There was a buzz around Chase Field on Tuesday night, and not just because Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers are in town.
Moments before the 6:40 pm scheduled first pitch, the Diamondbacks announced that Tuesday’s game was being delayed due to a bee colony that formed on the netting behind home plate.
Finally, after a long delay, a beekeeper from Blue Sky Pest Control, Matt Hilton, arrived to raucous cheers shortly before 8 pm He ascended up a scissor lift, then sprayed the bee hive before vacuuming the bees into sealed containers. In under 10 minutes, the entire hive was gone.
As the beekeeper descended from the lift, he pumped his fist to a standing ovation from the Chase Field crowd. On the scoreboard, the Diamondbacks displayed a message reading, “Thank you bee guy.” In the dugout, Corbin Carroll was the only Arizona player out watching the proceedings. In the stands, fans briefly broke out in MVP chants for the beekeeper.
The game finally resumed at 8:35 pm after a cooling off period for the bees to leave the area. Hilton threw out the ceremonial first pitch, still wearing his beekeeper outfit. For the Diamondbacks, reliever Brandon Hughes replaced scheduled starter Jordan Montgomery, who was scratched due to the delay.
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This is the second time already this season that the Diamondbacks have had a home game delayed, despite playing in a retractable roof stadium seemingly protected from the elements. In late March, one of their exhibition games against the Guardians was canceled due to a mid-game rain storm because the roof cannot currently close with fans present.
It is also not the first time that bees have impacted a major league game. In 2023, a game between the Orioles and Rockies was paused during the first innings due to a swarm near the bullpens. In 2019, a game between the Reds and Giants was delayed by 20 minutes due to a swarm near home plate. And in 2013, the Mariners and Angels were put on pause for 23 minutes thanks to a swarm near the outfield wall. And, in 2014, a DBacks-Giants game at Chase Field was disrupted by bees.
None of those swarms, though, produced a hive as large as the one at Chase Field on Tuesday night, nor a delay as long.
