A Major League Baseball game was postponed thanks to a swarm of bees.
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ road trip to the Arizona Diamondbacks was originally scheduled to begin at 9:40 p.m. ET.
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However, a swarm of bees accumulated in the netting behind home plate before the game, delaying the start.
News of the delay was announced to fans via the public announcement system, with the announcer taking the opportunity to ask fans to “please be patient.”
The Diamondbacks later released an affirmation explaining that they predicted “that play will resume immediately upon successful removal of the hive by a professional beekeeper.”
Fans sitting behind home plate would also have been cleared, according to the Dodgers radio announcer Tim Neverett.
The beekeeper finally arrived just before 11pm ET.
Fans in the stands watched and applauded as the beekeeper’s work was displayed on the jumbotron while Holding Out For A Hero was played appropriately on the PA system.
Shortly thereafter, the Diamondbacks announced that the game would resume at 11:35 a.m. ET.
“The biggest concern I hear from players and also Dave Roberts (Dodgers manager) is that if a foul ball leaves the net, the bees will go everywhere, which is to be expected,” explained Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA in the early evening.
Roberto also explained that they were in the process of figuring out “how long it will take a beekeeper to take care of the situation and/or just go ahead and weigh the potential damage it could cause.”
He emphasized that security is key, however: “As far as the game itself is concerned, we have both starters ready to play.
“And if you delay an hour, you burn both entries, so that’s what we’re trying to figure out.”
This isn’t the first time the Diamondbacks have been forced to delay a game due to bees at Chase Field, according to Neverett.
In April 2014, a game against the San Francisco Giants was paused for 40 minutes due to a swarm in center field.
LA will likely be eager for the game to start sooner rather than later in an attempt to maintain positive momentum after defeating the Diamondbacks on Monday.
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The 8-4 victory marked their seventh in the last eight games.
The 19-12 Dodgers entered Tuesday night atop the NL West.
Meanwhile, Arizona is in fourth place at 13-17, having won three of the last eight.
Five Major MLB Rule Changes in 2024
1. Pitch time is reduced from 20 to 18 seconds with runners on base – will remain at 15 seconds with the bases empty.
2. When a pitching change is made, the inning clock will reset to 2:00 instead of 2:15 as happened last year.
3. Teams will only be able to visit four mounds per game in 2024, compared to five last season.
4. Fielders and fielders who block bases will be cited for obstruction by the umpires.
5. The runners’ lane from home plate to first base has been widened to include the dirt between the grass and the white line.
The Diamondbacks are scheduled to host the Dodgers once again on Wednesday at 9:40 pm ET.
Chase Field will host the San Diego Padres starting Friday at 9:40 pm ET.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
