Chase Field was packed with more than just excited baseball fans.
A large beehive formed in the protective netting behind home plate, forcing a nearly two-hour delay in the start of the Diamondbacks-Dodgers game in Arizona.
Just before the ceremonial first pitch at 8:40 p.m. ET, the Diamondbacks announced the postponement.
As The Beatles’ “Let It Be” played over the school radio system, a note on the scoreboard at Chase Field read, “Tonight’s game has been delayed due to honey bee colony formation.” “Thank you for waiting.”
“Obviously we can see the bees. I wonder how long it will be before the beekeepers come and do something about the situation or just move on and look at the harm it could cause,” Dodgers said. ‘s manager Dave Roberts told Sportsnet LA during the ongoing postponement.
“If a foul ball hits the screen, what will happen to the Bees at that point?” he added.
Approximately 40 minutes after the delay, the Diamondbacks announced that the team was waiting for a beekeeper to come and remove the bees from the net, adding, “We hope that play will resume as soon as the hive is successfully removed.” “I am doing so,” he announced. The Arizona Republic reported..
Associated Press sportswriter John Marshall posted a video showing beekeeper Matt Hilton arriving and removing a bee colony just before 8 p.m. MST in Arizona. , this strange episode appears to have come to an end.
Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out For A Hero” was playing on the PA system while the bees were being exterminated.
Hilton was then invited by the team to throw out the ceremonial first pitch of the game before the game began at approximately 10:35 p.m. ET.
The Diamondbacks defeated the Dodgers 4-3.
Tuesday wasn’t the first time the Bees wreaked havoc at an MLB game.
Just last season, in the bottom of the first inning of a game between the Orioles and Rockies in August, a swarm of bees near the bullpen caused a slight delay in the game.
