There have definitely been characters in Major League Baseball…..Pitcher Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd of the Red Sox…..who had more in your face antics on the mound than you could shake a stick at….then there was Detroit Tiger Pitcher Mark “The Bird” Fidrych…who talked to his balls before he threw a pitch….and if one talked back to him….he’d ask the umpire for another ball….and back in the day….there was OF Jimmy Piersall of the Cleveland Indians….who would pull out a water pistol and rag to clean off home plate so the umpire had a clear perspective……and then there was Bill “Spaceman” Lee of the Boston Red Sow (if you didn’t notice…that is two Red Sox in this list of characters….as I think it was in the water)…for if there ever was a nickname that fit a players personality….it was Spaceman….as this video is evidence of the moniker.
.William Francis Lee III (born December 28, 1946), nicknamed “Spaceman”, is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher….who played for the Boston Red Sox from 1969 – 1978…. and the Montreal Expos from 1979 – 1982. On November 7, 2008, Lee was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame as the team’s record-holder for most games pitched by a left-hander (321)….and the third-highest win total (94) by a Red Sox southpaw. On August 23, 2012, Lee signed a contract to play with the San Rafael Pacifics of the independent North American League at age 65.
In addition to his baseball experience, Lee is known for his counter-culture behavior….his antics both on and off the field,…and his use of the Leephus pitch….a personalized variation of the eephus pitch.
