“I simply stated, Look, we want to play in a big league ballpark. We feel thats the very best opportunity for us, and he agreed and said, I listened to you men loud and clear whichs what were going to do for you since thats what the group wants,” Bass stated.
If nothing else, a temporary move to Pittsburgh would provide the Jays a long time to spend the next six weeks getting another stadium up to Major League requirements. For example, there has been some tip that Buffalos Sahlen Field (home of the Jays Triple-A affiliate) might undergo the clubhouse, lighting and total facilities upgrades essential to host MLB video games, though absolutely nothing has actually been settled on that front.
If the Jays are going over a possible timeshare with the Pirates, it stands to reason theyre exploring arrangements with other teams also. Shapiro discussed “other options” besides Buffalo and Dunedin that were under consideration, and right-hander Anthony Bass informed the Associated Press and other media that GM Ross Atkins prioritized discovering a Major League stadium after conversations with gamers.
To this end, a number of various alternatives are being checked out, such as another Major League place– Pittsburghs PNC Park. Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Jays have “looked into playing select house games at PNC Park in 2020.” As kept in mind by Mackey in a follow-up tweet, the Blue Jays and Pirates only share seven conflicting dates for house games, with 6 of those coming after September 7.
Looking at the most current coronavirus information, Pennsylvania is doing relatively well in handling its COVID-19 cases, though its most severely-hit region is Allegheny County, where Pittsburgh is situated. Areas with large population centers will naturally have larger COVID numbers than less densely-populated locations, of course, though it underscores the difficulty dealt with by the Jays because all appropriate MLB-level facilities in significant cities.
Talking with reporters (including Sportsnet.cas Shi Davidi) the other day, Blue Jays president/CEO Mark Shapiro was “confident that Buffalo is a practical alternative,” even while keeping in mind that a transfer to Sahlen Field is “not a done offer.” By comparison, the Jays Spring Training facility in Dunedin, Florida is “100 percent smooth today and all set to go … but from a player-health viewpoint has some challenges,” offered Floridas COVID-19 spike.
After the Canadian government denied approval for the Blue Jays to play games in Toronto this season, the Jays still do not know where they still be playing just 10 days gotten rid of from their first scheduled “home” video game, hosting the Nationals on July 29.
