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 – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
