DUFFY LEWIS, 1915 SERIES STAR, NOW STEALS SHOW AS "SEC"
"Wherever the Boston Braves are, a thin, bald man of sixty-four follows a busy daily program. He is Duffy Lewis, christened George E., and the club's road secretary. The only one who calls him George is Mel Webb, an octogenarian, dean of Boston's sports writers.
Once a star of the Boston Red Sox' memorable outfield of Speaker-Lewis-Hooper, Duffy, until a year ago, was the only former big leaguer who worked as a road secretary in the majors. The only other one is Dave Keefe, a hurler of more than three decades ago, now with his alma mater, the Philadelphia A's.
Ol' Duffy, a fugitive from the American League, joined the Braves in 1931 as a coach. He also doubled as road secretary until Bob Quinn, then head of the club and father of John, its present general manager, said: 'Duffy, you can't handle both jobs. You either coach or be road secretary.'
Duffy wisely chose the latter. He has been at it ever since.
'I figured that a job as a coach lasted until the manager either quit or was fired,' says Lewis. 'A new manager always brings in his own coaches. The Braves have had four or five new managers since I became traveling secretary.'
Lewis played in three World Series for the Red Sox in 1912-15-16.
'Most guys were satisfied to get into one World Series back in those days,' says Lewis. 'We had great teams, though.
'I particularly remember Joe Wood, who won thirty-four games and lost five in 1912 and got only $7,500. Wood used to say at our pre-game meetings, 'Fellows, get me two runs and that'll be enough for me.' You know, Joe won a lot of times, 1-0 and 2-1.
'Tris Speaker, one of the greatest center fielders of all time, was the highest paid man. He got $9,000. Harry Hooper and I drew $6,000 each. Later, when I played with the Yanks, I got $8,500, the biggest pay of my career.'
Lewis was with the Yanks in 1919-20.
From the time he left the Pacific Coast League back in 1909 to join the Red Sox, Duffy has had the reputation as one of baseball's fashion plates. In his first season with the Red Sox, he wore a velvet vest to training camp. The vest was trimmed with diamond buttons. He has had a fondness for sparklers ever since.
Popular with Red Sox fans, he had a section of his home park named for him, Duffy's cliff, a high area near the left field fence at Fenway Park, Boston.
'I think I'm the only player who ever pinch hit for Babe Ruth,' says Lewis. He is also believed to be the only person who was with the late Bambino when he belted his first big league home run (with the Red Sox, 1915) and his last one (with the Braves, 1935). Babe bowed out with three home runs in one game against Pittsburgh. Duffy was a coach for the Braves at the time.
'I remember the pinch hit for Ruth as though it happened just recently,' says Lewis. 'Babe was pitching that afternoon. I was out of the game with an injured ankle. Bill Carrigan, our manager, said, 'Duff, can you hit for Ruth? A hit'll win for us.' I singled home the winning run.'
A star in the 1915 World Series, Lewis did a stretch in a vaudeville act at $1,000 at week for more than a month on the West Coast.
'I got a lot of publicity out of that Series,' recalled Lewis. 'I made five hits in eight trips against Grover Alexander of the Phillies in two games. I hit .444 in the Series.'
After his big league days, Duffy managed in the Pacific Coast League and in the New England League. His Portland (Me.) used to stop at the finest hotel in Boston.
'I always believed in going first class,' says Duffy.
And he still does.
After Lewis bowed out of baseball, he was doing quite well in the brokerage business. Once he visited the Red Sox spring quarters at Pensacola, Fla. He had seventy-two, that's right, seventy-two suits in his wardrobe. Then came the stock market crash in 1929 and Duffy came back to baseball, as coach with the Braves."
-Sam Levy, condensed from the Milwaukee Journal (Baseball Digest, July 1952)
DUFFY'S PENNANT-WINNING PLAY
"Boston and Detroit were battling nip and tuck for the pennant in 1915. Late in the season, they met in a crucial series. In the first game Oscar Vitt was second with none out. Ty Cobb was at bat.
The situation called for a bunt. Cobb choked his bat with the apparent intention of dumping the ball. Larry Gardner, the Boston third baseman, moved in on the grass. Vitt was off with the pitch, but Cobb, instead of bunting, merely faked a bunt.
Forrest Cady, the Boston catcher, whirled and started to throw to third. He suddenly realized that Gardner had not gone back to the bag and third base was uncovered but he could not stop the throw. The ball passed five feet over Gardner's head into left field and the third base coach waved Vitt home.
Vitt never reached the plate. Duffy Lewis, the left fielder, had moved far in when Cobb came to bat, to back up third base. He grabbed Cady's wild heave on the first hop and fired the ball back to Cady at the plate. Vitt was out by ten feet.
The play cost Detroit the pennant. The Tigers did not fully recover from the effects of it. They finished the season winning 100 games and Boston won 101. Detroit has the distinction of being the only American League club that ever won 100 games in a season and failed to finish first."
-H.G. Salsinger in the Detroit News (Baseball Digest, October 1952)
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