Twenty-nine of the 30 teams in Major League Baseball are based in the United States, which is dealing with the world’s worst outbreak during the COVID-19 pandemic. This presents some problems when dealing with the 30th team, the Toronto Blue Jays, which are located in Canada and are in a province (Ontario) that has had a little more than 39,000 identified cases. For reference, nearly 76,000 cases were identified in the U.S. on Friday alone.
As such, our neighbors to the north made the decision that the Blue Jays cannot play their home games in their home city this season. The news was first reported by the Associated Press, and soon after, Canadian Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino issued a statement, citing the fact that teams would come and go from the United States.
BREAKING: AP source says the Blue Jays denied Canadian government approval to play games in Toronto during coronavirus pandemic.
by @rgilliescanada #MLB
https://t.co/Oj1A2socGF— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) July 18, 2020
From Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino’s statement, via @rgilliescanada: pic.twitter.com/Ck3enGNy0G
— John Lott (@JohnCLott1) July 18, 2020
Soon after, the Toronto Star reported that the franchise is headed just over the border for this season, indicating that Buffalo, N.Y. will serve as the Jays’ home this season. Buffalo is the home of the team’s triple-A affiliate, and while the Star notes the facility isn’t perfect, it is able to host high-level baseball.
#Breaking Toronto @BlueJays will play their home games in Buffalo, N.Y. this season after the federal government rejected a plan that would have allowed them to use the Rogers Centre. https://t.co/0zvYeTffGk
— Toronto Star (@TorontoStar) July 18, 2020
The Star reported that the other proposed option was heading to the club’s spring training home of Dunedin, Fla., but of course, there is an inherent risk in heading to a place that has been a COVID-19 hotspot. The Blue Jays’ season begins on July 24, when they head to Tampa Bay to take on the Rays, and their first home tilt is on July 31 against the Philadelphia Phillies.
