Watch: Pest control ace clears Dodgers-Diamondbacks bee swarm, throws first pitch
May 1 (UPI) -- A pest control professional cleared a bee swarm of thousands while fans roared and later earned the nod for ceremonial first pitch before a delayed game Los Angeles Dodgers-Arizona Diamondbacks matchup in Phoenix.
The insect invasion occurred Tuesday at Chase Field. It caused a two-hour delay before the Diamondbacks beat the Dodgers 4-3.
Bees surrounded their queen in the cluster about 15 minutes before the game was set to begin. Umpires then met managers from both teams and Diamondbacks vice president of operations Mike Rock and opted to call in Matt Hilton to assess the situation.
They opted to call in Matt Hilton, branch manager at the local Blue Sky Pest Control office.
"It was a little nerve-racking, I'm not going to lie," Hilton told reporters. "A lot of pressure to get this game going. But I was happy to come and take care of it."
Hilton said that he left his son's tee ball game in Sunrise, Ariz., and drove about 30 miles to Chase Stadium. He put on a beekeeper outfit and used a scissor lift to ride under the bee swarm. The lift then elevated Hilton closer to danger before he used a non-pesticide spray on the swarm and vacuumed up the bees.
The crowd chanted "MVP" for the pest control ace as he was lowered back down to the field level. The Beatles' "Let it Bee" and Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out for a Hero" played through the stadium speakers during the sequence.
Hilton then took to the mound, while still in his beekeeper outfit, and buzzed in his ceremonial first pitch.
"I didn't feel very prepared," Hilton said. "I'm not the best thrower in the world. ... It definitely wasn't a strike."
Hilton said there was a high probability that the pests were Africanized honey bees, also known as killer bees. He also said the bees might have turned aggressive if agitated by the net moving. Instead, they were taken out of the stadium and set free off-site.
First baseman Christian Walker went 3 for 5 with two home runs and three RBIs in the Diamondbacks 4-3 victory. He also ended the extra-innings affair with a walk-off, two-run homer. The Diamondbacks used seven pitchers to secure the win. That group allowed five hits and two earned runs and issued six walks over 10 innings.
The @Dbacks rewarded beekeeper Matt Hilton with a ceremonial first pitch!
He is pure electricity. pic.twitter.com/We6hMwOgBJ— MLB (@MLB) May 1, 2024
"It was a crazy situation, but I though the Diamondbacks and that exterminator did a nice job of taking care of the situation in a timely manner," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters.
The Diamondbacks will host the Dodgers in the series finale at 9:40 p.m. EDT Wednesday at Chase Field.
