With the Major League Baseball season officially underway, the Blue Jays have finally found their home base.
While Jays are in Tampa Bay tonight to kick off the shortened 2020 season against the Rays, they’ve officially locked down Sahlen Field in Buffalo to host the “greater part” of their home schedule.
The news comes after a stressful couple of weeks for the near-homeless Jays. After getting bounced out of Ontario by the Canadian government, the Blue Jays had considered playing out of Baltimore after getting rejected by the state of Pennsylvania to play out of PNC Park in Pittsburgh.
See also:
- Hockey fans react to unveiling of Seattle Kraken name and logo
- NHL releases details for Toronto and Edmonton hub city bubbles and games
- Edmonton CFL team to drop ‘Eskimos’ from their name
The Jays will be on more familiar ground in Sahlen Field as it’s the home of the Buffalo Bisons, the Jays’ Triple-A affiliate.
“We are extremely grateful to have a home in Buffalo this season, thanks to the openness, creativity, and partnership of the Buffalo Bisons, Major League Baseball, and Blue Jays staff, who have worked tirelessly to prepare us for games at Sahlen Field,” said Mark Shapiro, President & CEO, Toronto Blue Jays.
“This process has no doubt tested our team’s resilience, but our players and staff refuse to make excuses – we are determined to take the field on Opening Day today, and for the coming months, with the same intensity and competitiveness that our fans expect.”
According to a Blue Jays press release, the team’s first home series versus the defending World Series champs, the Washington Nationals, is scheduled for July 29 and 30. That “home” series will take place on the road to accommodate the “necessary infrastructure modifications at Sahlen Field to meet Major League Baseball standards of play.”
As the timing of said changes at Sahlen Field are finalized, the Blue Jays will either host its first home game in Buffalo on July 31 versus the Philadelphia Phillies, or on August 11 against the Miami Marlins. The club will announce a final decision when more information becomes available.
Blue Jays To Stage Majority Of 2020 Home Games In Buffalo. pic.twitter.com/BxlV7cgieJ
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 24, 2020
While the Jays announced the “majority” of its games will be played out of Buffalo, they haven’t yet released a detailed schedule as to which games will and won’t. Similar to their “home” games in Washington, it can be assumed that the Jays will be given home-field advantage at times while they’re on the road throughout MLB’s 60-game 2020 season.
“Knowing that no matter where we are playing, the Blue Jays will take the field with pride for our fans, city, and country, the way we always have,” concluded the release. “We hope that you will join us in the celebration and cannot wait for the day we return to Rogers Centre.”
The first pitch between the Jays and Rays is scheduled for 6:40 pm tonight at Tropicana Field.
Follow Channels and Categories