September 22, 2013: Apiarist John Potom, of Honey Pacifica, deals with a swarm of bees that held up a baseball game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Seattle Mariners for several minutes during the third inning on Sunday in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo)
A swarm of bees invaded Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., on Sunday, causing two delays during the Angels' 3-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners.
The first delay came with two outs in the bottom of the third inning, when the bees started swarming in right-center field. After a 23-minute delay, the teams returned to the field, but in the fourth inning the game was briefly delayed for a second time after the bees returned.
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It's not especially uncommon for bees to turn up at ballparks, but the Angels have been especially victimized by the little pollen-suckers this season. In May, bees delayed the first pitch of a home game against the Baltimore Orioles after they accumulated behind home plate:
Never seen this. The camera behind home plate is covered in bees. #Angels #Orioles #MLB pic.twitter.com/O9ohomHdgC -- MLBdreampicks (@MLBdreampicks) May 3, 2013 Bees like the Big A #Angels #Orioles pic.twitter.com/BcClgMknYQ -- José Mota (@JoseMota05) May 3, 2013 Then, later in May, the bees followed them on the road, keeping the Angels out of their dugout in Kansas City until 90 minutes before first pitch:
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Last May, a swarm invaded a Rockies-Diamondbacks game at Coors Field:
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In 2010, they forced the Marlins to close off two sections of their stadium during a game against the Nationals:
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And in 2009, several thousand bees caused a 52-minute delay during the ninth inning of a game in San Diego:
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It's interesting to note that there always seems to be a beekeeper on hand when bees invade the ballpark. If I didn't know better, I'd say that was the calling GOB Bluth missed out on:
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