10/05/2007 • 6 views
Midges Interrupt Game as Swarm Descends on Yankees' Joba Chamberlain
During the October 5, 2007 AL Division Series, a cloud of midges swarmed the mound and briefly disrupted New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain’s warmup and inning, drawing attention amid the postseason game.
Midges are tiny, non-biting flies often found near bodies of water and in humid conditions; they can appear in large numbers and are primarily a nuisance rather than a hazard. In this instance the swarm was notable because postseason games receive heightened attention and because the insects were visible on camera and drew on-air commentary. Photographs and video from the game capture dark specks in the air around the pitching area and on the field grass. Players sometimes brushed at them or adjusted their caps and uniforms as they moved.
There is no indication in contemporaneous reporting that the swarm caused any injury or materially altered the course of the game. Chamberlain continued to pitch, and the game proceeded without significant delay. Postseason box scores, play-by-play records and team reports do not list an official stoppage of play or a rules-related ruling tied to insects. Coverage focused on the oddity of the moment and the visual impression of the swarm during a high-profile game rather than on any competitive impact.
Accounts of the October 5 game place the event clearly in the 2007 ALDS context; the detail of a midge or insect swarm was recorded by multiple media outlets at the time. Because reports relied on visual observation, descriptions vary slightly — some accounts refer more generically to "insects" or "bugs," while others identify them specifically as midges based on their appearance and behavior. That identification is plausible given regional insect activity in early October near Lake Erie, but precise entomological confirmation from the scene was not made a matter of public record.
The incident has endured in sportswriting and baseball lore as an example of how unexpected, non-sporting phenomena can intrude on a game day. It is remembered mainly as an odd visual moment from the 2007 postseason rather than as a turning point in the series. No official protest, weather delay attribution, or rule change resulted from the swarm.
This summary relies on contemporary news reports and game records from October 5, 2007, which document the presence of flying insects during the Yankees–Indians ALDS game and note Joba Chamberlain’s involvement on the mound when the swarm occurred. Where identification of the insects as midges appears in reports, it reflects observers’ descriptions rather than laboratory confirmation.