After playing their first 10 games of the season on the road, the Toronto Blue Jays will take on the Detroit Tigers tonight at the newly-renovated Rogers Centre.
Here are five things you need to know about the Jays’ 2023 home opener.
STARTING PITCHERS
Toronto’s star third-year ace Alek Manoah will take the mound for the Blue Jays in his third start of the season.
Manoah was disappointing in the Jays’ season opener last month, lasting fewer than four innings, but he said after the game that he was confident he could bounce back.
“I made a couple pitches that kind of stayed over the heart of the plate that left the ballpark,” he said.
“That’s just the way the game went today. I didn’t get beat on good pitches, I got beat on bad pitches, and that’s an easy adjustment.”
And bouncing back is exactly what the all-star did in his second start against the Kansas City Royals, pitching seven scoreless innings and allowing just one hit in Toronto’s 3-0 victory.
Fellow third-year right-hander Matt Manning will get the start for the Tigers, coming off a win in his sole start of the season so far against the Houston Astros on April 4.
CEROMONIAL FIRST PITCH & AWARDS PRESENTATION
Former Blue Jays first baseman and recent Hall of Fame inductee Fred McGriff will throw out the ceremonial first pitch tonight.
“I’m excited to join all you guys in Toronto to throw out the first pitch,” McGriff said in a video posted by the Jays on Monday.
“I mean, Toronto is where it all started for me back in 1986. Let’s go Jays!”
McGriff is heading to Cooperstown this summer after being elected unanimously to the hall by a committee in December. He played his first five major league seasons as a member of the Blue Jays.
Also part of the pregame ceremony will be a presentation of the individual awards won by three Blue Jays last season.
Relief pitcher and Markham native Jordan Romano will be presented with the Tip O’Neil Award, given to the Canadian baseball player of the year.
And star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be presented with his 2022 Gold Glove award.
“Fans are strongly encouraged to arrive at Rogers Centre early to allow time to pass through security, with gates opening at 5 p.m.,” the Jays said in a Monday press release.
“Fans attending the Home Opener will receive a Blue Jays light-up wristband giveaway on entry, which is programmed for the opening ceremonies, and a Blue Jays Magnet Schedule giveaway on exit.”
THE REVAMPED ROGERS CENTRE
Blue Jays fans entering the Rogers Centre tonight will be looking at a brand-new outfield, with four newly-built ‘neighbourhoods,’ including two rooftop spaces at the 500 level.
The stadium is in the midst of its biggest-ever renovation, with a $300 million price tag.
Phase one of the project, focused on mainly on redesigning the outfield district and replacing every 500 level seat, was officially completed last week.
The renovations also raised the bullpens and extended seats to the outfield walls, bringing fans closer to the action than ever before.
“It’s a transformed experience that our fans will experience on April 11, and it’s our first step towards transforming Roger Centre from a stadium to a ballpark,” Blue Jays Executive VP of Business Operations Anuk Karunaratne told CP24 on Thursday.
The Jays come into tonight’s game after a dramatic win on Sunday in Anaheim, where they came back from a six-run deficit to beat the Los Angeles Angels 12-11 in extra innings.
Currently sitting at 6-4, the Jays are tied for the third-best record in the American League.
Meanwhile, the Tigers are tied for the worst record in the majors, at 2-7, coming into tonight’s matchup on a four-game losing streak.
The Jays’ early season success is due in large part to their hitters.
Sitting in first, second and third place respectively on the list of major league players with the most hits so far this season are Blue Jays Matt Chapman (19), Guerrero Jr. (18) and Bo Bichette (17).
And Chapman’s hot start was officially recognized yesterday, when the third baseman was named AL player of the week after leading all AL hitters with 12 runs batted in, to go along with two home runs and a .464 batting average across six games.
START TIME, TICKETS, WEATHER & TRANSIT OPTIONS
The first pitch is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. at the Rogers Centre.
There are still a number of tickets available for the game, the majority of which are in the upper bowl at the 500 level.
For fans hoping to take advantage of the new $20 outfield district general admission tickets tonight, they are sold out on Ticketmaster, however they were made available for every Jays home game this season, so frugal baseball lovers will have plenty of other chances to take advantage of the new deal.
This afternoon’s forecast calls for a mix of sun and cloud with a high of 19 C. Temperatures are expected to remain between 15 and 18 C during the game, gradually cooling off in the late evening.
And fans taking public transit to the game tonight may be in for a free ride.
Last week, Budweiser Canada announced that they will sponsor trips home from the Jays home opener on GO Transit and the UP Express. Trips on GO Transit will be comped from 9 p.m. until 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday, and trips on UP Express will be free from 9 p.m. until 11 p.m.
The announcement followed a similar promotion from Polar Ice Vodka, who last week shared that they would be sponsoring free rides on the 510 Spadina streetcar between 5 p.m. and midnight.
TORONTO – Singles star Leylah Fernandez and doubles specialist Gabriela Dabrowski will anchor Canada’s five-player lineup when the team tries to defend its Billie Jean King Cup title in mid-November.
The 26th-ranked Fernandez, the 2021 U.S. Open finalist from Laval, Que., is the lone Canadian in the top 100 of the WTA Tour’s singles rankings.
Dabrowski, from Ottawa, is ranked fourth on the doubles list. The 2023 U.S. Open women’s doubles champion won mixed doubles bronze with Felix Auger-Aliassime at the recent Paris Olympics.
Marina Stakusic of Mississauga, Ont., returns after a breakout performance last year, capped by her singles win in Canada’s 2-0 victory over Italy in the final. Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino is also back and Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion from Mississauga, Ont., returns to the squad for the first time since 2022.
“Winning the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023 was a dream come true for us, and not only that, but I feel like we made a statement to the world about the strength of this nation when it comes to tennis,” Canada captain Heidi El Tabakh said Monday in a release. “Once again, we have a very strong team this year with Bianca joining Leylah, Gaby, Rebecca and Marina, making it an extremely powerful team that is more than capable of going all the way.
“At the end of the day, our goal is to make Canada proud, and we’ll do our best to bring the same level of effort and excitement that we had in last year’s finals.”
Fernandez, who beat Jasmine Paolini to clinch Canada’s first-ever title at the competition, is ranked No. 42 in doubles.
Canada, which received an automatic berth as defending champion, will play the winner of the first-round tie between Great Britain and Germany on Nov. 17 at Malaga’s Martin Carpena Arena.
Australia, Italy and wild-card entry Czechia also received first-round byes. The tournament, which continues through Nov. 20, also includes host Spain, Slovakia, the United States, Poland, Japan and Romania.
Stakusic is up 27 spots to No. 128 in the latest world singles rankings. Marino is at No. 134 and Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, is ranked 167th.
Canada will look to become the first team since Czechia in 2016 to successfully defend its Billie Jean King Cup title.
Malaga will also host the Nov. 19-24 Davis Cup Final 8. The Canadian men qualified over the weekend with a 2-1 victory over Great Britain in Manchester.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
PITTSBURGH – Sidney Crosby plans to remain a Pittsburgh Penguin for at least three more years.
The Penguins announced on Monday that they re-signed the 37-year-old from Cole Harbour, N.S., to a two-year contract extension that has an average annual value of US$8.7 million. The deal runs through the 2026-27 season.
Crosby was eligible to sign an extension on July 1 with him entering the final season of a 12-year, $104.4-million deal that carries an $8.7-million salary cap hit.
At the NHL/NHLPA player media tour in Las Vegas last Monday, he said things were positive and he was optimistic about a deal getting done.
The three-time Stanley Cup champion is coming off a 42-goal, 94-point campaign that saw him finish tied for 12th in the league scoring race.
Crosby has spent all 19 of his NHL seasons in Pittsburgh, amassing 592 goals and 1,004 assists in 1,272 career games.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
MONTREAL – Tadej Pogacar was so dominant on Sunday, Canada’s Michael Woods called it a race for second.
Pogacar, a three-time Tour de France champion from Slovenia, pedalled to a resounding victory at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal.
The UAE Team Emirates leader crossed the finish line 24 seconds ahead of Spain’s Pello Bilbao of Bahrain — Victorious to win the demanding 209.1-kilometre race on a sunny, 28 C day in Montreal. France’s Julian Alaphilippe of Soudal Quick-Step was third.
“He’s the greatest rider of all time, he’s a formidable opponent,” said Woods, who finished 45 seconds behind the leader in eighth. “If you’re not at your very, very best, then you can forget racing with him, and today was kind of representative of that.
“He’s at such a different level that if you follow him, it can be lights out.”
Pogacar slowed down before the last turn to celebrate with the crowd, high-five fans on Avenue du Parc and cruise past the finish line with his arms in the air after more than five hours on the bike.
The 25-year-old joined Belgium’s Greg Van Avermaet as the only multi-time winners in Montreal after claiming the race in 2022. He also redeemed a seventh-place finish at the Quebec City Grand Prix on Friday.
“I was disappointed, because I had such good legs that I didn’t do better than seventh,” Pogacar said. “To bounce back after seventh to victory here, it’s just an incredible feeling.”
It’s Pogacar’s latest win in a dominant year that includes victories at the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia.
Ottawa’s Woods (Israel Premier-Tech) tied a career-best in front of the home crowd in Montreal, but hoped for more after claiming a stage at the Spanish Vuelta two weeks ago.
“I wanted a better result,” the 37-year-old rider said. “My goal was a podium, but at the same time I’m happy with the performance. In bike racing, you can’t always get the result you want and I felt like I raced really well, I animated the race, I felt like I was up there.”
Pogacar completed the 17 climbs up and down Mount Royal near downtown in five hours 28 minutes 15 seconds.
He made his move with 23.3 kilometres to go, leaving the peloton in his dust as he pedalled into the lead — one he never relinquished.
Bilbao, Alaphilippe, Alex Aranburu (Movistar Team) and Bart Lemmen (Visma–Lease) chased in a group behind him, with Bilbao ultimately separating himself from the pack. But he never came close to catching Pogacar, who built a 35-second lead with one lap left to go.
“It was still a really hard race today, but the team was on point,” Pogacar said. “We did really how we planned, and the race situation was good for us. We make it hard in the last final laps, and they set me up for a (takeover) two laps to go, and it was all perfect.”
Ottawa’s Derek Gee, who placed ninth in this year’s Tour de France, finished 48th in Montreal, and called it a “hard day” in the heat.
“I think everyone knows when you see Tadej on the start line that it’s just going to be full gas,” Gee said.
Israel Premier-Tech teammate Hugo Houle of Sainte-Perpétue, Que., was 51st.
Houle said he heard Pogacar inform his teammates on the radio that he was ready to attack with two laps left in the race.
“I said then, well, clearly it’s over for me,” Houle said. “You see, cycling isn’t that complicated.”
Australia’s Michael Matthews won the Quebec City GP for a record third time on Friday, but did not finish in Montreal. The two races are the only North American events on the UCI World Tour.
Michael Leonard of Oakville, Ont., and Gil Gelders and Dries De Bondt of Belgium broke away from the peloton during the second lap. Leonard led the majority of the race before losing pace with 45 kilometres to go.
Only 89 of 169 riders from 24 teams — including the Canadian national team — completed the gruelling race that features 4,573 metres in total altitude.
Next up, the riders will head to the world championships in Zurich, Switzerland from Sept. 21 to 29.
Pogacar will try to join Eddy Merckx (1974) and Stephen Roche (1987) as the only men to win three major titles in a season — known as the Triple Crown.
“Today gave me a lot of confidence, motivation,” Pogacar said. “I think we are ready for world championships.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2024.
