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Joseph Henry Nuxhall
Cincinnati Reds
Pitcher
Born: July 30, 1928, Hamilton, OH
Signed: Signed by the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent before 1944 season
Major League Teams: Cincinnati Reds 1944, 1952-1960; Kansas City Athletics 1961; Los Angeles Angels 1962; Cincinnati Reds 1962-1966
Died: November 15, 2007, Fairfield, OH (age 79)
With a shortage of players due to World War II, Joe Nuxhall made his big league debut on June 10, 1944, pitching two-thirds of an inning for the Reds, a few months shy of his 16th birthday. He's the youngest player ever to appear in the majors. Nuxhall would pitch in the minor leagues for the next several years, making it back to the Reds in 1952. He was an All-Star with the club in 1955 and 1956, winning a career-high 17 games in 1955 while leading the league with five shutouts. Nicknamed "Ol' Lefthander," Nuxhall spent all but two seasons of his 16 years in the majors with the Reds. He enjoyed a late career resurgence in 1963, going 15-8 with a 2.61 ERA in 35 appearances. Nuxhall retired owning the record for most games pitched for the Reds with 484, and although he was passed later by Pedro Borbon, Scott Sullivan and Clay Carroll, he still holds the mark for most games pitched by a left-handed pitcher in franchise history. Nuxhall was 135-117 lifetime with a 3.90 ERA in 526 games pitched. He struck out 1,372 overall and 1,289 with the Reds, which is currently third on their all-time list.
Nuxhall joined the Reds' broadcasting booth in 1967 and retired on October 3, 2004, 60 years following his pitching debut. He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1968, and he's the subject of one of eight statutes surrounding the Reds' current home, Great American Ball Park.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set
Summer of 1983 or 1984 in Millville, NJ - Card #26
This was one of the Original 44, and I re-told the story of how my Dad and I started collecting this set with the Early Wynn (#187) post, back in January. Seven of the Original 44 came from series one, with 11 coming from series two, and this Nuxhall card is the eighth of 16 from series three.
This was one of the Original 44, and I re-told the story of how my Dad and I started collecting this set with the Early Wynn (#187) post, back in January. Seven of the Original 44 came from series one, with 11 coming from series two, and this Nuxhall card is the eighth of 16 from series three.
The Card / Redlegs Team Set
There's a big uncorrected error front and center on this card, as Topps misspelled Nuxhall's first name on the front. The name is spelled correctly on the back. This is Nuxhall's first appearance in a Topps set since 1953, and the action pose shows a clear shot of his uniform number with the Reds - #39. The cartoon panels on the back highlight his successful 1955 season, his dominant slider and his major league debut at 15 years old.
1956 Season
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First Mainstream Card: 1952 Topps #406
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13): 1952-1953, 1956-1961, 1963-1967
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2001 SP Legendary Cuts Game Jersey #J-JN
84 - Nuxhall non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/12/22.
Sources:
1965 Topps Blog
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