The Women's Pro Baseball League kicked off its inaugural season with a professional game at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois, featuring the Los Angeles Queens defeating the New York Heights 10-8.
The pregame ceremony, however, overshadowed the game itself due to an unsettling rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" performed by Motown legend Martha Reeves and two other women.
The performance quickly went viral on social media, with many expressing shock and confusion at the delivery, which left some in the crowd stunned.
The league's first game in nearly three decades was attended by notable figures, including sports reporter Kendall Baker, who tweeted about the experience, saying "Absolutely nothing could have prepared me for the national anthem at the first Women's Pro Baseball League tonight."
The video of the anthem performance was viewed nearly two million times on X by Sunday morning, sparking widespread reaction and conversation.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Reeves, 85, led the group in the performance, which has not yet received a public response from her.
The Women's Pro Baseball League continues its inaugural season with additional games scheduled in the coming days as it attempts to revive professional women's baseball in the United States.
