Umpire Stops Baseball Game to Pull Live Moth Out of Ear With Tweezers

A Major League Baseball umpire had a very unexpected visitor stay in his ear. 

Second base umpire Bruce Dreckman walked off the field during Wednesday night's Chicago White Sox-New York Yankees game at Guaranteed Rate Field after a moth flew in his ear. 

Dreckman headed to the dugout, where the Yankees’ athletic trainer initially used a cotton swab to poke around Dreckman's ear. But he was unsuccessful. So the umpire took matters into his own hands, reaching in with a pair of tweezers and pulling out the moth. 

Ear, nose and throat specialist Dr. Guy Lin said the umpire handled the situation with remarkable aplomb.

"If you can see the insect and you can easily grab it, I would recommend trying to extract it. If you are having to dig deep for something you can’t see, I don’t recommend using forceps," he said. 

Dr. Lin added that using a cotton swab should be avoided because it could push the insect in further and puncture the eardrum. 

RELATED STORIES