FITZGERALD, Ga. (WALB) - Joe Reliford, a Fitzgerald native, made history in 1952 when he became the youngest person ever to play in a professional baseball game at just 12 years old. Reliford passed away in 2022, but his family recently reflected on his lasting impact on the game.

Reliford was a batboy for the Fitzgerald Pioneers when the team faced the Statesboro Pirates. As the Pioneers fell behind 13-0, the crowd started chanting to put in the batboy. Fitzgerald manager Charlie Ridgeway did exactly that.

“He’s always been outgoing. You know, he’s played all kinds of sports, you know, in junior high school, high school, college. You know, he’s always been an outgoing one, so I couldn’t imagine how he felt the nerves that he felt—even trying to play as a 12-year-old,” said Jeannie Reliford, his daughter.

Despite the time period, the team embraced Reliford, according to his wife Gwendolyn Reliford.

“For one thing, it’s good to know you got good people,” Gwendolyn Reliford said. “I don’t care who you are... He was never mistreated, and being the youngest and only Black [person].”

Gwendolyn Reliford added that even before Jackie Robinson became famous, people were kind to Joe Reliford.

“In spite of what we hear about the racists, you still have people who were human, and they took care of him,” she said.

While Joe Reliford did not record a hit in his single plate appearance, he did record an out in right field. This made him not only the youngest athlete to ever play in a professional game, but also the first Black player to officially play with white athletes in the state of Georgia.

“I am so proud to know that my father made history. It’s great to know that he has a legacy. And we’re going to make sure, you know, that we keep it going. That’s empowering. That’s really exciting... to know that it can’t ever be broken,” said Jeannie Reliford.

Today, Joe Reliford’s accomplishments live on in local museums and in the Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Let us know. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on Facebook and X (Twitter). For more South Georgia news, download the WALB News app from the Apple Store or Google Play.

Copyright 2026 WALB. All rights reserved.