his dad Wasny to sure that was Best for him. But in february 1944, Nuxhall signed the contract. And in the Spring until school was out Nuxhall joined the reds at Crosley Field for weekend Home games. When school was Over he attended All the Home Joe Nuxhall returned to the majors eight years after his historic debut and won 130 games for the reds. Games boarding the bus in Hamilton for the 20-plus-mile trip to the stadium. Nuxhall Wasny told enough to drive yet he was suddenly old enough to pitch because there he was on the Mound at the old Ballpark with the Terrace and the inclined Outfield and the cardinals at Bat. He could not believe it. Neither could his Mother. A she was ironing and listening to the ballgame when she heard my name a Nuxhall says. A she put Down the Iron and started listening More her son Joe started the ninth by inducing George Fallon to ground out walking Mort Cooper and wild pitching him to second and then retiring Augie Bergamo on a pop Fly. Two outs. Runner on second. One out away from a debut for the Ages. Quot that s when i realized exactly where i was a Nuxhall says. A two weeks prior to that in a pitching to 13-and 14-year-old kids. And All of a sudden there a Mort Cooper pitching Walker Cooper catching Marty Marion at shortstop Stan it was truly the men against a boy and after Nuxhall walked the next Batter Debs Garms it got worse. It was the Man against the boy. As in Stan the Man. A i was nervous scared everything else a Nuxhall says. A i can see the pitch right to this Day. He a up there like its a 1-0 game and in a a Needle threader. The first pitch i threw he hit a rocket to right Field for a base hit. It was always interesting to me that he would be that solid in there with the score like that and a Young kid out there not having any idea where in the hell he would throw the Musial shit his third of the Day scored Mort Cooper and unravelled Nuxhall who followed that by walking Ray Sanders Walker Cooper and Danny Litwhiler to Force in two More runs. When Emil Verban singled Home the fourth and fifth runs of the inning Mckechnie removed Nuxhall with the score the Way it would end that Day 18-0. The kid was t Down on himself. At 15, just being in the game left him shocked. And his friends were pretty impressed to have a buddy who pitched for the reds. The two thirds of an inning were All Nuxhall pitched for the reds that season. Two Days later he was on a train to Birmingham Ala. U would be eight years by fore he made it Back to the reds. A one of the things that a always been in the Back of my mind is what might have happened had i gotten three outs with just the one walk a Nuxhall says. 1 was o-and-2 on the Guy i walked. Because of the times the War and their looking for any Talent they could find if 1 had gotten him out would 1 have been on my Way to Alabama that monday it s a question that la never be at Birmingham there was a special promotion to Herald the minor Teague debut of the major leagues youngest Pitcher. But when the publicity came out the local Board of education called to see if Nuxhall had a work permit. He did no to. So he had to get the permit before he could pitch. When he got to the Mound it was another memorable experience. This time he made it one third of an inning and gave up six runs. It was his final professional Outing that so the first year i played i pitched a total of one inning gave up 11 runs a All earned a 10 walks three hits two wild pitches with one strikeout a Nuxhall says. A a in a sure fans figured that a the. Last we be seen of that it Wasny to. The eight years Between major league appearances were not always smooth. Because he had played professionally his High school eligibility was revoked and he had to sit through basketball and foot Ball games at Hamilton High without being Able to , in his senior season he stayed out of pro Ball and gained a special exemption from the Ohio High school athletic Board. But after High school he returned to professional baseball. In time Nuxhall Learned to be a Pitcher. The Day he made history All he had was a fastball. He returned to win 130 games for the reds and still ranks in the clubs top five in games 484innings 2,171 and strikeouts 1,289. Now affectionately known As a the 01�?T left handers in his Job As broadcaster for the reds Nuxhall is regularly asked to recount the Story of the Day he became the youngest player this Century. He always tells it like he is telling the Story for the first time. A a it a a record. Its in the guinness Book of world records. Sure in a proud of it. Its Nice to be Able to talk about something like that. Id rather it be five straight 20-win seasons or something like that but it in t. A but its always a Good conversation streaks underscore How thin the by in a tar Pascarelli the sporting news for bolter or worse the 1994 baseball season will surely be viewed by the sports historians As one of the games most significant years. Several stars arc producing huge offensive seasons pitching has never been worse the first year of wild cards is Ere a Ting unique Pennant races and labor problems could inflict unprecedented damage. Meanwhile a new phenomenon seems to be developing. Rarely have teams produced so Many streaks a both bad and Good a of significant length. There have been double Fig analysis ure winning streaks and losing streaks including the Brewers recently ended 14-game skid. Such Streak Ness has been growing in recent years and the biggest Factor seems to be the declining Quality of big Teague pitching. A so few clubs a Atlanta the White sox Montreal a have a lot of solid pitching a Detroit Tiger manager Sparky Anderson says. A that Means that few clubs have the kind of pitching that you can rely on to go out and consistently end a losing Streak for you. A and the other Side of it is if you get a decent stretch of starting pitching you can put together a winning another Factor in the widespread Streak Ness is timing because so Many teams Are at the same mediocre Talent level a key injury slump or hot Streak can make a big difference a a it a never been truer than now to say that what matters is not who you play but when you play them a save Minnesota i win general May lager Andy Macphail whose club was hammered Early in the season by Oakland Only to revive itself against the Yankees orioles and red sox. 1 a a keyed 0ajdand Early Mark Mcgwire and Rickey Hender is son were healthy and they got some Well pitched games. Our starting pitching struggled and we were off to a bad Start. A then we caught the Yankees at the end of one of their winning streaks and we beat them a couple of times. We caught the red sox at the Back end of their pitching rotation. A what it All Means is a Tot of ups and Downs. And it Means that clubs Are probably neither As Good or As bad As some of these streaks might so done to get too excited when your club runs off a Long winning Streak. And done to get too depressed when it loses 10 games m a Row its just a part of the weird 1994 season. .
