Jul 11, 2020
Report: Jays re-examining BUF as 2020 home
The Buffalo News' Mike Harrington reports the Blue Jays are re-examining the possibility of playing home games at Buffalo's Sahlen Field, the same stadium used by the triple-A affiliate Buffalo Bisons.
TSN.ca Staff
There is less than two weeks to the beginning of the 2020 Major League Baseball season and the Toronto Blue Jays still do not have an official home park.
According to Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News, desperation is growing.
Harrington reports the Blue Jays are re-examining the possibility of playing home games at Buffalo's Sahlen Field, the same stadium used by the triple-A affiliate Buffalo Bisons.
Per @ByMHarrington, #BlueJays have started reexamining the possibility of playing home games in Buffalo at Sahlen Field.
— Scott Mitchell (@ScottyMitchTSN) July 11, 2020
Previously, they felt infrastructure wasn’t up to par, but it’s pretty clear no situation is going to be perfect.
"Previously, they felt infrastructure wasn't up to par, but it's pretty clear no situation is going to be perfect," tweeted TSN Blue Jays reporter Scott Mitchell in reference to Harrington's report.
The Jays, who returned to Toronto earlier this week to conduct training camp at Rogers Centre, have been clear about their preference to play their home games there. But given the constant trips back and forth across the border for road games, no agreement has been reached with government yet to allow the Jays to play in Toronto.
Harrington adds that since the minor league baseball season was cancelled last month, Bisons officials have been focused on hosting Toronto's taxi squad for players not with the club at Sahlen Field. So it appears Buffalo will be used by the Jays regardless, but the manner is still up in the air.
Harrington reports the lighting at Sahlen Field is also not up to MLB standards and logistical upgrades would need to happen for the Jays to call Buffalo home.
Toronto's first home game of 2020 is currently scheduled for July 29 as the Jays will host the defending-World Series champion Washington Nationals. The Nats will open the 2020 season six days earlier in D.C. against the New York Yankees.