MLB game delayed because DJI Mavic Pro hovered over the field

On Tuesday, a Major League Baseball game between the Twins and Pirates in Minneapolis was delayed for nine minutes when a DJI Mavic Pro flew over the Target Field.

Correction: a previous version of this article said Mavic 2. The drone is a Mavic Pro.

DJI Mavic Pro disrupts MLB game

On Tuesday a Major League Baseball game was disrupted for nine minutes when a drone was spotted over the Target Field. The drone incident took place at the top of the fifth inning with the Twins up 5-1 against the Pirates.

“That was really crazy. I’ve never seen that before,” Berrios told the Washington Post after the game. “In my mind, I said: ‘Really? That has to happen right now when I’m pitching?’ I just tried to keep focused.”

Pitchers in the bullpens tried to take out the drone by throwing baseballs at it, during the delay. In the meantime, umpires conferred with managers and MLB security about how to proceed. After a short while, the drone left and the game was able to continue.

“Definitely a 2020 moment right there,” Twins Manager Rocco Baldelli reportedly said.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) prohibits drones and other ‘unmanned aircraft systems’ 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 rule also applies to NFL games, top-tier NCAA football games, and auto racing events.

“Under FAA rules, Target Field is restricted airspace during a game,” said Matt Hoy, Twins senior vice president of operations. “It was just a small drone, and hopefully just a fan wanting to take pictures, but for security reasons, MLB doesn’t allow any drones around the park.”

save your artsy drone footage of Minneapolis for after the game, please.#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/EAYUjjqv5s

— FOX Sports North (@fsnorth) August 4, 2020

Both the Minneapolis police and the MLB are investigating the drone incident with the DJI Mavic Pro.

Flying drones as a career?

If you want to turn your hobby into your career, practice how to fly your drone safely, and learn what it takes to get your Part 107, be sure to check out the excellent training modules from The Drone U.

Stay in touch!

If you’d like to stay up to date with all the latest drone news, scoops, rumors, and reviews, then follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram or…

Subscribe to our Daily Drone News email.*

Submit tips If you have information or tips that you would like to share with us, feel free to submit them here. Support DroneXL.co: You can support DroneXL.co by using these links when you make your next drone purchase: Adorama, Amazon, B&H, BestBuy, eBay, DJI, Parrot, and Yuneec. We make a small commission when you do so at no additional expense to you. Thank you for helping DroneXL grow! FTC: DroneXL.co uses affiliate links that generate income.

* We do not sell, share, rent out or spam your email, ever. Our email goes out on weekdays around 5:30 p.m.

Photo credit: Star Tribune