TORONTO (AP) – Displaced Toronto Blue Jays will play at a minor league baseball stadium in Buffalo, New York, this year after being rejected by the Canadian government and blocked from playing in Pittsburgh by the state of Pennsylvania.
The Blue Jays’ home for the season will be Sahlen Field, where Triple A Buffalo Bisons generally plays.
The team had been searching for a major league baseball stadium for its home games after the Canadian government did not allow it to play in Toronto, but the search was unsuccessful. Pennsylvania health officials rejected an agreement to play in Pittsburgh due to the increase in COVID-19 cases there.
The team also had talks with the Baltimore Orioles about Camden Yards, but the Blue Jays did not want to wait for Maryland officials with their season beginning Friday.
“Baltimore never came to a situation where we were denied,” Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro said. “At some point, continuing to explore and look for an option like Baltimore would not be a risk we could take. That risk of being rejected certainly existed. And obviously we had to make a decision knowing that we had a very good alternative, although not one of the great ones. leagues. “
The Blue Jays open the season on the road in Tampa Bay. His first scheduled home series, against the Washington Nationals on July 29 and 30, will now also be on the way to accommodate infrastructure modifications at Sahlen Field to help him meet Major League Baseball standards and COVID security requirements. -19.
The Blue Jays’ first game in Buffalo will be July 31 against the Philadelphia Phillies or August 11 against the Miami Marlins.
The team had also considered playing at home at its training facility in Dunedin, Florida, but that’s one of the states that are virus hotspots.
Health officials in Canada and Pennsylvania were concerned about the frequent travel of players across the United States, one of the countries most affected by the pandemic.
General manager Ross Atkins had said his team had more than five contingency plans for a local stadium.
“I am excited that we finally have a place to play. We’re done with that, ”said Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo.
Slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. expects Buffalo Park to favor pitchers because it’s a bigger field than the Rogers Center in Toronto.
“It is going to be different because of the way it is in Toronto compared to Buffalo,” Guerrero said through an interpreter. “There are no fans anyway. We’re just going to play baseball. “
The Blue Jays players made it clear to the office that they wanted to play in a major league park. Outfielder Randal Grichuk had described Buffalo as the “worst case scenario.”
“This process has certainly tested the resilience of our team, but our players and staff refuse to make excuses,” said Shapiro.
Shapiro said that substantial new construction will be required to upgrade Sahlen Field. The locker room should be expanded so that players can practice social distancing. The lights also need to be updated. The team will bear most, if not all, of the costs, he said.
The team also contacted NHL Buffalo Sabers about the use of some of its facilities.
Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer of New York urged Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred this week to choose Buffalo.
“I’ve always been a fan of Bisons and Bills, so I guess I’m going to be a Blue Jays fan now, at least this year,” Schumer said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It seemed very logical that the Blue Jays went to Buffalo for geographic and market reasons. If you want to expand your market, it is great to be in western New York. It’s a good installation. “
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo had told reporters before the announcement that he spoke to Manfred on Friday morning.
“If we can get Toronto to play here, I mean great. We have the protocols in place, it will be done safely,” Cuomo said. “I’d rather it happen here. It’s good for Buffalo.”
At a press conference, Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz donned a Blue Jays cap and T-shirt in anticipation of what he said will be the first major league game to be played in Buffalo since 1885.
The Azulejos and the teams and staff they visit will fill two hotels, Polóncarz said, and the restaurants will serve their food. He told residents not to expect to run into players from the city. “Basically they will be kidnapped and quarantined in hotels,” said Poloncarz.
At a separate press conference at the ballpark, Mike Buczkowski, president of Rich Baseball Operations, which manages the Bisons, said the team will not know when the first game will be played until it evaluates what modifications will be necessary.
“COVID and the protocols and security measures that players must implement challenge us to do so,” Buczkowski said.
“Some of that will take days. Some of this will probably take longer than that. So that’s why we can’t say exactly what day would be the first game we would host here.”
Associated Press writer Carolyn Thompson in Buffalo, New York contributed to this report.
