The “Pitching Parson” goes from Braves to Red Sox (Americans)
Ted Lewis was an original with the 1901 Boston Americans. Lewis had pulled up his pitching stakes and drifted over about a one-half mile from the Boston Braves. Pilfering was in full bloom for the upstate American League, and several other Braves made the trek.
Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) has an excellent book for Red Sox fans: “New Century, New Team: The 1901 Boston Americans”. This well-researched book details Lewis and other members of the original Red Sox. That concludes the advertisement and now back to Lewis.
Lewis was a remarkable person, not for baseball but his post-baseball career. Lewis retired after just one season with the Americans to teach at Columbia University. He eventually rode the academic ladder to the top, becoming president of the University of New Hampshire in 1927.
The “Pitching Professor” twice won 20 games for the Braves before transferring to the new league. Lewis went 16-17 with a 3.53 ERA for manager Jimmy Collins and another former Brave with the Americans. Cy Young was also a teammate who won 33 games for the second-place Americans. That was it for Lewis who was also a minister. At 28-years-old his next career started.