Former Red Sox pitcher Bill ‘Spaceman’ Lee runs for governor of Vermont

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He was unaffected by the fumes of Boston city buses, he once famously quipped, because his morning pancakes came sprinkled with a bit of pot. In post-game interviews, he defended Maoist China, population control and Greenpeace.

He loves yoga, hates AstroTurf and ran for president under the Rhinoceros Party in 1988.

Once, he called the New York Yankees “Nazis.”

Now, Bill “Spaceman” Lee, the Red Sox Hall of Fame and record-holding former pitcher, has announced his bid for public office once again — this time as governor of Vermont.

Lee, who earned his nickname “Spaceman” years ago for his unfiltered commentary and eccentric lifestyle, filed the official paperwork last week, reports the Boston Globe. He’ll run as a member of the Liberty Union party, the same organization that launched Bernie Sanders’ political career in the 1970s.

According to its website, the party calls itself a “nonviolent socialist party” and supports free universal healthcare, free childcare and an educational system that is free from “birth to death.”

“You get what you pay for. If you want change, you vote for Sanders or me. I’m Bernie-heavy, I’m not Bernie-lite. My ideas were before Bernie,” Lee told WCAX.com. “If you want to see money come down from the 2 percent, we’re going to need umbrellas when I’m elected, because it’s going to be raining dollars.”

Lee described himself as a “pragmatic, conservative, forward thinker” and criticized American greed.

“The problem with Americans is their fist is like this,” he told the TV station, closing his hand tight. “You got to open your hands. Republicans are pterodactyls, they have little short arms that never get to their front pockets.”

Former Boston Red Sox player Bill Lee at right. (AP Photo/Bizuayehu Tesfaye) Former Boston Red Sox player Bill Lee at right. (AP Photo/Bizuayehu Tesfaye) Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Former Red Sox pitcher Bill ‘Spaceman’ Lee runs for governor of Vermont 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

And he didn’t hide his dislike for presumed GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.

“If things don’t go our way, if we get Trump as president, I’m out of here,” Lee told the station. “And I’ll take Vermont with us.”

Lee ascended to fan favorite in Boston during his pitching career with the Red Sox. He was picked up by the team right after he graduated from the University of Southern California and pitched for them from 1969 to 1978. He was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2008.

He was known for his smack-talking ways and bizarre, roving post-game rants. He was traded to the Montreal Expos after the 1978 season after fighting with the manager over the pitching staff. And his MLB career ended four years later, in 1982, when he staged a walkout after a friend and teammate was released by the Expos.

But his baseball career didn’t end there. He has played in various leagues since and wrote several books about his time with the sport.

Players and fans of his Vermont 35-plus league, in which he played this week, said they’d throw their support behind him, reported WCAX.com.

“I will have to wait of course to see what the alternatives are,” said Kim Hallady, Burlington Cardinals fan. “But based on what he said he certainly offers some interesting suggestions.”