The Old Lefthander

The news came in early Thursday morning. Joe Nuxhall died in Fairfield, Ohio at the age of 79.

For many of us in this area it was as though we had lost a close friend. I first became aware of Joe Nuxhall in 1962 when he came back to pitch at Crosley Field for my heroes the Cincinnati Reds. Back in those days, Red's play by play announcer, Waite Hoyt, often referred to Nuxhall as "Hamilton Joe". This was because Nuxhall was born in nearby Hamilton and spent most of his life there in Fairfield just on the outskirts of Cincinnati.

Nuxhall was never a "great" pitcher but he was an absolute favorite for Reds fans. His lifetime won lost record was 135-117 and he had an earned run average of 3.90 with 1372 strike outs. He played for the Reds in 1944, 1952-1960, and 1962-1966. He retired in 1966 after spending 15 of his 16 big league seasons throwing for the Redlegs. (the other year was spent toiling for the Kansas City Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels who traded him back to the Reds). Ironically Joe missed the Reds' pennant winning season of 1961 while he pitched for Bill Veeck in KC.

While not the greatest lefthander ever, Nuxhall firmly entrenched himself in the record books when on June 10, 1944, he became the youngest player ever to pitch in the major leagues. At the age of 15 years and 10 months, Nuxhall faced the great Stan Musial and the St. Louis Cardinals in a rather dubious first outing. What was a 15 year old boy doing pitching in the National League? Well, it was during World War II and many of the major (and minor) league players were doing their military duty. Team rosters were mighty thin and that was what brought the big strong high school student to the mound at Crosley Field.

Even though Joe was a fan favorite as a player, he became even more of a favorite when in 1967 he joined Claude Sullivan and Jim McIntyre as one of the radio voices of the oldest team in professional baseball. That was the beginning of a 28 year career that saw Joe at home with Jim McIntyre, Al Michaels, and Marty Brenamann in the home broadcast booth at Crosley Field, Riverfront Stadium (later called Cynergy Field), and Great American Ballpark.

He is a member of the Reds Hall of Fame and a bronze statue of Joe Nuxhall stands outside the entrance of Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. But more than all that - Joe is the voice that an entire generation associates with the Cincinnati Reds. We've listened as he called routine games, many playoff contests, and even World Series games in 1970, 1972, 1975, 1976, and 1990. He brought the Big Red Machine into our homes, automobiles and workplaces. He spanned generations with great stories of players he had known from the 1940's into the 21st century.

He retired from the broadcast booth a couple of years ago, and it just isn't the same. The voice that has been silenced was that of a friend. It is hard not to shed a tear when you think of his trademark sign off, "This is the Old Lefthander, rounding third and heading for home. Goodnight everyone!"

I guess you've finally made it home. Good night Joe - and thanks for the memories.