Reports: MLB has informed Toronto Blue Jays they will call PNC Park home this season
MLB has informed the Toronto Blue Jays that they will share PNC Park with the Pittsburgh Pirates as their home field this season, according to reports out of Canada.
Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae first reported the news late Tuesday night, and the Toronto Sun confirmed that the majority of the Blue Jays’ 30-game home schedule will be played in Pittsburgh.
The Canadian government blocked the Blue Jays from playing home games at Rogers Centre in Toronto to prevent visiting teams from crossing the border during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Pirates and Blue Jays have scheduling conflicts on seven home dates this summer, including the Blue Jays’ July 29 home opener against the Washington Nationals, but the Sun reported they can be resolved by playing those games in Washington, D.C. The Blue Jays’ first game at PNC Park would be Aug. 11 against the Miami Marlins, according to the Sun.
The Pirates welcomed the idea of sharing PNC Park on Monday, with team president Travis Williams releasing a statement in support of hosting the Blue Jays.
“This will be a monumental challenge for our staff, but leaning in to help others is what Pittsburghers do best,” Williams said. “If we are able to safely accommodate, not only will it bring additional international attention to our city, it will also bring with it jobs and revenue for local hotels, restaurants and other businesses that will support the Blue Jays organization as well as additional visiting teams.”
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington, who previously worked in the Blue Jays’ front office, said Tuesday during a virtual roundtable with U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey and other MLB officials that the league schedule is dependent on finding the Blue Jays a place to call home this summer.
“The reality is that we need the Blue Jays to play in order for all of us to play,” Cherington said. “It’s a league full of 30 teams, and we need 30 teams in order to start the season. So right now, we have an issue. We have a problem that we need to solve, and that is helping the Blue Jays find a place to play.
“We are just hoping to be part of that solution. We don’t know exactly where that will end up.”
Kevin Gorman is a TribLive reporter covering the Pirates. A Baldwin native and Penn State graduate, he joined the Trib in 1999 and has covered high school sports, Pitt football and basketball and was a sports columnist for 10 years. He can be reached at kgorman@triblive.com.
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