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Arizona beekeeper Matt Hilton arrived at Chase Field Tuesday night to deal with a swarm of bees, and he ended up staying to throw out the first pitch.
The Diamondbacks’ game against the Los Angeles Dodgers was delayed nearly two hours Tuesday night when a swarm of bees began to gather at the top of the protective netting behind home plate.
Beekeeper Matt Hilton removes a swarm of bees that formed on the net behind home plate during a delay to a game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field April 30, 2024, in Phoenix, Ariz. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Diamondbacks vice president of baseball operations Mike Rock got a call about five minutes before the start of the game.
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“[The senior manager of events] 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.”
That’s when a call to Hilton, a branch manager for Blue Sky Pest Control’s Phoenix office, was placed.
A swarm of bees gathers on the net behind home plate, delaying the start of a game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
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“Minor leagues to the big leagues now,” Hilton, who was at his son’s T-ball game when he got the call, joked after the game. “It’s pretty cool.”
But Hilton’s night wasn’t over yet. As a thank-you for his beekeeping efforts, he was asked to throw out the ceremonial first pitch, and the crowd roared.
“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.”
Beekeeper Matt Hilton reacts to fans before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch for an MLB game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field April 30, 2024, in Phoenix, Ariz. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The Diamondbacks defeated the Dodgers, 4-3.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Paulina Dedaj is a Sports Reporter for Fox News Digital.
