Ex-Red Sox Pitcher Bill Lee Gives Thumbs Up After Collasping At Triple-A Game

Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Bill “Spaceman” Lee collapsed on the field at Triple-A Worcester’s game against the Norfolk Tides at Polar Park on Thursday night.

Lee was scheduled to throw out the first pitch, according to ESPN, when he had what Triple-A Worcester called a “brief health scare.” Lee was taken to nearby UMass Memorial Medical Center and the WooSox shared a positive update on the 76-year-old afterward, including sharing a photo on social media of Lee giving a thumbs up from his hospital bed.

“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 WooSox posted on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter. “All of us in WooSox Nation are thinking of you, Spaceman!”

A similar incident occurred for Lee last August while getting ready to pitch for the Savannah Bananas. Lee collapsed when he was warming up in the bullpen and needed to be resuscitated with a defibrillator, per ESPN.

Lee pitched for the Red Sox for 10 seasons from 1969 to 1977. He made one All-Star team while compiling a 94-68 record over 321 appearances to go along with a 3.64 ERA. He also pitched in Game 7 of the 1975 World Series for the Red Sox against the Cincinnati Reds.

Lee was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2008.