ANAHEIM – It was Fan Appreciation Day at Angel Stadium on Sunday, a day that the club thanks its fans for their support.
They owe a little extra thanks to one particular fan, though.
The Angels’ 3-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners will mostly be remembered as the game that was interrupted twice by a swarm of bees, before a beekeeper emerged from the stands to save the day.
“That dude just came out of the stands and said ‘It’s OK. I’m a beekeeper,’” Angels left-hander C.J. Wilson said. “It was like a ‘Seinfeld’ episode.”
John Poto, a beekeeper who works in Long Beach, blasted a chemical at a spot in right field where the bees had amassed, chasing away right fielder Kole Calhoun.
“I’m looking around and I see them swarming, so I’m outta there,” Calhoun said. “I saw this whole pile of hundreds of them.”
The incident was surreal to the players, providing something different as one of the final days melted away of a season disappointing for both teams.
“It was amazing,” Wilson said. “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
The bees made their appearance in the third, first dispersing a group of fans sitting down the right-field line in the lower deck. A few moments later, they had swarmed onto the field, causing Mariners players to scramble. That’s when umpires cleared the field.
During the 23-minute delay, a stadium worker went out to right field with a broom and a bucket, presumably filled with something to attract the bees. A few minutes after play resumed, when the Angels were in the field, Calhoun called time and alerted the umpires that the bees were still out there.
It was the Angels’ second bee incident this season. In May in Kansas City, a swarm of bees invaded the visitors dugout overnight, preventing the Angels from getting on the field until just before the game.
Contact the writer: jlfletcher@ocregister.com
