Editing Bill Lee (left-handed pitcher)

{{short description|American baseball player (born 1946)}}
{{other people|William Lee}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2016}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Bill Lee
|image=Bill_Lee_1976.jpg
|caption=Lee in 1976
|position=[[Pitcher]]
|number=37
|bats=Left
|throws=Left
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1946|12|28}}
|birth_place=[[Burbank, California]], U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=June 25
|debutyear=1969
|debutteam=Boston Red Sox
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=May 7
|finalyear=1982
|finalteam=Montreal Expos
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Win–loss record (pitching)|Win–loss record]]
|stat1value=119–90
|stat2label=[[Earned run average]]
|stat2value=3.62
|stat3label=[[Strikeout]]s
|stat3value=713
|teams=
* [[Boston Red Sox]] ({{mlby|1969}}–{{mlby|1978}})
* [[Montreal Expos]] ({{mlby|1979}}–{{mlby|1982}})
|highlights=
* [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1973 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1973]])
* [[Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame]]
}}

'''William Francis Lee III''' (born December 28, 1946), nicknamed "'''Spaceman'''", is an American former professional [[baseball]] [[Handedness#Types|left-handed]] [[pitcher]] who played in [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) for the [[Boston Red Sox]] (1969–1978) and [[Montreal Expos]] (1979–1982). On November 7, 2008, Lee was inducted into the [[Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame|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 by a Red Sox [[Glossary of baseball (S)#southpaw|southpaw]] (94). On August 23, 2012, he signed a contract to play with the [[San Rafael Pacifics]] of the independent [[North American League (baseball)|North American League]], at age 65.

In addition to his statistical baseball accomplishments, Lee is known for his [[counterculture]] behavior, his antics both on and off the [[Baseball field|field]], and his use of the "Leephus pitch", a personalized variation of the [[eephus pitch]].<ref name="baseballreliquary.org">{{cite web | title = Bill Lee Shrine of Eternals | work = www.baseballreliquary.org | url = http://www.baseballreliquary.org/lee.htm | access-date = November 11, 2006 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061116015942/http://www.baseballreliquary.org/lee.htm | archive-date = November 16, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Lee has co-written four books: ''The Wrong Stuff''; ''Have Glove, Will Travel''; ''The Little Red (Sox) Book: A Revisionist Red Sox History''; and ''Baseball Eccentrics: The Most Entertaining, Outrageous, and Unforgettable Characters in the Game''. In 2006, the Brett Rapkin [[documentary film]] ''Spaceman: A Baseball Odyssey'' featured Lee.

==Biography==
Lee was born in [[Burbank, California]],<ref name="ckirkpatrick">[https://web.archive.org/web/20110531095944/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1093969/1/index.htm Kirkpatrick, Curry. "In An Orbit All His Own", ''Sports Illustrated'', August 7, 1978.]</ref> into a family of former semipro and professional [[baseball]] players. His grandfather [[William Lee (baseball)|William Lee]] was an [[infielder]] for the [[Hollywood Stars]] of the [[Pacific Coast League]], and his aunt [[Annabelle Lee]] was a pitcher in the [[All-American Girls Professional Baseball League]]. "She was the best athlete in the family", Lee said. "She taught me how to pitch."<ref>Lee, Bill, and Dick Lally (1984). ''The Wrong Stuff''. New York: Viking Press. {{ISBN|0-670-76724-7}}. pp. 5–6</ref>

Lee attended and played baseball at [[Terra Linda High School]] in [[San Rafael, California]], graduating in 1964 before enrolling at the [[University of Southern California]] (USC). From 1964 to 1968, majoring in physical education and geography, Lee attended USC, where he played for [[Rod Dedeaux]]. Lee was part of the [[1968 USC Trojans baseball team|Trojans team]] that won the [[1968 NCAA University Division baseball tournament|1968 College World Series]]<ref name=jacobin>{{cite web |url=https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/07/baseball-politics-race-integration-unions |title=Out of Left Field |last1=Dreier |first1=Peter|author-link=Peter Dreier |last2=Elias |first2=Robert |date=11 July 2017 |website=[[Jacobin (magazine)|Jacobin]]|access-date=17 July 2017}}</ref> and was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 22nd round of the [[1968 Major League Baseball Draft]].

Lee served in the [[US Army Reserve]] for six years during the [[Vietnam War]]. One of his jobs was to process the dead soldiers from [[New England]] and call the families. He was also a chemical, radiation, and biological officer for the 1173rd and earned Soldier of the Cycle at [[Fort Polk]], [[Louisiana]].<ref name="Ghostarchive">Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/f9ac5PqxrjA Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20190729073140/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9ac5PqxrjA Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9ac5PqxrjA#action=share| title = State of the State | website=[[YouTube]]| date = October 31, 2016 }}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Lee is a [[Rastafari]]an and a former [[Catholic]].<ref name="He Was a Pitcher Nicknamed 'Spaceman.' Now He Wants to Be a Governor"/> He is married to Canadian-born Diana Donovan.<ref name="Bill 'Spaceman' Lee running for governor of Vermont" >{{cite web |url= https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/bill-spaceman-lee-running-for-governor-of-vermont |title=Bill 'Spaceman' Lee running for governor of Vermont |work=[[Montreal Gazette]] |access-date=May 26, 2016}}</ref>

== Major league career ==
Lacking a good [[fastball]], Lee developed off-speed pitches, including a variation of the [[Eephus pitch]]. The Leephus pitch or Space Ball, the names for Lee's take on the eephus pitch, follows a high, arcing [[trajectory]] and is very [[velocity|slow]].

Lee is the last Red Sox player to miss time during the season for his military obligation after being on active duty in the Army Reserve from June 1 to October 1, 1970.<ref name="Bill Ballou: Jeff Sellers' promising career cut short by injury, Lyme disease - No-win situation" >{{cite web
 |url= http://www.telegram.com/article/20160528/SPORTS/160529117
 |title=Bill Ballou: Jeff Sellers' promising career cut short by injury, Lyme disease – No-win situation
 |work=[[Telegram & Gazette]]
 |access-date=May 28, 2016
}}</ref>

Lee was used almost exclusively as a [[relief pitcher]] during the first four years of his career. During that period, Lee appeared in 125 games, starting in nine, and compiled a 19–11 record. In 1973, he was used primarily as a [[starting pitcher]]. He started 33 of the 38 games in which he appeared and went 17–11 with a 2.95 [[Earned run average|Earned Run Average]], and was named to the [[American League]] [[1973 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star team]]. He followed 1973 with two more 17-win seasons.

He started two games in the [[1975 World Series]] against the [[1975 Cincinnati Reds season|Cincinnati Reds]]. He left both the 2nd and 7th games with the lead, although the Red Sox lost both games and the Series. He gave up a two-run home run to Tony Perez on an eephus pitch with a three-run lead in the sixth inning of Game 7.<ref name="baseballbiography.com">{{Cite web| title = Bill Lee Biography | publisher = BaseballLibrary.com | url= http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/L/Lee_Bill107.stm | access-date = November 11, 2006 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061026201927/http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/L/Lee_Bill107.stm| archive-date= October 26, 2006}}</ref>

On May 20 of the 1976 season, Lee started a game against the [[New York Yankees]], pitching six innings, and the Red Sox won 8–2. However, the game is remembered for the final out of the sixth, when [[Lou Piniella]] of the Yankees was tagged out at home by Red Sox catcher [[Carlton Fisk]]. On the play, Piniella ran into Fisk who was blocking home plate. The collision between Piniella and Fisk instigated a fight between the two players resulting in a bench-clearing brawl, during which Lee suffered a torn ligament in his pitching shoulder. Lee missed almost two months of the season and finished with a 5–7 record.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA197605200.shtml|title=Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees Box Score, May 20, 1976}}</ref>

===Later Red Sox career===
During the [[1978 Boston Red Sox season|1978 season]], Lee and Red Sox manager [[Don Zimmer]] engaged in an ongoing public feud over the handling of the pitching staff. Lee's independence and iconoclastic nature clashed with Zimmer's old-school, conservative personality. Lee and a few other Red Sox formed what they called "The Buffalo Heads" as a response to the manager. Zimmer then relegated Lee to the bullpen, and management traded Hall of Famer [[Ferguson Jenkins]] and [[Bernie Carbo]]. Lee threatened to retire after his friend Carbo was traded; he subsequently referred to Zimmer as "the gerbil", which proved to be the last straw.<ref name=jacobin /> Lee briefly left the Red Sox after pitching in a 10–9 win at home over California on June 12 but returned a few days later; however, during the home stretch, when the Red Sox were battling the Yankees for the pennant, Zimmer refused to pitch Lee. The Red Sox lost the pennant in a one-game playoff with the Yankees.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Best |first=Jason |title=October 2, 1978: Bucky Dent’s home run spurs Yankees to division title in AL East tiebreaker – Society for American Baseball Research |url=https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/october-2-1978-bucky-dents-home-run-spurs-yankees-to-division-title-in-al-east-tiebreaker/ |access-date=2025-01-16 |language=en-US}}</ref>



===Montreal Expos===
Lee was traded at the end of 1978 to the Montreal Expos for [[Stan Papi]], a utility infielder. Lee bade farewell to Boston by saying, "Who wants to be with a team that will go down in history alongside the [[1964 Philadelphia Phillies season|'64 Phillies]] and the [[Six-Day War|'67 Arabs?]]" Lee won 16&nbsp;games for the Expos in 1979 while being named ''[[Sporting News|The Sporting News]]'' National League Left Hander of the Year (over Philadelphia's [[Steve Carlton]]). His professional career ended in 1982, when he was released by the Expos after staging a one-game walkout as a protest over [[1982 Montreal Expos season|Montreal's]] decision to release second baseman and friend [[Rodney Scott (baseball)|Rodney Scott]].

==Reputation and controversy==
Lee's personality earned him popularity as well as the nickname "Spaceman", given to him by former Red Sox infielder [[John Kennedy (third baseman)|John Kennedy]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Day |first1=Steve |title=Bill 'Spaceman' Lee entertains Red Sox Nation with stories of baseball years |url=https://www.villages-news.com/2017/01/20/bill-spaceman-lee-entertains-red-sox-nation-stories-baseball-years/ |website=villages-news.com |access-date=7 August 2019}}</ref> His outspoken manner and unfiltered comments were frequently recorded in the press. Lee spoke in defense of [[Maoism|Maoist]] China, population control, [[Greenpeace]],<ref name=jacobin /> and [[Boston desegregation busing crisis|school busing in Boston]],<ref name=jacobin /> among other things. Concerning the last of those issues, he defended [[W. Arthur Garrity Jr.]] by stating that he was "the only guy in this town with any guts."<ref name="ckirkpatrick"/> He berated an umpire for a controversial call in the 1975 World Series, threatening to bite off his ear and encouraging the American people to write letters demanding the game be replayed.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}} When asked about his views on mandatory drug testing, Lee quipped: "I've tried just about all of them, but I wouldn't want to make it mandatory".<ref name=jacobin /> In his 1984 book ''The Wrong Stuff'', he claimed his [[cannabis (drug)|marijuana]] use made him impervious to bus fumes while jogging to work at Fenway Park.<ref>Lee, Bill, and Dick Lally (1984). ''The Wrong Stuff''. New York: Viking Press. {{ISBN|0-670-76724-7}}.</ref> Much of the material in this book is, however, tongue-in-cheek.

His propensity to criticize management led to his being dropped{{citation needed|date=August 2016}} from both the Red Sox and the Expos, and the end of his professional career by 1982.

==Post-professional life==
[[File:Bill "Spaceman" Lee.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Bill in [[Nashua, New Hampshire]] playing for the Oil Can Boyd All Star Team]]
[[File:Bill "Spaceman" Lee with 2012 Boston Marathon runner.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Lee at Fenway Park with a [[2012 Boston Marathon]] runner]]
After the Expos released Lee in May 1982, he played for [[semi-professional]] teams, including the single-season [[Senior Professional Baseball Association]] in [[Florida]], largely composed of retired major leaguers. He played in [[Venezuela]], and starting in 1984 he lived in [[Moncton]], [[New Brunswick]], where he played first base and pitcher for the [[Moncton Mets]], earning $500 per week.<ref>{{cite news|last=Carlson|first=Peter|title=Bill (Spaceman) Lee Takes His Last Star Turn as a Canadian Semipro|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20088477,00.html|access-date=May 22, 2013|newspaper=People|date=August 20, 1984}}</ref> That year, he published his first autobiographical book, ''The Wrong Stuff''.

In 1988, he and his second wife, Pamela, announced plans to move to [[Burlington, Vermont]]. In 1987, he had announced plans to run for [[President of the United States]] for the [[Rhinoceros Party]], which necessitated the move.<ref>{{cite news|last=United Press International|title=Lee Takes Comedy Act on the Road|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-04-10-sp-1715-story.html|access-date=May 22, 2013|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=April 10, 1988}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Longman|first=Jere|title=He'd Want 'Hail To The Chief' On A Kazoo|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1987/06/07/hed-want-hail-to-the-chief-on-a-kazoo/|access-date=May 22, 2013|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=June 7, 1987}}</ref> Since then he has played mostly as a celebrity pitcher in games around the world.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hughson|first=Callum|title=Spaceman: A Cuban Baseball Odyssey|url=http://mopupduty.com/spaceman-a-cuban-baseball-odyssey/|work=Mop Up Duty|date=March 9, 2010|publisher=MopUpDuty.com|access-date=May 22, 2013}}</ref>

Since 1999, Lee has been an ambassador for Major League Baseball to [[Cuba]] helping to bring Cuban players to the US and setting up goodwill tours especially to Canada.<ref name="'Spaceman' Lee Adds Curveball to Field of Governor Hopefuls" >{{cite web |url= https://vtdigger.org/2016/06/01/spaceman-lee-adds-curveball-to-field-of-governor-hopefuls/ |title= 'Spaceman' Lee Adds Curveball to Field of Governor Hopefuls |date= June 2016 |publisher=VTDigger.org |access-date=June 1, 2016}}</ref>

In 2007, Lee joined former major league players [[Oil Can Boyd|Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd]], [[Marquis Grissom]], [[Delino DeShields]], and [[Ken Ryan]] on the Oil Can Boyd's Traveling All-Stars. In June 2008, Lee pitched for the [[Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks|Alaska Goldpanners]] during the annual [[Midnight Sun Game|Midnight Sun]] ball game played at night during the Summer Solstice.<ref name="newsminer">{{Cite news |url=http://newsminer.com/news/2008/jun/28/spacemans-midnight-sun-game-was-one-ages |title=Spaceman's Midnight Sun Game was one for the ages |last=Armstrong |first=Joshua |date=July 28, 2008 |work=Daily News-Miner |access-date=October 13, 2008 }}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In September 2010, Lee pitched {{frac|5|1|3}} innings for the [[Brockton Rox (2002–2024)|Brockton Rox]] (a team that was then a member of the [[Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball]]), picking up the win.<ref>[http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/bill-lee-starts-and-wins-independent-league-game-at-age-63.php Bill Lee starts and wins independent league game at age 63 | HardballTalk<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> At the age of 63, that win made him the oldest pitcher to appear in or to win a professional baseball game.<ref>[http://www.patriotledger.com/sports/pros/x2003707818/Tornadoes-manager-Rich-Gedman-left-impressed-by-Bill-Lee-s-performance Tornadoes manager Rich Gedman left impressed by Bill Lee's performance – News – The Patriot Ledger, Quincy, MA – Quincy, MA<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100912135753/http://www.patriotledger.com/sports/pros/x2003707818/Tornadoes-manager-Rich-Gedman-left-impressed-by-Bill-Lee-s-performance |date=September 12, 2010 }}</ref>

On October 8, 2011, Lee participated in the "100 Innings of Baseball Game" hosted by the Boston Amateur Baseball Network to raise money for [[Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis|ALS]] (Lou Gehrig's Disease). On August 23, 2012, Lee pitched a nine-inning complete game for the San Rafael Pacifics in San Rafael, California, beating the [[Na Koa Ikaika Maui]] 9–4. Using a homemade bat in the fifth inning, he drove in the first run of the game for the Pacifics.<ref name=Marinij>{{cite web|last=Brown|first=Daniel|title=Ex-big leaguer 'Spaceman' Bill Lee earns victory for Pacifics|date=August 24, 2012|url=http://www.marinij.com/sports/ci_21389191/ex-big-leaguer-spaceman-bill-lee-earns-victory|publisher=Bay Area News Group|access-date=August 24, 2012}}</ref> Lee was signed to a one-day contract by Pacifics' President and General Manager Mike Shapiro. Lee's bat and uniform were donated to the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]] following the game as the start gave him the record for the oldest pitcher to make a starting appearance, pitch a complete game and also to earn a win in a professional baseball game. In 2013, Lee played all nine positions in one game for the Pacifics.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://deadspin.com/bill-spaceman-lee-age-66-played-all-nine-positions-1184072204 | title=Bill "Spaceman" Lee, Age 66, Played All Nine Positions Last Night | date=August 22, 2013 }}</ref>

Lee lives in northern [[Vermont]] with his third wife. He is also a regular on ''Melnick in the Afternoon'' with [[Mitch Melnick]] at [[CKGM|TSN 690]] sports radio in [[Montreal]] in a segment called "Answers from Space". In 2007, Lee was featured in ''[[High Times]]'', a counterculture, pro-marijuana magazine. He also makes frequent appearances on ''[[Sports Overnight America]]'', a nationally syndicated radio program hosted by Gerrie Burke (a long-time friend) out of San Francisco.

He is also a regular coach/pro at the annual Red Sox Baseball Fantasy Camp run by the Red Sox Organization in Florida at the team's Spring Training Facility.

Lee was inducted into the [[Baseball Reliquary]]'s [[Baseball Reliquary#Shrine of the Eternals|Shrine of the Eternals]] in 2000.<ref name="BRSOTE Inductees">[http://www.baseballreliquary.org/awards/shrine-of-the-eternals/shrine-of-the-eternals-electees "Shrine of the Eternals – Inductees"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919092503/http://www.baseballreliquary.org/awards/shrine-of-the-eternals/shrine-of-the-eternals-electees |date=September 19, 2020 }}. Baseball Reliquary. Retrieved 2019-08-14.</ref>

In 2009, Lee released his own [[wine]] label, "Spaceman Red" wine, a California [[syrah]], [[Cabernet Sauvignon|cabernet]] and [[petite sirah]] blend, produced with winemaker and longtime friend Geoff Whitman, and distributed in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire.<ref>[http://www.nesn.com/2011/09/bill-lee-speaks-highly-of-terry-franconas-managerial-abilities-says-daniel-bard-needs-to-be-more-agg.html Bill Lee Speaks Highly of Terry Francona's Managerial Abilities, Says Daniel Bard Needs to Be More Aggressive | Boston Red Sox | NESN.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> A large portion of the wine project’s proceeds go to support Inner City Youth Baseball and the Red Sox Scholars programs in New England. In 2022, Spaceman Red will be produced by Whitman in Napa, California. In 2004, he released a beer in partnership with Vermont's [[Magic Hat Brewing Company]]. Called Spaceman Ale, it is no longer in production.

On September 2, 2018, Lee played [[designated hitter]] for the [[Ottawa Champions]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Champions stack roster with former Expos for season's final game |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-champions-montreal-expos-game-1.4806167 |website=cbc.ca |publisher=CBC/Radio Canada |access-date=31 August 2024}}</ref>

Lee has been affiliated with the [[Savannah Bananas]], an independent baseball team that also puts on comedic performances. He has occasionally appeared in games for the team as a relief pitcher. On August 19, 2022 Lee collapsed while warming up in the bullpen for a game and was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34427438/former-major-league-pitcher-bill-lee-collapses-warming-savanah-bananas|title=Former major league pitcher Bill Lee collapses while warming up for Savannah Bananas|publisher=ESPN News Services|date=August 20, 2022|access-date=August 20, 2022|language=en}}</ref>

===''Spaceman: A Baseball Odyssey''===
In 2003, filmmakers [[Brett Rapkin]] and [[Josh Dixon]] joined Lee on a barnstorming trip to [[Cuba]], gathering footage for the documentary film ''Spaceman: A Baseball Odyssey''. The film premiered at the 2006 SILVERDOCS AFI/[[Discovery Channel]] Documentary Festival and later on the [[New England Sports Network]] and MLB Network. It is distributed across [[North America]] by Hart Sharp Video.

===''Spaceman'' (film)===
{{main|Spaceman (2016 film)}}
''Spaceman'' is a [[biographical film]] about Lee written and directed by Brett Rapkin and starring [[Josh Duhamel]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://theplaylist.net/josh-duhamel-hits-mound-baseballs-time-great-eccentrics-spaceman-watch-20160610/|title = Josh Duhamel Hits the Mound as One of Baseball's All-Time Great Eccentrics in 'Spaceman' &#91;Watch&#93;| date=June 10, 2016 }}</ref><ref name="firstshowing">{{cite web | url=http://www.firstshowing.net/2016/first-trailer-for-baseball-drama-spaceman-featuring-josh-duhamel/ | title=First Teaser for Baseball Drama 'Spaceman' Featuring Josh Duhamel | publisher=firstshowing.net | access-date=10 June 2016 | author=Alex Billington| date=June 8, 2016 }}</ref> as Lee.

==Political career==
In [[1988 United States presidential election|1988]], Lee was the [[Rhinoceros Party]] presidential candidate running on a platform of bulldozing the Rocky Mountains so [[Alberta]] could receive a few extra minutes of sunlight and banning [[guns and butter]]. His slogan was "No guns, no butter. Both can kill."<ref name="Vermont's Most Famous Former Baseball Player's Pitch For Governor">{{cite web |url = http://www.wcax.com/story/32043285/vermonts-most-famous-former-baseball-players-pitch-for-governor |title = Vermont's Most Famous Former Baseball Player's Pitch For Governor |publisher = [[WCAX-TV]] |access-date = May 25, 2016 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160527023319/http://www.wcax.com/story/32043285/vermonts-most-famous-former-baseball-players-pitch-for-governor |archive-date = May 27, 2016 |df = mdy-all}}</ref>

===2016 gubernatorial campaign===
A longtime resident of [[Craftsbury, Vermont]], in May 2016, Lee was chosen by the [[Liberty Union Party]] as its nominee for [[Governor of Vermont|governor]] in the [[Vermont gubernatorial election, 2016|2016 election]].<ref name="Vermont's Most Famous Former Baseball Player's Pitch For Governor"/> Lee, who had never heard of the Liberty Union Party before, was contacted by the party to run for governor and accepted.<ref name="He Was a Pitcher Nicknamed 'Spaceman.' Now He Wants to Be a Governor" >{{cite magazine|url= https://time.com/4347209/bill-lee-spaceman-vermont-governor-election/ |title=He Was a Pitcher Nicknamed 'Spaceman.' Now He Wants to Be a Governor |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |access-date=May 26, 2016}}</ref> Lee did not take campaign contributions.<ref name="The Spaceman throws hat in for Vermont governor" >{{cite web
 |url= http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/2016/05/villani_the_spaceman_throws_hat_in_for_vermont_governor |title=The Spaceman throws hat in for Vermont governor |work=[[Boston Herald]]|date=May 26, 2016 |access-date=May 26, 2016}}</ref> His campaign slogan was, "So far left, we're right".<ref name="Bill 'Spaceman' Lee, former Expos pitcher, announces candidacy for governor of Vermont" >{{cite web| url= http://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-thursday-edition-1.3601462/bill-spaceman-lee-former-expos-pitcher-announces-candicacy-for-governor-of-vermont-1.3601471 |title=Bill 'Spaceman' Lee, former Expos pitcher, announces candidacy for governor of Vermont |publisher=[[CBC Radio]] |access-date=May 26, 2016}}</ref> Lee is a supporter of [[Bernie Sanders]] but sees himself as "Bernie-heavy not Bernie-lite" arguing he is Sanders' policy twin.<ref name="Vermont's Most Famous Former Baseball Player's Pitch For Governor"/><ref name="Bill (Spaceman) Lee launches run for Vermont governor" >{{cite news |url= https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2016/05/25/bill-spaceman-lee-launches-run-for-vermont-governor.html |title=Bill (Spaceman) Lee launches run for Vermont governor|work=[[Toronto Star]]|date=May 25, 2016|access-date= May 26, 2016|last1=Dale|first1=Daniel}}</ref> During the campaign he advocated for a Canadian style health care system, revealing that he got his shoulder surgery in Canada for $5000, estimating it would have cost $50,000 to $70,000 in the US.<ref name="Ghostarchive"/>

Lee lost the election, receiving 8,912 votes (2.78%), the second highest number of votes for a Liberty Union gubernatorial candidate in the party's history, second only to Bernie Sanders himself in [[1976 Vermont gubernatorial election|1976]] who got 11,317 votes (6.1%).

==Books==
He is the author of four books, two written with Richard Lally, and two with Jim Prime:
* Lee, Bill, and Dick Lally (1984). ''The Wrong Stuff''. New York: Viking Press. {{ISBN|0-670-76724-7}}.
* Lee, Bill, and Jim Prime (2003). ''The Little Red (Sox) Book: A Revisionist Red Sox History''. Chicago: Triumph Books. {{ISBN|1-57243-527-5}}.
* Lee, Bill, and Richard Lally (2005). ''Have Glove, Will Travel: Adventures of a Baseball Vagabond''. New York: Crown Publishers. {{ISBN|1-4000-5407-9}}.
* Lee, Bill, and Jim Prime (2007). ''Baseball Eccentrics: The Most Entertaining, Outrageous, and Unforgettable Characters in the Game''. Chicago: Triumph Books. {{ISBN|1-57243-953-X}}.

==In popular culture==
Lee appears as a minor character in the 2021 [[Serge A. Storms]] novel ''Tropic of Stupid'' by [[Tim Dorsey]].

===Songs dedicated to Lee===
* Lee is the subject of the 1980 song "Bill Lee" on [[Warren Zevon]]'s album ''[[Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School]]''.
* Lee is the subject of the 1996 song "What Bothers the Spaceman" by the [[They Might Be Giants]] spinoff project [[Mono Puff]], on their debut album ''[[TMBW:Unsupervised|Unsupervised]]''.<ref>http://tmbw.net/wiki/What_Bothers_The_Spaceman%3F "What Bothers The Spaceman" at This Might Be a Wiki</ref>
* Lee is the subject of the 2003 song "The Ballad of Bill Lee" by [[the Karl Hendricks Trio]]. Their album ''[https://www.mergerecords.com/product/the_jerks_win_again The Jerks Win Again]'' takes its title from a lyric in this song.

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{Baseballstats|br=l/leebi03|brm=lee---007wil}}, or [http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/ac80db85 SABR Biography Project], or [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/L/Plee-b101.htm Retrosheet]

{{1968 USC Trojans baseball|state=collapsed}}
{{Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Bill}}
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks players]]
[[Category:American League All-Stars]]
[[Category:American expatriate baseball players in Canada]]
[[Category:American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Burbank, California]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Middlesex County, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Vermont]]
[[Category:Boston Red Sox players]]
[[Category:Brockton Rox players]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 1988 United States presidential election]]
[[Category:Cardenales de Lara players]]
[[Category:Liberty Union Party politicians]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball pitchers]]
[[Category:Montreal Expos players]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Belmont, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:People from Craftsbury, Vermont]]
[[Category:Pittsfield Red Sox players]]
[[Category:San Rafael Pacifics players]]
[[Category:Savannah Bananas players]]
[[Category:St. Petersburg Pelicans players]]
[[Category:Tiburones de La Guaira players]]
[[Category:USC Trojans baseball players]]
[[Category:Waterloo Hawks (baseball) players]]
[[Category:Winston-Salem Red Sox players]]
[[Category:Winter Haven Super Sox players]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]