The Toronto Blue Jays will extend their stay at their adopted home in Buffalo, New York, until July 21.
Previously, the team promised to play at Buffalo through July 4.
The extension comes as the Blue Jays announced Monday the release of their next batch of tickets on sale this week. The team is making tickets available for a 10-game homestay from June 24 to July 4, as well as a six-game homestay – a pair of three-game series against the Texas Rangers and Boston Red. Sox – immediately after the All-Star break.
The Blue Jays are back at the home of their Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo for a second season, after they were prevented from playing home games in Toronto due to Canadian border restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Toronto spent the first two months of this season at its spring training facility in Dunedin, Florida, before moving to Buffalo last week.
Team president Mark Shapiro hasn’t ruled out the possibility of the Blue Jays returning to Toronto this season, but cautioned that the decision would hinge on whether Canada relaxes border restrictions.
The Canadian border is closed to non-essential travel, and anyone allowed entry must isolate themselves for 14 days upon arrival.
Shapiro last week declined to go into details about the talks between the Blue Jays and Canadian health officials. He says the discussions have become more frequent and “certainly more positive” in recent weeks.
The Blue Jays have not played in Toronto since they closed the 2019 season with an 8-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on September 29.
On Sunday, Canadian health officials granted the NHL an exemption by allowing cross-border travel for teams in the semifinals of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
When in Canada, teams will need to stay in a bubble and be screened daily for COVID-19, similar to the strict restrictions that allowed the NHL to complete its playoffs in two central cities last year. Teams will be assigned designated hotels and will have no interaction with the public.
The NHL regular season was limited to intradivisional play only and did not include cross-border travel, and the league established a Northern Division comprised of its seven Canadian franchises.
The Blue Jays also said they have received approval from state and local health officials to allow 80% capacity, more than 13,000 fans, at Sahlen Field starting June 24, with 95% of those seats reserved. for those who are fully vaccinated. The Blue Jays were limited to 35% of their capacity during their first week in Buffalo, and the number increased to 45% for their three-game series against the New York Yankees next week.
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