The start of the baseball season in spring means that games are at risk of getting rained out.
But one game was stopped for something that never happened before.
See why a Major League Baseball game was forced into a delay for this scary reason.
A swarm of bees forces a game between the Dodgers and Diamondbacks into a delay
A recent game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona had one of the most shocking delays in Major League Baseball (MLB) history.
The game was scheduled for a first pitch of 6:40 PM local time when it was discovered that a swarm of bees had formed at the top of the protective netting behind home plate.
Send us your best bee puns. Winner gets to keep the bees. pic.twitter.com/upzxt0v27H
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 1, 2024
“Tonight’s game delayed due to bee colony forming,” the Chase Field scoreboard said. “Thank you for your patience.”
The Beatles song “Let it Be” played on the stadium’s speaker system while fans and players waited.
Fans had to be cleared from the area behind home plate for safety reasons.
“Obviously we see the bees,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told SportsNet LA during the bee delay. “How long will it take a beekeeper to come to kind of take care of the situation, or just proceed and then kind of weighing out the potential harm it might cause.”
“If a foul ball hits the screen, what happens to the bees at that point in time?” Roberts wondered.
A hero saves the day for the Dodgers Diamondbacks game
Blue Sky Pest Control pest specialist Matt Hilton was at his son’s tee ball game when got the call from the Diamondbacks.
“It was the last game of the season when I got the call to come out here,” Hilton said.
When he arrived on the field to take on the swarm, he received a standing ovation from the fans.
The Bonnie Tyler song “Holding Out for a Hero” played on the speaker system and chants of “MVP” broke out.
Armed in his protective gear, Hilton was able to use a spray and vacuum to remove the swarm of bees.
The bees were captured and taken off-site to be released.
The most popular man at Chase Field tonight. #dbacks #beekeeper pic.twitter.com/NOG2XLty6X
— John Marshall (@jmarshallap) May 1, 2024
After a nearly two-hour bee delay, the game was finally ready to get started.
Hilton got to throw out the first pitch as a reward for saving the day.
Is Beekeeper Matt Hilton the first guy to get a save BEFORE the game starts? pic.twitter.com/uCRJadnsBT
— MLB (@MLB) May 1, 2024
“It was crazy. I knew it was going to be an interesting experience. I mean, I’m going to Chase Field and the Diamondbacks and Dodgers playing,” Hilton told CNN Sport’s Don Riddell. “So I knew it was going to be a cool experience, but it wasn’t until I went out on the field in the buggy and the fans were just going crazy that it kind of hit me just how big of a deal this was and it just turned into a really neat experience for me.”
The Diamondbacks won the game in the 10th inning 4-3.
After the game, Topps announced that Hilton was going to get his own baseball card on social media.
“We’ve signed a deal with Matt Hilton (the Bee Specialist from last night’s game) and we’re making autograph cards from his all-time great performance,” Topps announced on X.
Matt Hilton became the unlikely hero who saved the Dodgers Diamondbacks game.
