Drone delay? Dodgers vs. Rockies briefly halted when drone buzzes Dodger Stadium

The Dodgers’ 10-6 win over the Colorado Rockies on Friday was delayed in the bottom of the second inning because of what appeared to be a drone flying over Dodger Stadium.

With Joc Pederson at the plate in a 1-1 game, a stadium security guard came running onto the field to stop play, directing the umpires’ attention toward the sky as a small object flew overhead. Both teams were ordered to clear the field for a couple minutes until the object flew away. Play then resumed as normal.

Friday’s incident was not the first drone-caused delay to happen in an MLB game this season. Earlier this week, a game between the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays was briefly delayed at Yankee Stadium because of a similar situation. Drone-related disruptions occurred during August games in Minnesota and Boston as well.

The drone at Dodger Stadium on Friday appeared to be flying at an altitude well above the upper deck. Camera shots caught some Dodger players, including Clayton Kershaw, straining to even see it.

Kiké Hernández was doing an in-game interview with SportsNet LA when the game was halted.

“It seems like we’ve got a little bit of a situation with a drone here,” he said looking skyward. When the delay ended, Hernández joked the drone might have been Cincinnati Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer “doing some scouting” for a potential postseason matchup with the Dodgers.

Rockies pitcher Antonio Senzatela was allowed several warm-up tosses before the game began again, then retired the side with a double-play groundout from Pederson and a strikeout of Chris Taylor.