Blue Jays denied permission to play in Pittsburgh

UPDATE 3:09 p.m.: The Pennsylvania Department of Health announced on Wednesday they will not allow the Blue Jays to play their shortened season at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, according to reporter Marly Rivera.

The Toronto Blue Jays are about set to become the Pittsburgh/New York/Washington Blue Jays! The team has worked out details with Major League Baseball and the Pittsburgh Pirates to play most of their home games at PNC Park this summer, according to USA Today columnist Bob Nightengale. The Blue Jays will also play one series against the New York Yankees as the home team at Yankee Stadium and one series against the Washington Nationals as the home team at Nationals Park.

This news comes following the Canadian government’s decision to reject the team and MLB’s request for an exemption from the country’s Covid-19 quarantine protocol. The Blue Jays received an exemption for their summer camp when they weren’t traveling back-and-forth to the United States. However, the national government was not comfortable with the travel the Blue Jays would have had to make to various hot spots in the United States.