What happened to Bill Lee? Red Sox Hall of Famer's 'health scare' before ceremonial pitch, explored

Former pitcher Bill Lee spent 10 of his 14 MLB seasons tossing for the Boston Red Sox. A former All-Star, fans of that era equate him with the very essence of the 1970s Sox roster.

Since retiring from the league in 1982, Lee was maintained close ties with his former team. However, after a scary incident on Thursday night, many are more concerned for the 76-year-old than ever.

Lee was scheduled to throw out the first pitch at a Triple-A game between the Worcester Red Sox and the Norfolk Tides. Before he could take the mound to deliver the ceremonial throw, he collapsed on the field, leaving many in the stadium shocked and alarmed.

The former Boston Red Sox icon, nicknamed "Spaceman" was transported to UMASS Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. Thankfully, he was revealed to be in stable condition and even released a photo of himself from the hospital bed.

"After Bill Lee had a brief health scare on the field before the WooSox game tonight at Polar Park, the former Red Sox player is in stable condition at UMASS Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. Thumbs up from the Space Man himself" - Tommy Cassell

Unfortunately, this is not a novel incident from Bill Lee. Last summer, he collapsed on a Georgia diamond while performing with the Savannah Bananas, an exhibition stunt team. Lee was unresponsive and had to be resuscitated with a defibrillator.

His best season in Boston came in 1973, when he posted a 2.75 ERA in 38 appearances, while amassing a record of 17-11. In 1975, he went 17-9 with a 3.95 ERA to finish twenty-third in AL MVP voting.

After Lee left the Sox in 1979, he played out the final four years of his career with the Montreal Expos - the precursor to the modern Washington Nationals. At the time of his retirement, Lee had a 119-90 record, a 3.62 ERA, and 713 strikeouts across 1,944 innings of work.

"For your viewing pleasure. 75 year old former Red Sox great Bill Lee puts his beer down and picks up a K:" - Bodog

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Startling Bill Lee moment reminds fans of the mortality of stars

Often times, the stars who take the field for our favorite MLB teams seem invincible. However, after witnessing shocking moments like this, we should all take a moment to realize that even the best of the best are not immune to the challenges of aging.

Hopefully, Bill Lee will be able to recover as soon as he can, to get back out there and continue reminding nostalgic fans of the old days.