It isn’t often that the team bat boy becomes a Softball Hall of Famer. Unless of course you are Al (The Horse) Lewis, who served as the bat boy for the renowned Raybestos Cardinals from 12-17. While Lewis took care of the bats, Hall of Fame pitcher Johnny Spring taught Lewis the finer points of pitching. Lewis idolized Spring. Spring’s instruction paid off as Lewis eventually pitched his way into the ASA National Softball Hall of Fame. Four times Lewis earned All-America honors and in 1976 was MVP of the men’s fast pitch national championship after hurling the Cardinals to the title. Lewis won all five games and allowed only one run in 37 innings to finish with an ERA of 0.19. In 12 ASA national championships, Lewis compiled a 20-11 record and was a member of five national championship teams. He had a 1-0 record in the 1984 ISF World Championship as the Cardinals represented the USA and won a bronze medal. In 1979, Lewis was one of the four pitchers on the USA Pan Am Team. He finished his career with a record of 325 wins and only 91 losses. Lewis was a battler right to the end of his career when he lost a two and a half year battle with cancer May 23, 1994. He was born September 20, 1944.
