Best in the 'burg
By Frank Jolley, Guest Columnist
Aug. 23, 2024
Leesburg is home to the top franchise in the Florida Collegiate Summer League.
Five league titles in 18 years makes a suitable calling card for that boast.
But that doesn't mean the Lakefront City's love affair with baseball began in 2007 with the birth of the Leesburg Lightning.
To the contrary.
Leesburg's flame for the national pastime was sparked more than a century ago when the Philadelphia Phillies established its spring training home at now defunct Cooke Field. However, the budding romance between city and sport took a hit when the Phillies departed in the mid-1920s, and the devastating impact of the Great Depression left the entire country reeling for much of the 1930s.
In 1935, that ardor was ignited anew when construction began on The Ballpark at Venetian Gardens -- the original name for Pat Thomas Stadium-Buddy Lowe Field. The facility, considered among the state's legendary stadia, still stands on its original, though no longer on an island as when its gates first opened.
The Ballpark served as the spring training home in 1937 for the Rochester Red Wings, an affiliate of the Gashouse Gang-era St. Louis Cardinals, and later was the longtime spring headquarters for the Phillies' minor league affiliates -- a marriage that lasted more than 20 years.
But Leesburg was never content as solely a temporary home for organizations looking to escape the chill of winter. The city quickly established its own baseball legacy as a longstanding member of the Florida State League (FSL).
For 21 nonconsecutive seasons -- beginning in 1937 and running through 1968 -- Leesburg played 2,859 regular-season games in the FSL. Wearing a melting pot of monikers -- Gondoliers, Anglers, Pirates, Dodgers, Packers, Lakers, Braves, Orioles and Athletics -- Leesburg's teams posted a won-loss record of 1,288-1,571.
That sub-.500 record might seem a trifle deceptive; Leesburg's FSL entries produced its share of memorable moments, including two league championships.
In 1938, the Gondoliers sported the FSL's best regular-season record -- 87-52 -- and appeared destined for their first championship. However, Gainesville ruined that party when the G-Men knocked off Leesburg in the title series.
Three years later, the Anglers finished off the 1941 season in pedestrian-like fashion with a 63-66 record, good for fourth place, a distant 21 1/2 games behind league leading St. Augustine. But in the postseason, Leesburg evolved into an incarnation of the 1927 New York Yankees, knocking off St. Augustine in the semifinals and overpowering DeLand for the city's first league title.
A quarter of a century later -- 1966 -- Leesburg, then the Single-A affiliate of the Kansas City Athletics, fashioned the circuit's second-best regular-season ledger and earned its first postseason appearance since 1941. As was the case way back when, Leesburg played postseason spoiler once again, stunning St. Petersburg in a best-of-five series to claim a second championship.
But it's not just team accomplishments that fill Leesburg's proverbial trophy case. There were also multiple individual high-water marks, including pitchers with 20-win seasons and myriad offensive heroics in the batter's box and on the basepaths.
So which players accrued numbers -- statistics -- deemed most noteworthy?
That's for you to decide.
Beauty, after all, is in the eye of the beholder.
To qualify as "best in the 'burg," hitters had to average at least 1.5 at bats per game played by Leesburg for the season in question to qualify. Likewise, the baseline for pitchers was .67 innings pitched -- 2/3 of an inning -- for each game played by Leesburg.
For example, to be considered, fictional Player A would need at least 210 at bats if Leesburg played 140 games that season. If Player A was pitcher with the same 140-game season, he would need at least 93.67 innings pitched to be in the running.
This list is by no means intended to be THE LIST. It is admittedly subjective -- my opinion, based solely on my observations and research.
So, without further ado, let's crank up the Wayback Machine -- if you know, you know -- and head back in time to find the "Best in the 'burg."
Allan Lewis, 1966, Leesburg Athletics
It might take a second -- or even a third -- glance to realize why Allan Lewis belongs among Leesburg's baseball elite.
But there is no question he belongs.
Born in Colon, Panama and nicknamed -- fittingly -- the Panamanian Express, Lewis was the table-setter for the city's second FSL championship team. He hit .288 in 1966 and led the FSL with 156 hits and 92 runs scored.
Nice numbers, but Lewis' magic wasn't truly showcased until he reached base.
Simply put, nobody -- NOBODY -- ever stole bases wearing a Leesburg uniform with the level of frequency and success as Lewis. He swiped 116 bases for the Athletics in 1966, a minor league record that stood until 1980, when Alan Wiggins stole 120 bases for Lodi in the California League.
The speedster was a minor league version of Maury Wills, owner of the major league single-season mark at the time -- 104 steals in 1962. Wills' mark was surpassed by Lou Brock (118 steals) in 1974 and Rickey Henderson (130 steals) in 1982.
Lewis spent two seasons in Leesburg -- 1965 as well as 1966 -- gave the hometown fans a portent of things to come when he stole 76 bases in 1965, giving him 192 stolen bases in 245 games. He accomplished that feat in just 224 attempts, a success rate of 86%.
By comparison, Wills boosted 281 bases in 294 attempts during a nine-year stint in the minor leagues, a 96% success rate. Henderson, MLB's all-time leader with 1,406 stolen sacks, spent six seasons in the minors and swiped 251 bases in 318 attempts, a 79% success rate.
Lewis reached the major leagues in 1967 with Kansas City and settled with Oakland after the Athletics moved there in time for the 1968 season. He spent parts of five years in the Bay Area -- the exception being 1971, when he played the entire season in Birmingham, the Athletics' Double-A affiliate -- before retiring after the 1973 season.
As a big leaguer, Lewis totaled more stolen bases (41) and runs scored (47) than plate appearances (31). He sported a .207 career batting average and even hit one home run -- something he never managed in 974 at bats with Leesburg.
Lewis achieved every boy's dream in 1972 when he was placed on Oakland's World Series roster when Reggie Jackson tore a hamstring muscle on a successful steal of home in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series against Detroit.
In the days leading up to the World Series, which pitted Oakland against Cincinnati, Lewis spoke with an air of confidence about a potential showdown on the basepaths with Reds Hall-of-Fame catcher Johnny Bench.
"I'm not afraid of Johnny Bench," said Lewis. "He should be afraid of me."
Lewis had opportunities to back up his boasts with pinch-running assignments in Games 1 and 2 and tested the legendary backstop each time. Bench, however, proved equal to the challenge, nailing Lewis at second base each time -- in the ninth inning of Game 1 and the sixth inning of Game 2.
In the grand scheme of things, Lewis might've actually gotten the last laugh. He scored twice, both in crucial situations -- the tying run in the ninth inning of Game 4 and eventual Series-clinching run in Game 7.
Joe Keough, 1967 Leesburg Athletics
Joe Keough missed out on the Athletics championship glory by a season.
He made up for it, however, with fireworks of his own in Leesburg's penultimate professional season.
Keough turned in one of Leesburg's most notable all-around performances in 1967. A second-round choice in the 1965 MLB Amateur Draft -- the 21st overall selection, 15 picks ahead of Johnny Bench -- Keough hit .294 with 18 home runs, 80 RBIs, and 22 stolen bases for the Athletics.
Based on available records, Keough established Leesburg's single-season mark for home runs. He is also the only Leesburg player with at least 15 homers and 20 stolen bases in a season.
Keough's monster season included a .375 on-base percentage and a .475 slugging percentage for an OPS -- on-base percentage plus slugging percentage -- of .850. He totaled 241 bases, a sum nearly 140 ahead of his closest teammates -- Jim Pamlanye and Ed Green finished with 104 total bases apiece.
Not only an offensive threat, Keough showcased his defensive skills in the outfield, evidenced by a .974 fielding percentage. He was tops among Athletics' outfielders with at least 150 putouts and was third on the team behind catchers Orlando Gomez and John Fleischauer, both of whom with .975 fielding percentages.
Despite Keough's sterling play, he couldn't save the Athletics. One year removed from an FSL championship, Leesburg faded to a 64-71 record in 1967, 30 games behind St. Petersburg.
Keough reached "The Show" on Aug. 7, 1968, when the Oakland Athletics called him up from Double-A Birmingham and wasted little time staking his claim to fame. In his first major league at bat, Keough homered off New York Yankees hurler Lindy McDaniel, making him one of 136 players to clear the fences the first time he dug into a big league batter's box.
All told, Keough spent six seasons in the major leagues -- one with Oakland, four with the Kansas City Royals (who selected him in the 1969 expansion draft), and one with Chicago White Sox before retiring following the 1973 season.
A utility player for his first two seasons, Keough cracked Kansas City's starting lineup in 1970 and was off to an All-Star caliber start -- .322 batting average with four homers and 22 RBIs -- when disaster struck in late June. In a game against the California Angels, Keough slid awkwardly into home and suffered a severely broken right leg and dislocated ankle.
The injuries ended Keough's season, and eventually proved career ending.
Keough was back on the field for the 1971 season but was never the same player as before the injury. He was traded to the Chicago White Sox after the 1972 season and played his final game on July 26, 1973, ironically against Kansas City.
Jake Bunch, 1937, Leesburg Gondoliers
Jake Bunch put on quite a show in the Gondoliers' debut season.
A 24-year-old in his second year as a professional -- and first in Leesburg -- Bunch was a workhorse, compiling a 23-10 record and a glittering 1.59 ERA. He appeared in 42 games, including 32 starting assignments, and logged 32 complete games with seven shutouts.
By comparison, there were only 20 complete games thrown last season in all of Major League Baseball.
Bunch allowed just 238 hits in 300 1/3 innings and manufactured a microscopic WHIP -- Walks (89) plus Hits (238) divided by Innings Pitched (300.3) -- of 1.09. He also showed a willingness to pitch inside, dotting 13 batters.
Bunch spent three seasons in Leesburg -- 1937 through 1939 -- and won at least 20 games in each campaign. He fashioned a 23-16 record in 1938 and was 20-8 in 1939,
The Gondoliers enjoyed winning records in each of Bunch's seasons in town, compiling a 230-184 mark and a .556 winning percentage. It marked the only time Leesburg's professional teams managed as many as three consecutive winning seasons.
It took 70 years for that mark to be matched. The Leesburg Lightning fashioned winning campaigns in its first three regular seasons (2007-2009) and matched again in 2011 through 2013.
For the record, the Lightning currently sport a run of seven straight winning seasons (2018-2024).
Bunch pitched four years in the minor leagues -- he never reached the majors -- and retired after the 1939 season with a pedestrian career record of 76-50. With Leesburg, he pitched like Christy Matthewson, compiling a 66-24 record and a 1.67 ERA.
NOTE: Anyone looking to learn more about the Leesburg Lightning and its complete franchise history should refer to the Leesburg Lightning History Book. Updated annually by longtime Lightning statistician John "Stats" Meier, the book contains stats -- including box scores -- from every Lightning game ever played.