SAVANNAH, Ga. — Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Bill Lee collapsed from a “cardiac episode” while warming up during an exhibition game Friday night in Savannah, Georgia, authorities said.
Lee, 75, nicknamed “Spaceman” for his eccentric antics during his 14-year MLB career, was warming up in the right-field bullpen for the Savannah Bananas when he collapsed during the fourth inning and was helped off the field, ESPN reported.
The left-handed pitcher received medical attention from firefighters, police officers and a paramedic who was attending the game and seated near the bullpen at Grayson Stadium, the Savannah Morning News reported. After lying on the ground for several minutes, Lee stood up and walked off the field. He was taken by ambulance to an area hospital, according to the newspaper.
There was no word on his condition, according to ESPN. The game was televised nationally on ESPN2.
“I would say without immediate intervention, that person would not be alive right now,” Bob Millie, an administrator for the town of Thunderbolt, told the Morning News. “He had a cardiac episode that stopped his breathing. That only ends one way normally, but their direct involvement saved his life.”
Lee, a member of the Red Sox Hall of Fame, pitched for the Savannah Bananas Premier Team for a series of home and road games last spring, according to the newspaper. He returned to Savannah for the weekend for two home games, the Morning News reported.
The Bananas are a popular club known for its bright yellow uniforms and entertaining antics on and off the field, according to The Associated Press.
“Originally we thought it was part of the show,” Heather Fain, a paramedic who was at the game, told the Morning News. “Once we realized it wasn’t, we went down there to help.”
In 14 seasons with Boston and Montreal, Lee went 119-90, according to Baseball-Reference.com. He was an all-star in 1973 and won 17 games in three consecutive seasons from 1973 to 1975. He pitched the Red Sox into the World Series in 1975.
Lee has authored several books, including “The Wrong Stuff,” “Have Glove, Will Travel” and “The Little Red (Sox) Book: A Revisionist Red Sox History.”
He also was the subject of a 1980 song by musician Warren Zevon, titled, “Bill Lee.”