Samuel “Lefty” Lesser was born on December 13, 1901 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He began his baseball career as a grade school student at Bloomfield in Halifax where he went on to play amateur baseball in the Outlaw League at the Halifax Commons. A first-rate pitcher, Lesser continued to star in the league at the Wanderers’ Grounds before going on to play in the old Nova Scotia Professional League, at the Exhibition grounds.

Lesser was a hard-throwing, left-handed pitcher who had all the attributes of a major league pitcher, except that he played in Canada. He was not only a great pitcher, but also a slick outfielder and solid hitter as well. Lesser studied and understood every angle of the game of baseball. He was rated as one of the best baseball players of his time with major league potential.