Jays vs. Red Sox for two games at Big O
‘Montreal is a serious contender to get back the Expos one day’
Montreal baseball fans will get to see one of baseball’s most prolific hitters next spring as the Boston Red Sox come to town to take on the Toronto Blue Jays at Olympic Stadium.
And with all due respect to the big bats on the Blue Jays, Red Sox slugger David Ortiz — and many of his teammates — are also likely to be a huge draw.
The games, which are put on by promoter Evenko, will be held at the end of spring training, April 1 and 2. Tickets will go on sale at noon on Sept. 26 and range from $24 to $99.50.
The pre-season games at the Olympic Stadium over the past two years drew near-capacity crowds at the former home of the Expos until their departure for Washington after the 2004 season. This spring, the Blue Jays played two games against the Cincinnati Reds in Montreal and attracted a combined 96,000 fans over two games, 195 more than for the two exhibition games held at the Big O in 2014. That year, the Blue Jays played the New York Mets.
“I can’t tell you how thrilled I am for the third time to be able to say that baseball is coming back to Montreal at the end of our spring training,” said Blue Jays president and CEO Paul Beeston on a conference call on Friday.
“We are coming back with a smile on our face for the way the city of Montreal, the province of Quebec welcomed the Toronto Blue Jays. We know that baseball is big in Montreal and I think that this just demonstrates the possibility of having baseball back in Montreal at some point in time.”
Beeston added that the Blue Jays would be bringing their best players to Olympic Stadium, which was echoed by Sam Kennedy, the executive vice-president and COO of the Red Sox.
“We are very aware of the great tradition in Montreal and its connection to baseball, and we are excited to play a small part in that,” he said. “We look forward to seeing everyone in early April in Montreal.”
Mayor Denis Coderre, who has been vocal about his dream to see the Expos return to Montreal, believes the Red Sox coming to town shows that the city is taken seriously by Major League Baseball.
“It is clearly a very strong message that you have the major teams of Major League Baseball who want to come to Montreal, so I am totally delighted,” Coderre said.
“Montreal is a serious contender to get back the Expos one day and I think that by showing again, like we have been doing in the last two years, that we are serious about it” can only help the cause, he said.
Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos, who got his start in Major League Baseball working for the Expos, said he is thrilled that the Blue Jays will face the Red Sox in Montreal, his hometown.
“This is near and dear to my heart having grown up there. Each year it continues to improve and the spotlight continues to be on Canadian baseball, first and foremost, but obviously on the city of Montreal,” he said. “Hopefully, this will continue to generate some momentum to get a team back.”
He believes the Red Sox will be an exciting attraction for fans in Montreal, and said teams love coming to the city.
“There are teams that call us every year and that want to be a part of this. Everyone around the major leagues talks about the great experience they had during the weekend in Montreal,” Anthopoulos said.
Beeston expressed his hope that one day, the Blue Jays will play another team in Montreal.
“Our players enjoy it. It has now become a bit of a tradition. We would love to play another team, called the Montreal Expos, at some point in time,” he said.
Kennedy said the fan support shown in the past two years hasn’t gone unnoticed in baseball circles.
“We are incredibly impressed with the city of Montreal. To draw nearly 100,000 fans for each of these exhibition series is quite an accomplishment,” he said. “The best way to continue to demonstrate the viability of the market would be for the fans to come out and support these games.”
Coderre said he had hoped to get regular-season games in Montreal in 2016, but those negotiations with certain teams didn’t bear fruit.
However, he believes the city is still on Major League Baseball’s radar.
“Our game plan is working well. The fact that we have the Red Sox … is good news,” Coderre said, adding that maybe they could invite former Expos and Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez to the game to celebrate his admission to the Baseball Hall of Fame. “We will show that Montreal is a baseball town.”