In 1909 the team finished 45–108, and in 1910 they finished 53–100 in 8th place. Despite the unsuccessful season, an interesting story was published about Lake in the Mansfield (Ohio) News on October 4.
After leaving the Red Sox, Lake took over the Boston Beaneaters, nicknamed the Doves, which are now the Atlanta Braves. However, he struggled to bring the same success to the Doves that he had achieved with the Red Sox because the players were not as talented.