Toronto Blue Jays: Top 10 moments from the 2020 season
With a short season coming to an end, here’s a rundown of the Toronto Blue Jays’ top 10 moments from their wild 2020 season.
Well folks, the 100-metre dash that was the 2020 MLB season is over and unfortunately for the Toronto Blue Jays, they couldn’t keep it going in the playoffs.
In honour of the achievement given everything the team had to deal with, we count down the top 10 moments from the season.
1. Give me a home where the Buffalo roam…
Mid-July is typically the crux of the dog days of summer, when the roof gets peeled back at Rogers Centre and those looking to get a tan take their seats up the first baseline.
However, in 2020’s iteration of mid-July, the Blue Jays found themselves in an unprecedented situation. They were homeless.
On July 18, the Canadian government struck down the Blue Jays’ request to stage their home games at the Rogers Centre, citing the health risk that shipping in different sets of 50-odd Americans posed during the United States’ *interesting* handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Left scrambling to find a home with the start of the season looming, the Blue Jays seemed to have a plan in place to play at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park, until the state of Pennsylvania stepped in and quelled the motion.
Toronto also inquired about playing out their season at Baltimore’s Oriole Park at Camden Yards, although the Orioles’ team doctors were not comfortable with two teams sharing the space, according to a source at the Baltimore Sun.
After briefly considering, and then un-considering, their spring training digs in Florida, the Blue Jays settled on Sahlen Field in Buffalo.
With the Buffalo Bisons’ season cancelled due to COVID, there was no other tenant at the ballpark to cramp the Jays’ style. However, there were some other issues.
Insufficient lighting, a lip where the infield grass meets the dirt, claustrophobic clubhouses and a lack of on-site workout facilities were all to be remedied before first pitch flew on Aug. 11. Thus, the Blue Jays played a pair of home games in Washington to balance out their schedule.
Due to the hard work of a hodge-podge grounds crew, Sahlen Field was ready to host professional baseball on time. The Blue Jays needed 10 innings to down the Miami Marlins 5-4 on the night, with Travis Shaw rewarding the work of Blue Jays’ staffers with a walk-off single.