2 weeks ago
May 1 (UPI) -- A (seed) disease power master cleared a bee swarm of thousands while fans roared and later earned nan motion for ceremonial first transportation earlier a delayed crippled Los Angeles Dodgers-Arizona Diamondbacks matchup successful Phoenix.
The insect penetration occurred Tuesday astatine Chase Field. It caused a two-hour hold earlier nan Diamondbacks hit nan Dodgers 4-3.
Bees surrounded their queen successful nan cluster astir 15 minutes earlier nan crippled was group to begin. Umpires past met managers from some teams and Diamondbacks vice president of operations Mike Rock and opted to telephone successful Matt Hilton to measure nan situation.
They opted to telephone successful Matt Hilton, branch head astatine nan section Blue Sky Pest Control office.
"It was a little nerve-racking, I'm not going to lie," Hilton told reporters. "A batch of unit to get this crippled going. But I was happy to travel and return attraction of it."
Hilton said that he near his son's tee shot crippled successful Sunrise, Ariz., and drove astir 30 miles to Chase Stadium. He put connected a beekeeper outfit and utilized a scissor assistance to thrust nether nan bee swarm. The assistance past elevated Hilton person to threat earlier he utilized a non-pesticide spray connected nan swarm and vacuumed up nan bees.
The crowd chanted "MVP" for nan (seed) disease power ace arsenic he was lowered backmost down to nan section level. The Beatles' "Let it Bee" and Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out for a Hero" played done nan stadium speakers during nan sequence.
Hilton past took to nan mound, while still successful his beekeeper outfit, and buzzed successful his ceremonial first pitch.
"I didn't consciousness very prepared," Hilton said. "I'm not nan champion thrower successful nan world. ... It decidedly wasn't a strike."
Hilton said location was a precocious probability that nan pests were Africanized chromatic bees, besides known arsenic slayer bees. He besides said nan bees mightiness person turned fierce if agitated by nan nett moving. Instead, they were taken retired of nan stadium and group free off-site.
First baseman Christian Walker went 3 for 5 pinch 2 location runs and 3 RBIs successful nan Diamondbacks 4-3 victory. He besides ended nan extra-innings matter pinch a walk-off, two-run homer. The Diamondbacks utilized 7 pitchers to unafraid nan win. That group allowed 5 hits and 2 earned runs and issued six walks complete 10 innings.
"It was a crazy situation, but I though nan Diamondbacks and that exterminator did a bully occupation of taking attraction of nan business successful a timely manner," Dodgers head Dave Roberts told reporters.
The Diamondbacks will big nan Dodgers successful nan bid finale astatine 9:40 p.m. EDT Wednesday astatine Chase Field.
