Blue Jays: Pitch to boost late-season crowds awaits approval

The Blue Jays are hoping to boost fan support for their final homestand of the regular season, as well as a potential playoff run.

The club announced Thursday it is working with provincial health officials on increasing ballpark capacity, in line with all public health protocols. Additional tickets will be sold for the final six home games.

If greater capacity isn’t approved in time, “impacted ticket purchasers will be directly notified of their ticket cancellation and issued a refund via their original method of payment,” according to the Jays.

The Jays returned to the Rogers Centre on July 30, 670 days after their true home game because of border restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The team has since been playing in front of up to 15,000 fans, under Step 3 of Ontario’s recovery plan.

“The Blue Jays are in the final days of a heated post-season wild-card race and need fan support more than ever to create the home-field advantage that our fans and team deserve down the stretch,” the team said in a statement.

Heading into Thursday night, the Jays were a half-game behind the New York Yankees for the second wild-card spot in the American League with a little more than a week left in the season.

The Jays are expected to release extra seats in the 100 and 200 levels and open up sections in the 500 level, with tickets there starting at $15. The Rogers Centre is not expected to return to full capacity, but the extra seats could represent a significant bump in crowd size. Physically-distanced pod seating will still be available on all three levels.

Proof of full COVID-19 vaccination is now required for all fans ages 12 and older entering the Rogers Centre. A negative COVID-19 test is no longer acceptable, except for those with a doctor’s note indicating they have a medical exemption.

As for when a firm decision on crowd size will be made, Ministry of Health spokesperson Alexandra Hilkene said in an email Thursday that Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Kieran Moore, will provide an update on recommended capacity limits in settings where proof of vaccination is required once they are finalized and approved by cabinet.

The Jays play the New York Yankees at the Rogers Centre next Tuesday to Thursday, then the Baltimore Orioles from Oct. 1 to Oct. 3, closing out the regular season.