Start of Reds-Giants game delayed by swarm of bees

Marc Lancaster

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Start of Reds-Giants game delayed by swarm of bees image

There isn't usually much buzz around a 12:35 p.m. weekday start time, but an exception was made Monday in Cincinnati. 

The start of the Reds-Giants game was delayed when a massive swarm of bees descended on Great American Ball Park shortly before the scheduled first pitch, congregating largely around the screen behind home plate. 

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Reds pitcher Anthony DeSclafani had been set to take his pregame warmup tosses, but took one look at the situation and retreated to the dugout. Other Reds players who were farther away from home plate stayed on the field for a while, killing time, while the umpires and ballpark officials tried to determine a course of action. 

At one point, Reds outfielder Derek Dietrich emerged from the dugout dressed as an exterminator, pairing a white dress shirt with his uniform pants and batting helmet. 

About 15 minutes past the scheduled start of the game, the bees began to move away from the home plate area and up toward the press box, according to reporters on the scene. DeSclafani came back out to warm up and the game finally began at 12:53 p.m. 

That's an 18-minute bee delay, if you're scoring at home. 

 

Marc Lancaster

Marc Lancaster Photo

Marc Lancaster joined The Sporting News in 2022 after working closely with TSN for five years as an editor for the company now known as Stats Perform. He previously worked as an editor at The Washington Times, AOL’s FanHouse.com and the old CNNSportsIllustrated.com, and as a beat writer covering the Tampa Bay Rays, Cincinnati Reds, and University of Georgia football and women’s basketball. A Georgia graduate, he has been a Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2013.