Wednesday's game between the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays was stopped in the bottom of the first because of a "drone delay." After the second base umpire pointed to something in the sky and motioned for teams to leave the field, the cameras picked up an identifiable flying object hovering over the field during the game.
Luke Voit was up to bat on a 1-1 count with one out when the game was temporarily delayed.
Drone delay at Yankee Stadium pic.twitter.com/TlehcHApRb
— CJ Fogler #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) September 2, 2020
Given that this has been a rather unconventional baseball season, it should come as no surprise that this is not the first time this kind of delay has happened in 2020. The first came in a Twins-Pirates game in early August, and the second happened just a week later in a game between the Red Sox and Rays -- meaning that Tampa Bay has been subject to two of these kinds of delays. It's likely that these are a result of fans not being allowed in ballparks this season due to coronavirus restrictions.
save your artsy drone footage of Minneapolis for after the game, please.#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/EAYUjjqv5s
— FOX Sports North (@fsnorth) August 4, 2020
BREAKING: Red Sox, Boston Police and FAA investigating a drone flying over Fenway Park during tonight's Sox game. video via @ChrisObrienMA pic.twitter.com/aWCAp5crVa
— WBZ | CBS Boston News (@wbz) April 12, 2019
This move isn't just a hazard for those on the field, it's actually outright illegal. The Federal Aviation Administration's rules state that drones and other "unmanned aircraft systems" are prohibited from flying within a radius of three nautical miles of any MLB stadium starting one hour before a game's scheduled start and ending one hour after the game's end. This isn't just exclusive to baseball, as it also applies to NFL games, top-tier NCAA football games and auto racing events.
The game resumed just a few minutes after.
Ok the game is resuming. No idea if the drone is gone. At least upload the footage, you disruptive dope.
— Lindsey Adler (@lindseyadler) September 2, 2020