WATCH: Beekeeper throws ceremonial first pitch following Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks game delay at Chase Field
The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks were supposed to start at 9:40 pm ET but a swarm of bee interference delayed the start to almost 90 minutes before Brandon Hughes threw the first pitch at Chase Field.
A swarm of bees was spotted on the top of the protective netting just behind home plate. Just right before the scheduled start time, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts met the officials, probably about the delay, and soon it was followed by an announcer informing the crowd about the delay.
Times like this remind us to appreciate the services of lesser-known individuals to make a baseball game happen. The Diamondbacks announcer announced that Bee Guy Matt Hilton of BlueSky Exterminator will be throwing out the ceremonial pitch ahead of the Dodgers-Diamondbacks game.
After 70 minutes from the scheduled start, the beekeeper arrived at the location to safely evacuate the swarm of bees. He was injecting energy into the crowd as he rode in on a cart from right field.
He moved towards the swarm as the crowd exerted its support behind him. He then started spraying and sucking them up with a shop vacuum before heading out. By then, 90 minutes were already lost and the crew members allowed another 30 minutes for both teams to loosen up.
Jordan Montgomery scratched from starting after bee delays Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks game
Initially, Jordan Montgomery was slated to start the game instead of Brandon Hughes. He was raring to go but a bee delay forced him to move out to start on the mound.
Well, it's not unusual for bees to swarm up in open areas, especially at this time of the year. Just last month, a bee delay caused a lengthy delay in a game between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California.
Previously, in 2014 (Dbacks vs. San Francisco Giants) and in 2016 (Blue Jays vs. LA Angels), bees played a part in delays.