The Toronto Blue Jays appear to have found a home for the abbreviated 2020 MLB season. After several weeks of deliberation, Toronto will call PNC Park in Pittsburgh its home park. The Jays needed a new home after the Canadian government barred the team from its home park over concerns surrounding the country’s quarantine procedures. Hazel May was among the first to break the news.
Can confirm the Blue Jays have been told they will be calling PNC Park “home” this season per MLB source. @longleysunsport was first to suggest Pittsburgh as option.
— Hazel Mae (@thehazelmae) July 22, 2020
Blue Jays to Play in Pittsburgh in 2020
The Blue Jays have played at the Rogers Center, which was formerly the SkyDome since the stadium opened in 1989. It has hosted several legendary moments, including the team’s World Series victory in Game Six of the 1993 World Series. They have won over 200 games at home dating back to 2015. However, all that means very little playing in this unique 2020 season.
Toronto will shift from a somewhat hitter-friendly park to one that is slightly more pitcher-friendly. That will benefit a roster that has some question marks around its rotation. Starting options like Hyun-Jin Ryu and Tanner Roark are experienced, and the bullpen has veteran Ken Giles, but there are numerous questions about how effective the pen can be. The Jays are an intriguing team but are at least a year away from truly threatening the division. Having a slight boost from PNC Park could be a benefit as they take on AL and NL East teams this season.
What This Means for the Regular Season
Pittsburgh edged out Buffalo as the potential home park for the Jays, but the teams and league still have to determine the exact sharing method for the year. There are a handful of overlaps in the schedule in July and September, but those shouldn’t cause any issues. More important is how the Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto players occupy the same space. The Blue Jays will probably take over the visiting clubhouse, which would take care of most concerns related to sharing a park. Playing in a different ballpark in 2020 is one additional challenge for the Jays, but it’s coming together.
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