3 Memorable MLB Pest Incidents

With the MLB World Series in progress, baseball is on plenty of people’s minds this week. Phillies fans have been waiting to see their team in the championships since their last appearance in 2009, while Astros fans are thrilled to see their team in another World Series since the infamous sign-stealing scandal of 2017. But do you know who makes special guest appearances in this sport all the time? Pests! Since baseball is played outdoors in the major leagues, there are always going to be random insects and critters darting around the stadium while the games take place. Even the domed stadiums aren’t safe, as the top cover is not always closed in time to keep out these pesky invaders. But some pest sightings are much more news-worthy than others, which is what we are going to explore today! 

Major League Midges – 2007

This is possibly the most famous incident on this list with impressive staying power, considering it happened 15 years ago. It has even come back into sports news very recently with the midge swarm at the Cleveland Browns’ stadium. This is because the original incident took place at Cleveland’s baseball stadium during a game between the Yankees and the home team. This proved to be the tipping point in the AL Division Series, all because the midges decided that a ball game was the perfect time to swarm in hordes. The non-biting midges bothered everyone by landing and crawling on whoever they could find, but no one was more betrayed by the bugs than Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain. After maintaining an impressive rookie season, Chamberlain met his match in the mighty midges. Countless insects continued to swarm him throughout the game and only got worse with the setting sun. 

Swatting the insects away didn’t seem to do a thing, and Chamberlain continued to try his best to pitch through the distractions. One of the trainers even visited the mound with a can of bug spray in an attempt to get the pests to disperse. But this did nothing to solve the problem, and may have even made the situation worse by giving the midges some moisture. After risking an umpire’s call on the use of sticky substance with the bug spray, Chamberlain was unable to work through being constantly pelted with midges and threw a couple of wild pitches that allowed Cleveland to tie and eventually win the game. As if that wasn’t frustrating enough, Cleveland went on to win the series against the Yankees! Many of the top MLB players have a decently memorable rookie season to the true fans, but Chamberlain’s will go down in history as the most pest-centric one to date.

Why Did Pests Try to be Players? Midges are not normally a pest we think about very much, but there are a couple of reasons why they made such a major impact on this game in particular. For one, it was an unseasonably warm day for Cleveland. Midges thrive in warm weather, like all insects, since they are ectothermic and therefore reliant on the temperatures for their energy levels. Another reason is the proximity of the stadium to Lake Erie, which is a known midge-populated area. They thrive with moisture and humidity, so the lake is a major area that midges reproduce. This is also why the bug spray (which is not targeted to combat midges) backfired, since the moisture just gave them more reason to stay. Finally, Cleveland’s players were all used to the midges by that point. They dealt with the insects during the pre-season and regular season every year, so they knew how to play unfazed by the disgusting barrage of midges. Unfortunately for Chamberlain, no one told him the secrets to success in that area.

Busy Bees – 2009

There have been many instances of bees causing trouble for baseball, and this incident likely won’t be the last one to make the highlights reel. Since the season is mainly in the spring and summer, it is perfect timing for bees to enjoy a day at the ballpark. A few bees here and there is usually nothing to worry about, unless people in the area are allergic. But the swarm at a 2009 game between the Dodgers and Cubs was no ordinary bee gathering. The massive bee colony essentially took over part of the bleachers in left field at Dodger Stadium, which led to the culmination in the seventh inning. The security team had to remove fans from that whole section due to the sheer number of bees buzzing around. There have been cases of MLB pest incidents where staff successfully dispersed the swarms with their equipment, but this swarm was too much for even the bravest member of the Dodgers staff.

Of course, as with many instances in this sport, there can be an element of superstition for those who believe in that. Since the bees stayed and the Dodgers defeated the Cubs, another chapter was added to the long history of the Cubs having bad luck with winning and animals. It all started back during 1945’s World Series, when Chicago’s ticketing staff refused entry to a man named Billy Sianis and his pet goat. Angry at the policy that prohibited animals from entering Wrigley Stadium to enjoy a game of baseball, Sianis allegedly said that the Cubs would not win any more. This began a 71-year-long streak of the Cubs not even making it to the World Series until 2016, where they won their first Series since 1908. We’re not saying that the 2009 bee incident was part of this curse, but it is worth thinking about considering the fact that the curse started all because of an animal.

Why Did Pests Try to be Players? Bees are a common warm-weather pest, so their appearance in the middle of August is not out of the ordinary. They are most active in the summer since the hot weather gives their cold-blooded bodies more energy. This is when they gather nectar and pollen, make honey, expand their hives, and the queen continues reproducing. If there are any flowers that the bees find enticing in or around the stadium, it can explain why they would swarm in such a large quantity. The location of their hive also has a lot to do with it, especially if it was disturbed in any way throughout the game. As docile as bees are, they are territorial just like any other stinging pest. They could have constructed their hive under the bleachers, behind the left field wall, or anywhere close to the area that would have caused them to become agitated when the fans cheered and clapped throughout the game. The addition of sweet ballpark treats, like cotton candy and sodas, would certainly not help in preventing bees from crashing the party either. 

The Moth and Matt Holliday – 2011

As if insects buzzing our heads and landing on our shirts during a game isn’t bad enough, some insects have the audacity to actually fly inside any opening they can find. This has led to the unfortunately funny trope of bugs flying into people’s mouths in cartoons and movies, since it does happen in real life. But another opening on our heads that confused insects can use is, horrifyingly enough, our ears. Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday learned this during a 2011 game against the Dodgers. As with many of these incidents, the moth caused problems when the game was almost over. In the eighth inning, Holliday was suddenly attacked by a moth while standing in the outfield. The moth flew into his right ear and did not fly back out, which must have been a truly horrifying feeling. 

After being unable to remove the moth on his own, Holliday had to receive help from Cardinals staff. The team physician and two trainers worked together to extract the moth from deep in his ear with the use of tweezers. The moth was removed in pieces and put in a sandwich bag for a temporary memento of strange insect behavior in baseball. Holliday reported that there wasn’t very much pain, so the main issue was the loud buzzing that was coming from his ear canal when the moth was trying to escape. Since he was back on the field for the next day’s game, it’s safe to say that a moth in the ear is not worth too much worry when it is removed in the clubhouse soon after entry.

Why Did Pests Try to be Players? This whole incident is primarily a strange occurrence that is not the norm for moths, despite the constant night games that take place during a season. Most moth species like to be around lights because that is their main source of direction. They keep the moon above them to know where they are going and have a steady light source, which also helps them to find mates. They flock to our porch lights and massive stadium lights because they confuse these for the moon (we never said they were smart). But this usually works out, since they can find their mate and eat nearby vegetation while they’re there. As for a moth ending up in a professional athlete’s ear, there is not much explanation there. The best guess that professionals have is that it was attracted to Holliday’s bright white jersey, which reflected the lights. So instead of just getting the lights confused for the moon, this moth mixed up a white jersey for the main light source. Talk about needing directions!

Green Pest Services Always Knocks It Out of the Park!

No matter who wins the 2022 World Series, you can be sure that pests will not stop invading the stadiums out of respect for the game. And, unfortunately, pests are not exclusively a problem for sporting events. With the cooler weather and the steadier rain pattern, pests of all kinds are desperately searching for a warm shelter. Many of them overwinter in various life stages, and some species even go into hibernation in their hives or nests to conserve energy for the spring. Unfortunately, our cozy homes are the perfect solutions for cold pests. But Green’s experienced technicians know all of the common hiding spots of various pests, and we are happy to provide inspections and treatments in order to keep you pest-free year round. Contact us for a free quote and to learn how our eco-friendly treatments are the only game-winning strategies you need!

Citations

Fallstrom, R.B. (2011, August 23). Bugs badgering ballplayers just part of the game. The Eagle Tribune. Available at https://www.eagletribune.com/sports/bugs-badgering-ballplayers-just-part-of-the-game/article_70c4c1ee-a571-509f-9890-5f539430e8d6.html (Accessed on October 21, 2022).

Hoch, B. (2022, October 15). ‘This ain’t normal’: When midges descended on Yanks in Cleveland. MLB. Available at https://www.mlb.com/news/joba-chamberlain-recalls-infamous-bug-game-in-cleveland (Accessed on October 21, 2022).

Kelly, M. (2016, October 21). Cubs’ long history of ‘curses.’ MLB. Available at https://www.mlb.com/news/chicago-cubs-history-of-curses-c206838320 (Accessed on October 24, 2022).

Pierce, T. (2009, August 22). Bees attend the Dodgers vs. Cubs game. Los Angeles Times. Available at https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/la-unleashed/story/2009-08-22/bees-attend-the-dodgers-vs-cubs-game (Accessed on October 21, 2022).

Tayler, J. & Keith, T. (n.d.). Through the years: Chicago Cubs. Sports Illustrated. Available at https://www.si.com/longform/timeline/chicago-cubs-history/index.html (Accessed on October 24, 2022).

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