'We're just excited to be here': Fans flock to Rogers Centre for Blue Jays' return
A sea of blue jerseys and T-shirts welcomed the Toronto Blue Jays back to the Rogers Centre on Friday as fans flocked to see the team play at home for the first time in nearly two years.
The crowd that lined up outside the stadium was abuzz with excitement, with many saying the Jays' return -- and the ability to watch them in person -- felt like a step towards normalcy in the midst the COVID-19 pandemic, even though many wore masks.
“I think it's important that these kind of games are back, it really builds morale,” said Sam Guyatt, 40, who attended Friday's game with his wife and two children.
Jessica Smith said she and her friends were “super excited” to see the Jays play on home turf, where they were hosting the Kansas City Royals on Friday.
“It really feels like we're back in Toronto again,” she said.
Joanne Aprile said her family has been going to Jays games for about a decade, noting her 10-year-old son, John, went to his first game when he was two and has become an ardent fan. It was important for him to be there for the team's return, she added.
“Getting tickets was a bit hard this time due to high demand but we're just excited to be here,” she said.
The Jays were allowed to come back to Toronto after the federal government granted them a national interest travel exemption.
The team hasn't played at Rogers Centre since September 2019 because of pandemic measures, including the ban on travel between the U.S. and Canada.
The team kicked off this season hosting home games at its spring training site in Dunedin, Fla., before returning to the home of their triple-A affiliate earlier this summer.
The stadium remains under capacity restrictions, however, and team officials have said it can only accommodate about one-third of its usual maximum at this time.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
Boeing is on the verge of launching astronauts aboard new capsule, the newest entry to space travel
It’s the first flight of Boeing’s Starliner capsule with a crew on board, a pair of NASA pilots who will check out the spacecraft during the test drive and a weeklong stay at the space station.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.