Inaugural Women's Pro Baseball League game marred by off-key national anthem

The Women's Pro Baseball League launched its inaugural season on Saturday night at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois, with the Los Angeles Queens edging New York Heights 10-8. Prior to the game, three singers, including 85-year-old former Martha and the Vandellas lead vocalist Martha Reeves, performed the national anthem, but the rendition faltered on pitch and timing and quickly became an internet sensation.

Spectators captured reactions ranging from suppressed laughter to bewildered looks as the anthem echoed through the stadium. The league, the first professional women's baseball circuit since the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League folded, was created by Justine Siegal and Keith Stein and will feature four teams playing a 30-game schedule over four weeks. All games will be staged at the Springfield venue, with each contest lasting seven innings and teams fielding 15 players using aluminum bats. The viral anthem mishap has drawn significant attention to the fledgling league's debut.