Midges season: Former Yankees star warns Tarik Skubal of bug takeover in Cleveland

The Detroit Tigers had a ALDS Game 1 they would like to forget. Manager A.J. Hinch decided to go with a bullpen game, but watched the Cleveland Guardians score five runs in the first inning, paving the way for Detroit's 7-0 loss.

After a day off, the Tigers and Guardians will take part in Game 2 of best of five Division Series. For the Tigers, they will be calling upon ace Tarik Skubal to lead the way. Skubal had a couple of injury scares in Game 1 of Detroit's Wild Card Series against the Houston Astros, but was still dominant on the mound. Now, he will look to silence the bats of Cleveland and tie the series up at one game apiece.

But as Jason Beck of MLB.com points out, there may be a major factor to deal with — it's midges season in Cleveland. Beck showed proof with an image of a midge at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

If there is anyone who knows the impact that midges season can have on a game, look no further than former New York Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain. During his incredible rookie season in 2007, Chamberlain was brought in from the bullpen in the ALDS, but was swarmed by midges. Yankees trainers had to come out to apply bug spray. Chamberlain struggled during his outing, where he surrendered the tying run, setting the stage for Cleveland to walk things off in extra innings to win 2-1 and take a 2-0 series lead.

As it turns out, Chamberlain spotted this tweet from Beck and provided some words of wisdom to Skubal and any pitcher — use dryer sheets or vinegar.

What is midges season in Cleveland?

Midges season is when the insects hatch out of Lake Erie in the late spring and early fall. It usually happens when the water temperatures reach 60-70 degrees. Eggs can be underwater for between one to three years. The lifespan of midges last about five-to-seven days total.

Once air lake temperatures decrease, then the eggs will stop hatching. According to Fox 8, midge swarms could last until late October, but that all depends on the temperatures.

Joba Chamberlain provides advice on dealing with midges

Chamberlain provided further advice, saying that bug spray doesn't help repel midges.

Chamberlain recalled the incident where head athletic trainer Gene Monahan applied bug spray during a 2022 interview with MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.

“I’m trying to throw and then it’s getting worse,” Chamberlain said, h/t Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. “I’m already sweating enough and I keep hitting the bugs. Geno comes out and [umpire] Laz Diaz was behind the plate; as we all know with foreign substances now, technically what Geno was doing was illegal because it gets sticky. But he’s spraying it over everybody, which backfired because they were attracted to the moisture even more.”

When another fan mentioned why the Yankees didn't get pulled from the field, Chamberlain said that it was his call to remain in the game despite the swarm of midges.

In that series, the Yankees went on to lose the ALDS in four games, while Cleveland advanced to the ALCS, where they lost in seven games to the eventual World Series champions, the Boston Red Sox.

We shall see how Skubal does in Cleveland on Monday night. Skubal is going to win the AL Cy Young Award this season, but that's the least of his concerns. He's looking to win a game for the Tigers and tie the series. Just in case the midges become an issue, listen to Chamberlain — dryer sheets and vinegar.