Montreal Gazette

PITTSBURGH READY, WILLING TO OPEN ARMS TO BLUE JAYS

PNC Park emerging as possible host venue for Toronto, but other cities remain in mix

- ROB LONGLEY rlongley@postmedia.com

You don’t have to convince Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo of the benefits of playing baseball in Pittsburgh.

A lifelong admirer of fellow Puerto Rican native Roberto Clemente, Montoyo has an overflowin­g collection of T-shirts honouring the late, great Pirates star.

But playing games at PNC Park, the terrific stadium not far from the Roberto Clemente Bridge, appears to be getting closer to a reality for Montoyo’s club.

While Jays general manager Ross Atkins said there are as many as five serious options for the team, the Pirates appear to be the front-runner after figurative­ly opening the doors to the displaced Canadian team on Monday.

Pirates president Travis Williams confirmed what Postmedia reported on Sunday — that the Jays are seriously eyeing the Steel City to host the majority of its 30 “home” games after the federal government nixed plans to have them at Rogers Centre.

And Williams is already welcoming the Jays — for the good of the game and the city.

“In an effort to help in the return of the game we all love, we continue to have active discussion­s with MLB and the Toronto Blue Jays regarding the possibilit­y of hosting games at PNC Park,” Williams said in a statement. “If we are able to safely accommodat­e, not only will it bring additional internatio­nal attention to our city, it will also bring with it jobs and revenue for local hotels, restaurant­s and other businesses.”

While Williams’ comments were carefully and enthusiast­ically worded, they may speak volumes. MLB commission­er Rob Manfred has been heavily involved in the negotiatio­ns, a necessity given the urgency of the situation. The fact that the Pirates are endorsing the idea of the Jays sharing the stadium also suggests all parties believe proper safety precaution­s and social distancing can take place.

“This will be a monumental challenge for our staff, but leaning in to help others is what Pittsburgh­ers do best,” Williams said.

Atkins wasn’t ready to tip his hand when Zoom scrumming with the Toronto media about an hour before Williams released his comments. It was clear, however, that the Jays seriously favour getting into a major league stadium.

“We are working very hard with Major League Baseball to come up with the most viable, realistic, safe options for our team,” Atkins said. “There are several scenarios. Obviously, it is evolving as a moving target. We want to make sure we have health and safety as a priority. The players’ feedback and perspectiv­e is exceptiona­lly important to us.”

Atkins wouldn’t shut the door on Buffalo’s Sahlen Field — in fact, he named it as the team’s top minor league option. But the fact that players’ feedback means so much suggests that venues such as PNC Park will remain a priority. The team is looking at other MLB stadiums on a shared basis as well, various plans that could include games being played in Baltimore and D.C.

“We are very confident we are going to be able to have a very good solution for our players,” Atkins said. “All things being equal, we would much rather be in a major-league facility. We just have to weigh that with what that means in the world of a pandemic.”

Schedule wise, the Pittsburgh option is an attractive one. If the Jays remain in D.C. and play four games against the Nationals next week — two as the visiting team and two as the “home” team — only five Toronto home dates would remain in conflict with the Pirates.

One would imagine that the prospects of the Steel City playing host to the Jays have been enhanced by Williams’ words.

“That’s encouragin­g that they feel that way about us coming,” Montoyo said. “That’s just great news. That’s a beautiful ballpark.”

CAN NATE BE GREAT?

Fenway Park will be all but empty for exhibition games between the Jays and Boston Red Sox, but what a night Tuesday could be for Jays top pitching prospect Nate Pearson.

His first game action in a big league park will lead to the inevitable questions, however, especially if Red Sox batters are blown away by Pearson’s tripledigi­t heat. While it’s widely expected that Pearson won’t start the season on the big league roster as the Jays manipulate his service time, Montoyo hinted otherwise on Monday.

“Like everybody else’s,” Montoyo said when asked what Pearson’s chances of sticking with the team would be. “We’ll see how we are when we’re done in Boston.”

The two Fenway dates certainly could influence the makeup of the season-opening rotation. Following Pearson’s three-plus innings of work on Tuesday will be left-hander Ryan Borucki while righty Trent Thornton gets the call on Wednesday.

So far, Montoyo will only name the top two arms in his rotation. Free-agent acquisitio­n Hyun Jin-ryu will get things started on Friday followed by Matt Shoemaker in Saturday’s second game against the Tampa Bay Rays at the Trop. And just to add to the speculativ­e fun, Montoyo said Sunday’s series finale is TBA, an open date that happens to land exactly five days after Pearson’s start in Boston.

BAGS PACKED

The Jays departed Rogers Centre on Monday afternoon with an uncertain itinerary. All that was known as the players headed to Pearson airport for their charter flight was that the itinerary would include Boston, Tampa and Washington, D.C.

So how does a profession­al baseball player pack for such uncertaint­y?

“Right now in our locker we have a road bag and a home bag,” infielder Joe Panik said. “I don’t know where the home bag is going. I’m almost living two months of a hotel ... Whatever it’s going to be I’m almost treating it like two months on the road, whatever it’s going to be.”

 ?? JUSTIN BERL/GETTY IMAGES ?? PNC Park in Pittsburgh is one possible summer home for the Toronto Blue Jays, who are still discussing their options with Major League Baseball.
JUSTIN BERL/GETTY IMAGES PNC Park in Pittsburgh is one possible summer home for the Toronto Blue Jays, who are still discussing their options with Major League Baseball.
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