Swarm of Bees Delay Mariners/Angels Game

September 22, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27), second baseman Howie Kendrick (47) and right fielder Kole Calhoun (56) point out bees to first base umpire Jim Joyce during the fourth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

A swarm of bees caused a pair of delays during Sunday afternoon’s game between the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels. Their persistent presence in right field was enough for umpires to stop action twice in order to permit the Angels ground crew from addressing the problem.

The first delay came during the bottom of the third inning, when the Angels had a pair of runners on and no outs. Bees began to assemble on the wall in right center field, enough to cause Franklin Gutierrez and the rest of the Mariners back into the dugout when umpires stopped play. Two members of the stadium’s grounds crew came onto the field with a bucket, cardboard box, and broom to take on the bees. Many fans in that part of the stadium even left their seats during the delay.

Play was stopped a total of 23 minutes.

Mike Trout and Kole Calhoun were seen swatting at bees again during the top of the fourth inning, causing umpires to stop play one more time. The grounds crew used a smoke deterrant to drive the bees out of right field.

Amazingly this wasn’t the first run-in with bees that the Angels were forced to deal with this season. Bees occupied the visitor’s dugout during the team’s trip to Kansas City in May, preventing the team from using it until about 90 minutes before their game.