With the MLB season underway and the Blue Jays set to play their first game tonight in Tampa Bay, the Blue Jays finally have a home stadium. They announced today in a statement that they will play majority of their games at Sahlen field the home of their Triple-A affiliate the Buffalo Bisons.
After receiving permission from the Canadian Government to host Spring Training 2.0 games at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. The team then had to seek permission to host other baseball clubs in Toronto for the Regular season.
Unlike the NHL and NBA’s plans for a return to play amid the COVID-19 pandemic, MLB teams will still travel from city to city to play games. Although the Blue Jays received approval from the City of Toronto and the Ontario government. The federal government had the final say and rejected the team’s plans to use the Rogers Centre as their home field.
“Regular season games would require repeated cross-border travel of Blue Jays players and staff, as well as opposing teams into and out of Canada. Of particular concern, the Toronto Blue Jays would be required to play in locations where the risk of virus transmission remains high,” Said Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marco Mendicino.
After being denied by the federal government. The Blue Jays looked at using their spring training facility in Dunedin. However, with COVID cases in Florida rising they then turned to the idea of sharing a ballpark with another team.
After plans to play in Pittsburgh fell apart yesterday the Blue Jays announced today they will be playing majority of their home games in Buffalo this year.
Blue Jays To Stage Majority Of 2020 Home Games In Buffalo. pic.twitter.com/BxlV7cgieJ
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 24, 2020
The Tweet by the Blue Jays says that the majority of 2020 home games will be played in Buffalo. The facilities in Buffalo are still undergoing upgrades in order to accommodate the players and meet Major League Baseballs COVID-19 health guidelines. As a result, the ballpark may not be ready for July 29, when the Blue Jays are set to host the Washington Nationals. If the park isn’t ready the teams will play in Washington instead. The Blue Jays hope to have the stadium ready by July 31, when they are set to host the Philidelphia Phillies.
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