The Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers resume after Bees delay

There was excitement at Chase Field on Tuesday night, and not just because Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers were in town.

Moments before 6:40 p.m., the Arizona Diamondbacks announced that Tuesday’s game had been postponed due to a colony of bees that had formed in the netting behind home plate.

Finally, after a long delay, Blue Sky Pest Control beekeeper Matt Hilton arrived to raucous applause just before 8pm, set up a scissor lift and sprayed the hive before vacuuming the bees into sealed containers. In less than 10 minutes, the entire cell disappeared.

As the beekeeper exited the elevator, he raised his fist and received a standing ovation from the Chase Field crowd. On the scoreboard, the Diamondbacks displayed a message that read, “Thank you, Bee Man.” On the bench, Corbin Carroll was the only Arizona player watching the proceedings. In the stands, fans briefly erupted with chants for the Beekeepers’ MVP.

The match finally resumed at 8.35pm after a period of waiting for the Bees to leave the area. Helton threw the ceremonial first pitch while still dressed as a beekeeper. For the Diamondbacks, reliever Brandon Hughes replaced starter Jordan Montgomery, who was scratched due to the delay.

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This is the second time this season that a Diamondbacks home game has been postponed, despite playing in a stadium with a retractable roof that appears protected from the elements. In late March, one of their exhibition games against the Guardians was canceled due to a storm mid-game because the roof could not be closed with fans in attendance.

It’s also not the first time the Bees have affected a major league game. In 2023, a game between the Orioles and Rockies was stopped during the first inning due to a swarm near the bullpen. 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 shut down for 23 minutes thanks to a swarm near the outfield wall. And in 2014, the DBacks-Giants game at Chase Field was interrupted by bees.

However, none of these swarms produced a cell the size of the one at Chase Field on Tuesday night, nor a long delay.