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Blue Jays ready to open temporary home in Buffalo as Marlins visit Sahlen Field

Aug 11, 2020 | 4:08 AM

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Toronto Blue Jays are finally ready to open their home away from home.

The Blue Jays will play their first game at Buffalo, N.Y., tonight when they open a two-game series against the Miami Marlins at Sahlen Field.

The Blue Jays were baseball nomads to start the season after the federal government denied them permission to play games at Toronto’s Rogers Centre due to concerns over players travelling in and out of the country from American states ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic.

After stadium-sharing deals with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles didn’t come to fruition, the Blue Jays settled on Sahlen Field as a temporary home base for the shortened 2020 season.

But the home of Toronto’s triple-A affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons, needed some upgrades before being ready for the big leagues, meaning the Blue Jays had to play their scheduled home games in their opposition’s ball park until today.

Toronto enters its home opener with a 5-8 record.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2020.

 

The Canadian Press