Report: Blue Jays to play 2020 home games in Buffalo

UPDATE 12:35 p.m.: The Blue Jays made the Buffalo decision official.

The Toronto Blue Jays finally have a home for the 2020 MLB season. The team will play its home games at Sahlen Field, which is normally home to the Triple-A Buffalo Bison.

The Canadian government had denied the Blue Jays request for an exemption from the country’s 14-day self-quarantine rule. The government had concerns about teams coming and going from the United States and the Covid-19 hot-spots around the country.

The team was subsequently denied at PNC Park in Pittsburgh and Camden Yards in Baltimore. Eventually they finalized plans just down the road from Toronto. Buffalo’s minor league stadium has some issues with lighting and the clubhouses, and that could delay their first “home” game.

Sportsnet baseball columnist Shi Davidi tweeted the earliest they might be able to play in Buffalo is their July 31st series against the Philadelphia Phillies. They face the Washington Nationals in a two-game series at “home,” but given that they play them in DC the two days prior, Toronto could easily just stay in DC for two more games and serve as the “home” team.