Home(?) at last

Sahlen Field hosts historic ballgame

Baseball’s nomadic Toronto Blue Jays finally go home ... to Buffalo.

It took a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic; bans from playing in Canada, Pittsburgh and Maryland; millions of dollars; and lighting borrowed from the “Field of Dreams” for Buffalo to host its first big league baseball game in more than a century.

Sahlen Field officially became the new home away from home for the Toronto Blue Jays when starter Hyun-Jin Ryu went six innings backed by a three-run homer by shortstop Bo Bichette for a 5-4 win in 10 innings against Miami. It was the first major league game in Buffalo since 1915, when the Buffalo Blues were in the Federal League.

The changes at Sahlen Field, the home ballpark of Toronto’s Class AAA affiliate since 2013, were evident. The “Green Monster” color that adorned most of the ballpark is all but a distant memory, with most areas now decked out with Blue Jays logos and padded and painted in Jays blue.

“What they did to brand it and make it feel like the Toronto Blue Jays’ home … and it really is,” general manager Ross Atkins said. “It’s kind of jaw-dropping to see the difference.”

Indians

Cleveland went a step further than just putting Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac into quarantine. They’ve been sent away from the team, and it’s not known when they’ll be back. Cleveland placed the two starting pitchers on the restricted list after the right-handers broke team rules and MLB protocols by leaving their hotel in Chicago last weekend and risking exposure to the COVID-19 virus.

Cardinals

While St. Louis waits and test and test again, the league has mapped a route back to the field for the team and started rearranging games so that even if they don’t play a complete season, they can play what commissioner Rob Manfred called a “credible” one. “I absolutely see a path back for the Cardinals,” Manfred said. “That is dependent on getting enough days with no positives that we’re comfortable that we don’t have any contagion risk. But 100% I see a path back.”

Astros

Houston hitting coach Alex Cintron received a 20game suspension and a fine for his role in a benchesclearing brawl at Oakland, while Athletics outfielder Ramon Laureano was given a six-game suspension and a fine. Cintron’s suspension is the longest for an on-field transgression in 15 years.