Baseball fans in Chicago witnessed a scary scene before Wednesday’s game between the White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays.
Gerald Chaney, the longtime anthem singer for the White Sox, suffered a medical emergency during his performance, collapsing to the field mid-song.
Chaney had just began singing Lift Every Voice and Sing — which is considered the Black national anthem in the U.S. — when he stopped after just a few words. He collected himself and began singing again before being forced to stop and then collapsing on the field near second base.
Emergency medical personnel attended to him for several minutes on the field before Chaney was placed on a stretcher and taken off the field.
Both teams watched the incident in concerned silence from their dugouts.
Chaney also had been scheduled to sing The Star-Spangled Banner after performing Lift Every Voice and Sing as the teams and all of Major League Baseball commemorated Jackie Robinson Day — the annual celebration of the anniversary of the pioneer’s MLB debut.
Is the singer OK now?
The White Sox issued a statement on social media on Wednesday night saying that Chaney was alert prior to being transported to a nearby hospital, where he underwent further evaluation and treatment.
“The White Sox longtime anthem performer, Gerald Chaney, experienced a medical emergency while singing during pregame tonight. He received treatment by EMTs at the ballpark and was alert prior to being transported to the hospital for further evaluation and treatment,” the team posted on X on Wednesday night.
“The entire White Sox family is sending love to Gerald and his family for a full and speedy recovery.”
It is unknown if and when Chaney will be able to return to anthem-signing duties.
What happened in the game?
The start of the game was delayed by 12 minutes due to the incident.
The Rays won the game 8-3 to move their record to 10-7 and sit atop the AL East. Chicago dropped to 6-12, which is tied for the worst record in baseball.