BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Toronto Blue Jays have been denied approval by the Canadian government to play their home games in Toronto amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report from the Associated Press.
The Toronto Star has reported the Blue Jays will now play their home games in Buffalo at Sahlen Field, the home of their triple-A affiliate Buffalo Bisons, or in Dunedin, Florida at the team's spring training facility.
The team released a statement on Twitter, saying it "is in the process of finalizing the best home location for the remainder of the 2020 season and will share an update as soon as it is available."
#BlueJays Statement On 2020 Season Home: pic.twitter.com/lpXLapRHUD
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 18, 2020
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown and Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz have both welcomed the idea of the Blue Jays coming to Buffalo.
As Mayor of Buffalo, I would love to see the @BlueJays play at Sahlen Field.
— Byron W. Brown (@MayorByronBrown) July 18, 2020
The "Buffalo Blue Jays" sound good to me. Let's find a way to make this happen @BlueJays and @BuffaloBisons .
— Mark Poloncarz (@markpoloncarz) July 18, 2020
Rich Baseball Operations president Mike Buczkowski issued the following statement on behalf of the Bisons:
"The Bisons organization has been in discussion with the Blue Jays for several days about the possibility of hosting Major League games at Sahlen Field this summer. We are continuing to explore the best ways to adapt the available spaces in our ballpark to meet the needs of the Blue Jays," Buczkowski said.
The Blue Jays are set to open their season the road against the Tampa Bay Rays on July 24 and their first home game is slated for July 29 against the defending World Series champion Washington Nationals.
