Buddy Lewis
Back in the 1940s, major baseball players contributed heavily to the effort by the United States during World War II.
Many star players were heroes on and off the field. One of the first players to join the armed forces was Buddy Lewis of the Washington Senators after the 1941 season. He was in the air corps and missed three complete seasons from 1942 to 1944 and part of 1945.
According to his obituary in the Gaston Gazette in North Carolina from February of 2011, Captain John Kelly “Buddy” Lewis had over 300 flights in the South Pacific.
Near the end of his service, Lewis was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on Dec. 28, 1944.
In the Big Leagues at 18
Lewis played during 11 seasons with the Senators from 1935 to 1941, 1945 to 1947 and 1949. Making his debut at 18, he had a lifetime batting average of .297 with 71 homers and 607 RBI.
Late in his second year, Lewis tagged New York Yankee pitcher Red Ruffing twice in the same game for homers as the Senators won 6-1 at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 20, 1936.
In 1938, Lewis was the starting third baseman for the American League in the All-Star Game in Cincinnati. In the third inning, Lewis flew out in his only plate appearance against Cincinnati Reds hurler Johnny Vander Meer. In the fifth, he would be replaced by New York’s Lou Gehrig.
One of his best seasons was in 1939 when he hit .319 and topped the AL with 16 triples. During that season, he hit the only walk-off homer of his career during the first game of a twinbill in Griffith Stadium on July 2. With the Senators trailing the Philadelphia A’s 3-2 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Lewis stroked his winning two-run shot off Bill Beckmann to give the Senators a 4-3 win.
On July 27, 1945, Lewis appeared in his first contest since being discharged.
Although it wasn’t a walk-off homer, Lewis hit a game-winner in the opener of a doubleheader on July 29, 1946. In the top of the 10th inning, Lewis connected for a solo shot off Joe Berry as the Senators posted a 2-1 win in Cleveland.
By 1947, Lewis returned to the All-Star Game for the second time. He was the starting right fielder along side Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees and Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox. He was hitless in two chances in the AL 2-1 win at Wrigley Field before giving way to Luke Appling of the Chicago White Sox.
In his final season of 1949, Lewis batted .245 with three homers and 28 RBI. He did manage to have the spotlight shine on him late in the year. On Aug. 17, he nearly hit for the cycle with a double, triple and homer in a 4-3 loss on the road to the Yankees.