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.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.
The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.
He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.
The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.
Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.
“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”
Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.
Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.
The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.
In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.
Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.
Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.
It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.
Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.
FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.
And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.
The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.
Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.
The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.
Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
