Bee Game: Dodgers and Diamondbacks delayed due to bee swarm

PHOENIX (AP) — A swarm of bees created quite a baseball buzzkill in the desert — and gave Arizona Diamondbacks fans a new hero.

The start of Tuesday night's game between the Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers was delayed nearly two hours after a bee colony swarmed the top of the protective netting behind home plate.

Matt Hilton turned into the star of the night for removing the bees, earning a brief slice of stardom and the nod to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

“Minor leagues to the big leagues now,” said Hilton, branch manager for Blue Sky Pest Control's Phoenix office. “It's pretty cool.”

The buzz started about five minutes before first pitch.

Mike Rock, the Diamondbacks vice president of baseball operations, got a call from the senior manager of events telling him a growing colony of bees was collecting atop the netting.

“She doesn’t usually call me about that time. I knew something was odd,” Rock said. “She said we have bees landing on the net right behind home plate. I said, How many? And she said, hundreds — no way, thousands. And I knew we had a problem.”

Bee swarms are common during the spring in Arizona and have caused numerous spring training delays through the years. A bee swarm also caused a lengthy delay in a match between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, last month.

Chase Field has a retractable roof, but it was open for Tuesday’s game, so the bees had free reign.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts met with the umpires shortly after the delay began and the public address announcer told the crowd about the delay.

Rock and his team had already put the bee-removal wheels in motion.

Hilton was at his son Levi's final T-ball game of the season when he got the call. He lives in Surprise, nearly 45 minutes from downtown Phoenix, so he quickly grabbed his beekeeping gear and hit the road.

“There was zero traffic, thankfully,” Hilton said.

At the stadium, the fans started getting antsy — bee-sy? — while waiting for a beekeeper to arrive, cheering as a grounds crew member wheeled a scissor lift onto the field and positioned it just below the bees. The sections behind home plate were cleared for safety reasons and Rock consulted with Major League Baseball on whether to wait or postpone the game.

Hilton arrived about 70 minutes after the scheduled first pitch and pumped up the already-cheering crowd as he rode in on a cart from right field. Hilton suited up then rose toward the swarm, causing more cheers.

With another quick wave to pump up the crowd, he stunned the bees with spray and started sucking them up with a shop vac as Bonnie Tyler's “Holding Out for a Hero” blared through the loudspeakers. Hilton hit the last few stragglers with more spray before lowering back onto the field, pumping his fist as the crowd cheered again.

The delay lasted nearly 90 minutes and was extended another 30 to make sure all the bees were gone and so the players could loosen back up.

The Diamondbacks switched starting pitchers after the delay, from Jordan Montgomery to Brandon Hughes.

Hilton had to switch gears while making a stadium call, getting a tap from the “bee-pen” to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

“I thought I was just going to do my thing and cruise out, but it was fun because of the thousands of people cheering for you,” he said. “It was a little nerve-racking, I’m not going to lie — a lot of pressure to get this game going.”

Of course, he wore his beekeeper suit for the toss.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Landon Knack stretches while a swarm of bees gathered on the net behind home plate are removed delaying the start of a baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Bee keeper Matt Hilton prepares to throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to a baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Phoenix. Hilton removed a swarm of bees on the net behind home plate that delayed the start of the game. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Bee keeper Matt Hilton throws out the ceremonial first pitch prior to a baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Phoenix. Hilton removed a swarm of bees on the net behind home plate that delayed the start of the game. (AP Photo/Matt York)

A bee keeper removes a swarm of bees gathered on the net behind home plate delaying the start of a baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

A bee keeper removes a swarm of bees gathered on the net behind home plate delaying the start of a baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

A bee keeper removes a swarm of bees gathered on the net behind home plate delaying the start of a baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

A swarm of bees gather on the net behind home plate delaying the start of a baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Los Angeles Dodgers Shohei Ohtani looks toward a swarm of bees gathering on the net behind home plate delaying the start of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, left, talks with the umpires regarding a swarm of bees gathered on the net behind home plate delaying the start of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Los Angeles Dodgers Freddie Freeman and umpire Quinn Wolcott watch a swarm of bees gather on the net behind home plate delaying the start of a baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

A groundkeeper moves a lift past the Los Angeles Dodgers dugout as Dodgers' Mookie Betts, right, cheers, in preparation to remove swarm of bees gather on the net behind home plate delaying the start of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

A swarm of bees gather on the net behind home plate delaying the start of a baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli officials seized a camera and broadcasting equipment belonging to The Associated Press in southern Israel on Tuesday, accusing the news organization of violating a new media law by providing images to Al Jazeera.

The Qatari satellite channel is among thousands of clients that receive live video feeds from the AP and other news organizations. The AP denounced the move.

“The Associated Press decries in the strongest terms the actions of the Israeli government to shut down our longstanding live feed showing a view into Gaza and seize AP equipment,” said Lauren Easton, vice president of corporate communications at the news organization. “The shutdown was not based on the content of the feed but rather an abusive use by the Israeli government of the country’s new foreign broadcaster law. We urge the Israeli authorities to return our equipment and enable us to reinstate our live feed immediately so we can continue to provide this important visual journalism to thousands of media outlets around the world.”

Officials from the Communications Ministry arrived at the AP location in the southern town of Sderot on Tuesday afternoon and seized the equipment. They handed the AP a piece of paper, signed by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, alleging it was violating the country’s foreign broadcaster law.

Shortly before the equipment was seized, it was broadcasting a general view of northern Gaza. The AP complies with Israel’s military censorship rules, which prohibit broadcasts of details like troops movements that could endanger soldiers. The live shot has generally shown smoke rising over the territory.

The seizure followed a verbal order Thursday to cease the live transmission — which the news organization refused to do.

“In accordance with the government decision and the instruction of the communications minister, the communications ministry will continue to take whatever enforcement action is required to limit broadcasts that harm the security of the state,” the ministry said in a statement.

Israeli officials used the law to close down the offices of the Qatar-based broadcaster on May 5 as well as confiscating the channel’s equipment, banning its broadcasts, and blocking its websites.

Israel has long had a rocky relationship with Al Jazeera, accusing it of bias against the country. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called it a “terror channel” that spreads incitement.

Al Jazeera is one of the few international news outlets that has remained in Gaza throughout the war, broadcasting scenes of airstrikes and overcrowded hospitals and accusing Israel of massacres.

The war in Gaza began with a Hamas attack in Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw 250 others taken hostage. More than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed since then, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

AP video equipment is laid on the floor of an apartment block in Sderot, Southern Israel, shortly before it was seized by Israeli officials, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Israeli officials seized the camera and broadcasting equipment belonging to The Associated Press in southern Israel on Tuesday, accusing the news organization of violating the country's new ban on Al Jazeera. Shortly before the equipment was seized, it was broadcasting a general view of northern Gaza. (AP Photo/Josphat Kasire)

A screenshot taken from AP video showing a general view of northern Gaza as seen from Southern Israel, before it was seized by Israeli officials on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Israeli officials seized a camera and broadcasting equipment belonging to The Associated Press in southern Israel on Tuesday, accusing the news organization of violating the country’s new ban on Al Jazeera. Shortly before the equipment was seized, it was broadcasting a general view of northern Gaza. (AP Photo)