​The Women’s Pro Baseball League commenced its first season Saturday as the New York Heights took on the Los Angeles Queens at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois.It was a historic game — ending in a 10-8 victory for the Queens — marking the first women’s professional baseball league in the U.S. in almost three decades.Before that, though, the league’s big debut was nearly upstaged by a national anthem performance that quickly went viral for all the wrong reasons.Classic Motown singer Martha Reeves, 85, took to the mound to perform the “Star-Spangled Banner” alongside two other female singers.Reeves was the lead singer of Martha and the Vandellas, who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.The Women’s Pro Baseball League kicked off in Springfield, Illinois, on Saturday, marking the first women’s professional baseball league in the US in almost three decades (Getty)Classic Motown singer Martha Reeves’s rendition of the US National Anthem quickly went viral (Getty)However, Reeves’ vocals appeared very shaky as she warbled through the anthem and struggled with the song’s famous high notes.As Reeves sang, cameras panned to the audience, many of whom were smiling or visibly struggling not to laugh. Notably, one of the actual players was seen screwing up her face in order to contain herself.“Absolutely nothing could have prepared me for the national anthem at the first Women’s Pro Baseball League tonight,” one person captioned a clip of the performance on X, which has racked up more than three million views and 3,500 comments.“I admire her ability to pick a key and just ignore it,” one commenter joked.“Fergie can rest now, these women hold the throne,” wrote another, referencing the Black Eyed Peas singer’s infamous national anthem rendition at the 2018 NBA All-Star Game.“Unfortunately, as singers age, especially women, their vocal chords thin and become more brittle. It’s a tough song to sing for the best of singers, but this was just an unfortunate moment for all involved,” wrote a third in Reeves’s defence.Someone who may be relieved to see the rendition is Patti LaBelle, who — just two weeks ago — faced ridicule for her own national anthem performance at the MLB All-Star Game.LaBelle, 82, appeared to miss some lyrics and take some creative liberties with parts of the song, which did not go down well with fans on social media.“Patti LaBelle is one of our greatest singers, however why people think they have to add their own twist to the National Anthem boggles my mind. Leave it alone. It was not meant to be sung with runs or ‘making it your own,’” one person on X argued after the performance.The “Star-Spangled Banner” has a reputation for producing awkward renditions due to its exceptionally wide vocal range, treacherous melodic leaps, and the fact that it is usually performed in massive, echoey stadiums or televised globally for major sporting events.Roseanne