Howie Nunn

Howard Ralph Nunn

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 173 lb.

• Debut April 11, 1959
• Final Game June 7, 1962
• Born October 18, 1935 in Westfield, NC USA
• Died February 17, 2012 in Winston-Salem, NC USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Howie Nunn an eighteen-year-old right-hander was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before the 1954 season. Howie was assigned to the Johnson City Cardinals of the Appalachian League and went right to work winning 11 and losing 5 in 31 appearances his first year out. Nunn spent five seasons (1954-58} in the minors, all winning seasons, before anyone discovered he was around.

Howie arrived at Sportsman's Park in 1959 with a minor league record of 69-33 and a 3.50 ERA. He appeared in 16 games for the Cardinals, mostly in relief, went 2-2 and the St. Louis club sold him to the Cincinnati Reds. Howie spent 1960 with the Havana Sugar Kings and the Jersey City Jerseys of the International League, won 12 and lost 6 with a 1.99 ERA and was at Crosley Field in 1961. He worked in 24 games out of the bullpen for the pennant-winning Reds that year, going 2-1 with a 3.58 ERA. The New York Yankees won the 1961 World Series beating Cincinnati four games to one and Howie saw no action in the series.

After six more relief appearances with the Reds in 1962 Howie finished his major league career with a record of 4-3 in 46 relief appearances. Nunn finished out the 1962 season with the Pacific Coast League's San Diego Padres at 5-5 and wound up his pro baseball career in 1963 at age 27 with the Macon Peaches going 8-5 with a 3.30 ERA. Howie's minor league record, just short of fantastic, showed 112 wins with 58 losses and a 3.38 ERA.

Howie was on the 1954 Johnson City Cardinals with his brother, Joe.

After baseball, Howie returned to his hometown of Westfield, NC, where he became the manager of the Triangle Machine Company, a small machine metal shop, until his retirement. He died in 2012 at age 76.

Sources

Baseball Players of the 1950s

Related Sites

• BR Minors page
• Venezuelan League statistics