Schedule fair to Jays, says MLB commissioner
‘Somebody had to play early,’ Manfred says
TORONTO • Rob Manfred doesn’t think the Toronto Blue Jays are getting any unfair treatment in the post-season.
The Major League Baseball commissioner spoke with media on Friday ahead of Game 2 of the American League Division Series between the Blue Jays and Texas Rangers in Toronto.
Game 1 of the series started at 3:45 p.m. local time on Thursday, while Game 2 was scheduled to start at 12:45 p.m., the first of four playoff games on Friday.
“We scheduled the games taking in to account a variety of factors,” said Manfred on the field at Rogers Centre. “Broadcast ratings are a part of it. But Toronto’s going to play in the prime-time spot on Sunday night so it obviously not dictated by broadcast concerns.
“Somebody had to play early today. We’ve got four games today, three-hour windows. Someone’s got to play in that early slot.”
As Manfred spoke in front of the visitors’ dugout Blue Jays fans heckled him, shouting “Everyone loves afternoon baseball on a weekday!” and “Why didn’t you go with a 10 a.m. start?”
Some Toronto fans had also been critical of MLB’s decision to keep the dome at Rogers Centre closed for both of the Blue Jays home games.
The Jays were 38-14 in the regular season with the roof open and 11-14 when the roof was closed. Toronto lost Game 1 of the series 5-3 with the dome closed. They were 4-0 when the roof was closed midway through a game.
“I can tell you about today,” said Manfred. “The forecast was that the temperature was going to continue to decline probably down to around 14 degrees at some point in the game. We’re supposed to have pretty high winds.
“Our thinking was why play in less than ideal conditions?”
Manfred was repeatedly asked about the prospect of Montreal getting a team, either through expansion or relocation. He said that no progress had been made since he met with Mayor Denis Coderre in May.
“I’ve been positive about the idea that Montreal is a viable major league market,” said Manfred on Friday. “I think I’ve been clear about what needs to be done there. It is a process that takes some time.”
The Blue Jays’ surge in to the post-season and the renewed interest in baseball across Canada has caught Manfred ’s attention. He doesn’t just see it as good for the league, but good for the sport in general.
“I think about it as great for baseball,” said Manfred. “I look at the success that Toronto had on the field, but maybe more important, I think their broadcast average of 1.6 million in the month of September clearly got the whole country engaged and it’s really good for the growth of the game.”