Today marks the 75th anniversary of Joe Nuxhall making his Major League debut. The Ol’ Lefthander took the mound on June 10th, 1944 against the St. Louis Cardinals at the age of 15-years and 316 days. That set the record for youngest Major League player since the start of the 20th century. And it’s a record that still stands. It likely always will since the rules forbid teams from even signing players before they turn 16.
The times weren’t great, and because World War II was going on, many adult males were around the world fighting. That left many teams short-handed.