Former Boston Red Sox All-Star Bill Lee suffered a “health scare” before the club’s Triple-A affiliate’s game Thursday.
According to Mass Live, Lee, 76, appeared at the Worcester Red Sox game for “Throwback Thursday.” He was slated to throw out the first pitch and sign autographs. But before the game, he collapsed on the field while playing catch. Medical personnel and training staff tended to him on the field.
Although Lee recovered and walked back to the dugout, he was transported to UMass Memorial Hospital for observation.
The team quickly tweeted an update on his condition, showing a smiling Lee, with EKG patches, hospital gown and all, smiling and flashing a thumbs up.
“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,” the tweet read. “All of us in WooSox Nation are thinking of you, Spaceman!”
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! pic.twitter.com/a8bsAkzmz0
— Worcester Red Sox (@WooSox) September 1, 2023
According to Mass Live, Lee suffered a similar scare last year, when he collapsed at a Savannah Bananas minor league game. A first responder classified that incident as a “cardiac episode.”
Lee earned the nickname “Spaceman” for his zany antics, but the left-hander was one of the best pitchers in Red Sox history. He won 94 games in Boston between 1969 and 1978. He won 17 games for the 1975 Red Sox team that lost to the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series.
