A native of Chester, he was a Little League star with a district championship team at Chester East and pitched the Chester Teener League all-stars to the state championship. He was voted outstanding player in an American Legion All-Star Game at Connie Mack Stadium and pitched in the Delco Baseball League during his sophomore, junior and senior seasons of high school. At Chester High, he had an 18-4 pitching record in three varsity seasons and led the Clippers to the Section One title as a senior. From Little League through high school, he pitched 20 no-hitters, six of which were perfect games. He pitched no-hitters in three straight games as a Chester High junior, striking out 56 batters and walking only two. Following graduation from Chester High in June 1961, he signed a $125,000 bonus contract with the Kansas City Athletics (his father, Lew Sr., had pitched for the Philadelphia Athletics). A week later, 18-year-old Lew pitched against the Los Angeles Angels in Kansas City and threw a three-hit shutout with six strikeouts. He played professionally for 12 seasons, pitching for Kansas City, the Oakland Athletics, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Boston Red Sox, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves.