Rufus Lewis
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Rufus Lewis was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for the Newark Eagles. Across 43 career appearances, he went 20-14 with a 2.99 ERA and 190 strikeouts. Rufus Lewis was a 2-time All-Star. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 7634.9.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 180 lb
- Died
- 12/17/1999 in Southfield, MI, USA
- Awards
- 2× All-Star
Negro Leagues Career Statistics
Negro Leagues (season totals). Additive Retrosheet-digitized totals for seasons not already in the logs above; they are not summed into the career line. No team/league breakdown is available, and coverage may be partial.
Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | NE | NN2 | 8 | 2 | 14 | 13 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 91.1 | 76 | 20 | 22 | 60 | 1.97 | 3.59 (+45%) | 1727.2 |
| 1947 | NE | NN2 | 8 | 6 | 17 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 111.0 | 116 | 57 | 30 | 81 | 4.62 | 3.97 (-16%) | 3573.6 |
| 1948 | NE | NN2 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 77.1 | 56 | 16 | 30 | 49 | 1.86 | 4.10 (+55%) | 2334.2 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 20 | 14 | 43 | 35 | 23 | 6 | 2 | 279.2 | 248 | 93 | 82 | 190 | 2.99 | — | 7,635 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43 | 100 | 16 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 1 | .180 | .248 | .290 | .538 | 0 |
Career AVG .180 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 31.0% below league average.
Career OBP .248 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 26.1% below league average.
Career SLG .290 vs. league average .371 across their career seasons — 21.9% below league average.
Career OPS .538 vs. league average .707 across their career seasons — 23.9% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | NE | NN2 | 14 | 31 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 1 | .226 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1947 | NE | NN2 | 17 | 42 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | .190 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1948 | NE | NN2 | 12 | 27 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .111 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 43 | 100 | 16 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 1 | .180 | — | — | — | — | 0 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (136 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 36 | 75 | 12 | 15 | 4 | 10 | .200 |
| Away | 32 | 55 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 2 | .182 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 36 | 257.2 | 224 | 35 | 58 | 52 | 1.22 |
| Away | 32 | 194.1 | 173 | 18 | 31 | 76 | 0.83 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949-08-31 | HOE | MEM | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-21 | HOE | NY6 | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-19 | HOE | BLG | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-10 | HOE | KCM | W | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-07 | HOE | KCM | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-07-24 | HOE | LCB | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-07-15 | HOE | IN9 | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-07-10 | HOE | IN9 | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-06-26 | HOE | CAG | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-06-17 | HOE | MEM | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949-08-31 | HOE | MEM | L | 8.0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-21 | HOE | NY6 | SV | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 1949-08-19 | HOE | BLG | L | 8.0 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 1949-08-10 | HOE | KCM | W | 5.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1949-08-07 | HOE | KCM | W | 5.1 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 1949-07-24 | HOE | LCB | L | 7.0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-07-15 | HOE | IN9 | L | 9.0 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-07-10 | HOE | IN9 | L | 9.0 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-06-26 | HOE | CAG | — | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-06-17 | HOE | MEM | L | 9.1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 43 |
Rufus Lewis: the record in brief
Rufus Lewis's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1946 to 1948. Lewis spent the whole of the career shown here with one club, the Newark Eagles. Lewis, a pitcher by primary position, batted and threw right-handed. Lewis is listed at 180 pounds on a 6-foot-0 frame. The birth record reads December 13, 1919, in Johnston Station, MS, USA. The bio records the death on December 17, 1999, in Southfield, MI, USA.
Lewis pitched in 43 games, starting 35, and finished with a 20-14 record and 2.99 ERA. Also on Lewis's record: 190 strikeouts, 23 complete games, and 6 shutouts. That 2.99 ERA compares with a 3.89 league average across the same seasons, 23.0% better. The best win total was 8, in 1946. The strikeout high was 81 in 1947. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 1.86 in 1948, when the league's was 4.10. Pitcher PIV, the site's era-adjusted run-prevention measure, totals 7,634.9 for Lewis's career.
Frequently Asked Questions about Rufus Lewis
- Was Rufus Lewis a pitcher?
- Yes. Rufus Lewis pitched in the major leagues, recording 20 wins and 190 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Rufus Lewis hit?
- Rufus Lewis hit 2 career home runs with 18 hits.
- What teams did Rufus Lewis play for?
- Rufus Lewis played for one team, the Newark Eagles (1946–1948).
- What awards did Rufus Lewis win?
- Rufus Lewis was selected to 2 All-Star Games.
- What were Rufus Lewis's career stats?
- In 43 games, Rufus Lewis went 20-14 with a 2.99 ERA, 190 strikeouts, 279.2 innings pitched, and 2 saves.
- What position did Rufus Lewis play?
- Rufus Lewis played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Rufus Lewis and how much did he weigh?
- Rufus Lewis was listed at 6 feet and 180 pounds.
- What was Rufus Lewis's career ERA?
- Rufus Lewis finished with a 2.99 career ERA, going 20-14 with 190 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Rufus Lewis have?
- Rufus Lewis recorded 190 career strikeouts.
- Is Rufus Lewis in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Rufus Lewis has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did Rufus Lewis make?
- Rufus Lewis was selected to 2 All-Star Games.