On the eve of opening day, the Toronto Blue Jays are still looking for their new home for the 2020 season.
After the Canadian government denied the team’s approval request to play at Toronto’s Rogers Center due to concerns about teams crossing the border amid the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), the club received approval to play most of his local games at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, but the plan was rejected by the Pennsylvania state government and the Pennsylvania Department of Health, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
“Adding travelers to this region for any reason, including for professional sporting events, risks residents, visitors and members of both teams,” Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said in a statement to the Associated Press.
Now, the Blue Jays will continue to explore other options, including traveling to each scheduled opponent’s city and playing as the home team, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney. Initially, the club had considered playing its games at home at its Triple-A affiliated stadium in Buffalo, New York, its spring training stadium in Dunedin, Florida. and Camden Yards, home of the Orioles in Baltimore, Maryland. There were concerns about the ballpark adjustments that would be necessary in Buffalo and Florida’s continued COVID-19 surge for their spring training site.
The Blue Jays will begin their 2020 season on Friday at Tropicana Field to face the Tampa Bay Rays. Toronto’s first “home” game is scheduled for July 29. In the league’s new geographic calendar for this season, teams will not venture outside of their “regions” in an effort to contain additional exposure to COVID-19.
Each MLB team will play 40 of their 60 games against opponents from their own division, so the Blue Jays and Pirates will play 10 games against their rivals AL East and NL Central, respectively. Then the remaining 20 games will be those of the corresponding geographic division of the opposing league, which means AL East will face NL East; NL Central will face AL Central. The 2020 MLB postseason will maintain its 10-team format, with two Wild Card teams from each league.
While the 2020 MLB schedule is set, and the teams are nearly complete with their second round of spring training, there are still five off-field questions facing the league in this shortened 60-game season. Meanwhile, the CBS Sports MLB staff has made their choice for divisions, World Series, MVP, Cy Young Awards, and more.
