79-year-old Joe Nuxhall lost his fight with cancer last night. The beloved broadcaster and former pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds had been undergoing chemotherapy since October and was admitted to Mercy Fairfield Hospital on Monday for shortness of breath and a low pulse rate. 

“The Ol’ Left-Hander,” became a radio voice for the Reds in 1967, retiring in 2004 but managed to work a few games while in retirement over the past 3 years. In 1992, Nuxhall underwent surgery for prostate cancer. Last February as Joe prepared for the Reds’ spring training the cancer returned. Yet the determined broadcaster showed his love for his Reds by calling some of the games last season with a leg painfully swollen by tumors. 

Joe Nuxhall became the youngest player to ever play in the Major League when he stepped onto the mound in a Reds’ uniform at the age of 15. After two outs against St. Louis the young pitcher lost his composure and was not able to come up with another out. The Reds sent him to the minors. It would be eight years before Nuxhall would resume his pitching career for the Reds; a career that would eventually send him into the Hall of Fame.

Cincinnati will truely miss him as will the entire baseball world. The Ol Left-Hander has rounded third and is certainly headed for home. We love you Joe.