San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
BLUE JAYS CAN’T PLAY IN TORONTO
The Blue Jays won’t play their home games in Toronto this year because Canada’s government doesn’t think it’s safe for players to travel back and forth from the United States, one of the countries hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic.
Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said Saturday the federal government had denied the Blue Jays’ request to play at Rogers Centre, confirming what an official familiar with the matter had told The Associated Press ahead of the announcement.
The team had been given clearance by city and provincial governments to play in its home stadium and was awaiting approval from Canada’s federal government. The other 29 Major League Baseball teams plan to play in their home ballparks, without spectators, when the pandemic-shortened 60game season begins on July 23.
Mendicino told The AP frequent travel to the U.S., where COVID-19 cases are surging, was the biggest issue.
“There were serious risks if we proceeded with the regular-season proposal of the MLB and the Jays and therefore we concluded it was not in the national interest,” Mendicino said.
The Blue Jays were informed via a phone call. The team’s alternate sites for home games include its training facility in Dunedin, Fla., which is among the states that are virus hotspots, as well as Sahlen Field in Buffalo, N.Y., which is home to Toronto’s Triple-a affiliate and just across the Niagara River from Canada.
Blue Jays President Mark Shapiro said player health is a concern in Florida. He said the team has spent more time examining Buffalo in recent days but said the stadium has infrastructure challenges. A lack of space in the clubhouse makes social distancing difficult, but Shapiro said some players could have their lockers set up in suites. Sahlen Field also needs upgrades to its field lights and its training facilities, he said.
“Dunedin is the only one that is 100 percent seamless right now and ready to go. That from a player-health standpoint has some challenges,“Shapiro said. “Buffalo is certainly one that we’ve spent an increasing amount of time on in the past few weeks. That is not done. There are some infrastructure and player-facility challenges to get that up to major league standards. And then we have other alternatives that are real that we continue to work through that may be better for us.”
He declined to say what other sites they are considering.
He said they would look to improve batting cages, weight rooms and training rooms in Buffalo if it is picked.
“Buffalo is the place we’ve spent the most time on in the last 10 days,” Shapiro said. “There is a lot we have to do. Some of it might get done after we start playing but I’m confident Buffalo is a viable alternative. With the amount of resources that we would marshal if we focused solely on Buffalo we can make it what it needs to be for us in time to play games.”
The Blue Jays are scheduled to start the season Friday at Tampa Bay. Their home opener was set for five days later against Washington.
Exhibitions
Exhibition games in Washington, New York and Pittsburgh on Saturday gave MLB its first look at coronavirus-era games — cardboard cutouts for fans, sound effects for crowds and more. Still, for clubs limited to practices and intrasquads in their own ballparks for the past two weeks, Saturday stood as an important mile marker as the sport tries to start a shortened 60-game season next Thursday amid a pandemic.
Bryce Harper and a mask-wearking Didi Gregorius homered for the Phillies off Washington starter Max Scherzer. Philadelphia won 7-2.
Pittsburgh starter Joe Musgrove (Grossmont High) tossed three scoreless innings vs. Cleveland in his final tune-up before getting the ball on opening day in St. Louis next Friday. Musgrove struck out five against one hit and one walk. Cleveland won 5-3 with four in the eighth.
The Yankees defeated the Mets 9-3 at Citi Field. Clint Frazier homered for the visitors. Michael King went four innings for the Yanks, allowing one run. Rick Porcello (five innings, three runs) took the loss.
Notable
Yankees second baseman DJ Lemahieu isn’t sure if he’ll be ready for Thursday’s season opener after missing much of preseason camp because of a positive coronavirus test, and third baseman Gio Urshela’s status is unclear after he was hurt during warmups before the exhibition game.
Also, suspended Yankees right-hander Domingo German says he is not retiring from baseball and apologized for suggesting as much in an Instagram post a night earlier.
Tigers pitcher Jordan Zimmermann is going on the 45-day injured list because of a strained right forearm