Thursday's game against the Giants at Chase Field was delayed for about 3 minutes after the third pitch of the game from D-backs starter Bronson Arroyo when a swarm of bees invaded the outfield. Arizona center fielder A.J. Pollock had to come in to the infield, standing beside second baseman Aaron Hill while waiting for the bees to move on from near the pool area in right-center field.
After the game resumed, San Francisco leadoff hitter Angel Pagan hit a fly ball directly toward where the bees had been, and Pollock showed no fear, running it down and swatting a few lingering bees away as he threw the ball back into the infield.
Twice in the past three years, D-backs games at the team's spring training facility at Salt River Fields have been delayed by similar swarms. On March 16, an exhibition game against the Brewers was briefly halted in the second inning due to an outfield swarm, and in 2012, a spring training game against the Rockies was delayed for 41 minutes when a huge infestation of bees took over the dugouts and camera wells. The latter occurrence required grounds crew assistance to clear the area.
