BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Toronto Blue Jays are returning to their home away from home, Buffalo, New York, starting in June. And this time, they’ll have a limited number of fans in attendance.
Forced from Canada by that government’s coronavirus travel restrictions, the Blue Jays posted a note on their Twitter account on Wednesday saying: “Buffalo, we’re BACK! We’ll see you June 1st.” The words were over a picture of Buffalo’s downtown Sahlen Field, the regular home of the Blue Jays’ Triple-A farm team.
Toronto played its first two homestands at its spring training ballpark in Dunedin, Florida, and will play its third there from May 14-24. But the Blue Jays did not want to remain in Florida for the hotter, more humid portion of the year.
The Blue Jays return to Buffalo with a homestand that includes games against Miami on June 1-2 and Houston from June 4-6. They’ll travel to Buffalo after a five-game trip that ends in Cleveland.
Toronto last played at 49,000-capacity Rogers Centre on Sept. 29, 2019, an 8-3 win over Tampa Bay. The Blue Jays played home games during the shortened 2020 season in Buffalo and were 17-9 at Sahlen Field. They finished 32-28 to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and were swept in losing twice at eventual AL champion Tampa Bay in the wild-card round.
The Jays are 7-4 in Dunedin this season and 7-10 on the road.
Toronto hopes to return to Rogers Centre at some point this summer.
While the entire 2020 regular-season schedule was played without fans, about 4,300 spectators will initially be allowed to attend games in Buffalo, with the possibility of that number increasing. Capacity is listed at 16,600.
Fans will be required to show proof they’ve been vaccinated or have tested negative for COVID-19 to be allowed entry. Canadians could travel to attend games, but would have to face self-quarantine rules upon returning home.
OBIT: Ray Miller, the former Minnesota Twins and Baltimore Orioles manager who spent 42 years in professional baseball and served as the pitching coach for three Cy Young award winners, has died. He was 76.
The Twins said Miller died Tuesday night. No cause was announced.
Miller’s record as a major league manager was 266-297, with the Twins from 1985-86 and the Orioles from 1998-99.
The native of Takoma Park, Maryland, pitched 10 years in the minor leagues with the San Francisco, Cleveland and Baltimore systems, before beginning his coaching career with the Orioles. He mentored Cy Young winners Mike Flanagan (1979) and Steve Stone (1980) and even won a World Series with the Orioles (1983). Jim Palmer, Scott McGregor and Mike Boddicker were 20-game winners under his watch, too.
The Twins hired him midway through the 1985 season as the replacement for mManager Billy Gardner, but Miller himself was fired the next year with 23 games remaining. His successor, Tom Kelly, won the first of two World Series the following season.
Miller then went to Pittsburgh for a 10-year run as pitching coach, including Doug Drabek’s Cy Young season (1990). He was hired again as a manager in Baltimore, a two-season stint that featured the decision by Cal Ripken Jr. to end his all-time record consecutive games streak.
Miller then returned to his roots by finishing his career there as a pitching coach, retiring in 2005. He was inducted into the Orioles’ Hall of Fame in 2010.
METS-YANKEES CAPACITY: The Yankees and Mets can increase capacity from 20% to 100% at their ballparks for home games starting May 19 — as along as fans are vaccinated against COVID-19. And both teams will be giving away free tickets along with vaccinations.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo made the announcement at a news conference on Wednesday with Yankees President Randy Levine and Mets President Sandy Alderson.
“Theoretically if you had 100% vaccinated, you could fill the entire stadium with 100% vaccinated,” Cuomo said. “Unvaccinated, it is still the 6-foot social distancing. In other words, our capacity restrictions have been relaxed subject to the federal CDC social-distancing guideline of 6 feet.”
The Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccination will be offered at the ballparks, and a person receiving a vaccination can get a free game ticket. The current requirement for fans to show proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test will be dropped because it is burdensome, Cuomo said. Masks will continue to be required. Sections for unvaccinated fans will be at 33% capacity.
METS: Ace Jacob deGrom could return to the mound on Sunday against Arizona at Citi Field. DeGrom first felt soreness in a back muscle after his last outing against Boston on April 28 and was scratched from a scheduled start against St. Louis on Tuesday night. He said he intends to play catch Thursday and hopes to get a go-ahead for a bullpen session Friday.
Mets Manager Luis Rojas said that a successful bullpen on Friday would put deGrom on track to start Sunday.
DeGrom said he threw a bullpen last weekend in Philadelphia and first informed the training staff of the issue on Monday. He contacted the team on Tuesday after he woke up and the soreness had not alleviated. The Mets then scratched him, but the game was rained out and rescheduled as part of a doubleheader Wednesday.
DeGrom, a two-time NL Cy Young Award winner, has been baseball’s most dominant pitcher this season, with a major league-best 0.51 ERA in five starts. He has 59 strikeouts in 35 innings with just four walks. Still, he is just 2-2.
YANKEES: Second baseman Rougned Odor was put on the 10-day injured list with a sprained left knee.
Odor was hurt Tuesday night when his knee slammed into Houston catcher Martin Maldonado’s head as he reached the plate and scored in the sixth inning of New York’s 7-3 win.
Odor appeared to be trying to avoid DJ LeMahieu’s bat, which was lying in the right-handed batter’s box after he hit a soft grounder to third for an infield single. Odor came around when third baseman Alex Bregman overthrew first for an error.
Odor was acquired by the Yankees from Texas on April 6 and became a regular in the New York lineup with a coveted left-handed bat. The 27-year-old is hitting .164 with four homers and 11 RBI.
The Yankees recalled right-hander Albert Abreu from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
INDIANS: Catcher Roberto Perez was placed on the 10-day injured list with a fractured right ring finger.
The two-time Gold Glove winner has been playing for several weeks with the injury, which he sustained when he got crossed up on a pitch by reliever James Karinchak on April 13.
Perez will visit hand specialist Dr. Thomas Graham in Dayton on Thursday to determine the best course of care going forward.
CUBS: Reliever Pedro Strop has opted to becoming a free agent after spending most of the season at Chicago’s alternate training site.
The 35-year-old Strop became a fan favorite in Chicago after he was acquired with Jake Arrieta in a trade with Baltimore in 2013. He was a key member of the bullpen, helping the Cubs win the World Series in 2016, before signing with Cincinnati prior to the 2020 season.
He was released by the Reds in August and agreed to minor league deal with the Cubs a few days later, though he did not pitch in the majors again last season. He returned to the Cubs on a minor league deal in February and made two appearances before being returned to the team’s alternate site in South Bend, Indiana, on April 17.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
