Blue Jays set to host 15,000 fans in return to Toronto: Shapiro
Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro has a greater appreciation for what Toronto means to his team after being forced to spend nearly two years away.
"Home is Toronto and home is Canada, for our organization and for our players," he said on a video call Saturday. "It's more crystal clear than it ever has been."
The Jays are finally set to return to Toronto after the federal government granted the club a national interest travel exemption Friday. The move will allow the team to host games at Rogers Centre starting on July 30.
Shapiro said the team has also received approval to treat the stadium as an outdoor venue and allow up to 15,000 fans at games, about 30 per cent of the stadium's 49,286-person capacity. He said the retractable roof will be open as long as the weather allows, and additional measures have been taken to ensure proper ventilation.
The stadium has also undergone renovations, including new turf, a new sound system, new batting cages and cosmetic changes to the 100-level concourse.
The Jays last played at Rogers Centre on Sept. 29, 2019 when they closed out the season with an 8-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
The ensuing 670 days haven't been easy, Shapiro said.
"It's been an incredibly challenging at times last year-and-a-half, two years," he said. "But one that I think is going to be an important part of who we are as a team and an organization going forward."
The Jays played last season's 60-game condensed schedule out of Buffalo, N.Y., and started this year's campaign in Dunedin, Fla., before relocating to Buffalo.
While the team has missed playing a "true home game," the experience has strengthened ties with the community that's home to the club's triple-A affiliate, Shapiro said.
"We're going to leave (Buffalo), I think, having built a bond with the fans here that we have never had before to this level," he said. "We're going to leave here knowing that the player development conditions here are better than they've ever been and knowing that the roots of a long-term relationship have been reinforced, cemented and will have greater meaning, historic meaning, than they've ever had in the past."
Players and staff alike are looking forward to being back in Toronto, Shapiro said, even if it means moving for the second time this season.
"I think about Marcus Semien, Hyun Jin Ryu, George Springer, players who made a decision to come to the Toronto Blue Jays and Toronto was a big part of that decision, Canada was a big part of that decision. And yet, they've never played a game as a hometown player in Rogers Centre. So there's a lot of excitement," he said.
Settling back into Toronto and playing in front of hometown fans again will be a boost for the team as it strives to clinch a playoff spot, Shapiro said.
The Jays currently sit third in the AL East with a 46-42 record.
A deep post-season run would be an ideal way to cap two difficult seasons, Shapiro said.
"How incredible would it be to think about the journey that we've experienced -- the uncertainty of last season, playing a 60-game season in Buffalo, playing in three different homes for this season, and finally getting back to the place we all believe in and care about and feel a bond and tied to -- to end that with the last game would be maybe one of the greatest baseball stories ever written?" he said. "That's certainly a story I'd like to be a part of."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 17, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.