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MLB legend Bill 'Spaceman' Lee suffers 'a brief health scare' during Triple-A Red Sox game

Bill 'Spaceman' Lee was seen talking and laughing after passing out on a minor league field

WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS: Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Bill "Spaceman" Lee passed out on the field on Thursday, August 31, during pregame rituals prior to a Triple-A game between the Worcester Red Sox and the Norfolk Tides.

According to MassLive, Lee was laughing and conversing in the dugout after walking off by himself, due to what the team called a "health scare."

The Triple-A Red Sox said that medical professionals advised transferring Lee to UMass Memorial Medical Center for assessment. It later stated that he is in stable condition after experiencing "a brief health scare."

Lee was scheduled to throw out the first pitch before the game and sign autographs.

Bill Lee pictured smiling and giving a thumbs-up

The 76-year-old left-hander was reportedly playing catch in the outfield when he placed his hands on his knees and fell backward, per MassLive.

According to the website, Lee was given quick medical assistance by WooSox and then made his own way off the field to the dugout.

Before being transferred to a hospital, Lee sat in the dugout for roughly an inning of the game and appeared to be having fun.

Following the event, the Worcester Red Sox tweeted, "We’re thankful to see this big smile from Bill Lee, who is in stable condition at UMass Memorial after experiencing a brief health scare earlier this evening. All of us in WooSox Nation are thinking of you, Spaceman!"

The team also issued another statement saying, "While he seems to have recovered quickly, doctors have recommended checking him out at a nearby hospital just to be sure. He has experienced such episodes before, and has been fine thereafter."

The WooSox later asserted that Lee’s condition was stable at the hospital.

Bill 'Spaceman' Lee collapsed at Savannah Bananas in 2022

Lee also collapsed on a field in Georgia in 2022 while pitching for the Savannah Bananas, a satirical barnstorming team. He was revived by paramedics using a defibrillator at that game.

A day after the cardiac incident in August 2022, Town of Thunderbolt Administrator Bob Milie told The Associated Press, "Without immediate intervention, I do not believe he’d be here today."

Milie, a firefighter in the Georgian community near Savannah, stated at the time, "He wasn’t breathing. It was very, very dire."

Manager of the Bananas, Eric Byrnes shared a photo on Twitter showing Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame Lee and himself at Memorial Health University Medical Center.

Why was Bill Lee called 'Spaceman'?

Lee was seen as positively certifiable in baseball despite the fact that he would have been atypical in almost any other subject he chose to follow.

He gained a reputation as an oddball in the stuffy baseball world due to his often bizarre remarks and unusual behavior.

He was also given the title of "Spaceman," which he never completely accepted because he always placed Mother Earth first. However, Lee's track record speaks for itself and puts him alongside some of the greatest Red Sox pitchers in history.

Bill Lee played for several professional and semi-pro teams

Lee had a record of 119–90 in 14 seasons (1969–1982) with Boston and Montreal, and he was selected to the 1973 AL All-Star team.

He pitched the Red Sox into the 1975 World Series and began Game 7 against Cincinnati, which Boston lost 4-3 after having a 3-2 lead in the seventh inning.

Lee was one of the unusual baseball players whose charisma off the field eclipsed his outstanding on-field accomplishments.

After his time in the major leagues, he played for several professional and semi-pro teams.

He became the oldest pitcher to ever win or play in a professional game in 2010 at the age of 63 while pitching for the Brockton Rox of the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball.