TORONTO, ON (WBEN) - The Toronto Blue Jays are returning to Buffalo's renovated Sahlen Field beginning with a five-game homestand against the Miami Marlins and Houston Astros.
The move was expected, but official details were finally unveiled on Wednesday. The team has been playing at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Fla. Ontario remains in lockdown amid a third wave of COVID-19, and the Canadian government appears to be in no hurry to ease pandemic border rules for the Blue Jays.
The team announced on their website they will host fans in a limited 24% capacity at Sahlen Field. Tickets for the club's first eight home games vs. the Miami Marlins (June 1 & 2), Houston Astros (June 4 to 6), and New York Yankees (June 15 to 17), go on sale May 13 at 10:00AM. Tickets are sold in pods of up to four seats, with each pod spaced a minimum of six feet apart.
Fans aged three years and older must present proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result (PCR test taken within 72 hours of the day of the game or a rapid test taken within six hours of the scheduled start time). Fans aged two and older are required to wear face coverings at all times.
"The Blue Jays returning to Sahlen Field to once again temporarily play their home games is a testament to the great working relationship the Bisons organization has with our Major League parent club," said President Mike Buczkowski. "The only thing lacking from a successful MLB summer at Sahlen Field in 2020 was the ability to share that experience with our great fans. I know Buffalo is ready to get back to the ballpark and give the Blue Jays a "home-away-from-home" field advantage that will propel them towards another postseason run."
The Blue Jays and Bisons undertook a jointly funded renovation project that will be completed before June 1 including:
Moving the bullpens off the field to behind the outfield walls
New batting cages built beyond right field
Resodding the outfield grass, completing a full field replacement that began with the infield in 2020
New weight room and renovated clubhouse facilities
LED light bulb replacements plus two additional temporary lighting poles
The triple-A Buffalo Bisons, who opened their season out of Trenton, N.J., Tuesday night to accommodate the Blue Jays' expected arrival, won the opener 6-1.
The Blue Jays played home games during the shortened 2020 season in Buffalo and were 17-9 at Sahlen Field. They finished 32-28 to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and were swept in losing twice at eventual AL champion Tampa Bay in the wild-card round.
The Jays are 7-4 in Dunedin this season and 7-10 on the road.
Toronto hopes to return to Rogers Centre at some point this summer.
