Who's the youngest player ever?

As many people know, Joe Nuxall was 15 when he pitched two-thirds of an inning in the big leagues in 1944, becoming the youngest player to play big league ball. He walked 5 of 9 in an 18-0 loss against the Cardinals. It took him eight years to make it back to the majors.

But he's not the youngest pro ever. That honor goes to Joe Louis Reliford, a 12-year-old Fitzgerald Pioneers batboy in the Class D Georgia State League in 1952. On July 19th, he played the one inning of a 13-0 blowout - hitting the ball hard for an out in one at bat and making two stellar defensive plays in the outfield.

One more note, that league was still segregated in 1952 and Reliford is black. So he's not only the youngest pro ballplayer, he's an integration pioneer.

Reliford's story was printed in newspapers around the country, but it cost him his job. His player-manager was fined $50, fired as skipper and suspended. The umpire who allowed Reliford's appearance was also fired. Joe Reliford never played in another pro game.

Blackathlete.net has a great story on Reliford, one of many.

You could look it up!