Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Team to play in Buffalo
TORONTO — The displaced Toronto Blue Jays will play in a minor league ballpark in Buffalo, N.Y., this year after being turned down 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 the Class AAA affiliate Buffalo Bisons usually play.
The team had been looking for a major league ballpark for its home games after the Canadian government wouldn’t allow it to play in Toronto but the search was unsuccessful. Pennsylvania health officials rejected a deal to play in Pittsburgh because of rising covid-19 cases there.
The team also held talks with the Baltimore Orioles about Camden Yards, but the Blue Jays didn’t want to wait on Maryland officials with their season starting Friday.
The Blue Jays open the season on the road at Tampa Bay. Their first scheduled home series, against the Washington Nationals on July 29 and 30, will now also be on the road to accommodate infrastructure modifications at Sahlen Field to help it meet Major League Baseball standards and covid-19 safety requirements.
The Blue Jays’ first game in Buffalo will be either on July 31 against the Philadelphia Phillies or on Aug. 11 against the Miami Marlins.
The team had also considered playing home games at its training facility in Dunedin, Fla., but that is among the states that are virus hot spots.
Health officials in Canada and Pennsylvania were worried about the frequent travel by players throughout the U.S., one of the countries hit hardest by the pandemic.