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Blue Jays denied approval to play in Toronto amid COVID-19 pandemic

Blue Jays Spring Baseball
Posted at 4:14 PM, Jul 18, 2020
and last updated 2020-07-18 22:48:09-04

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Toronto Blue Jays have been denied approval by the Canadian government to play their home games in Toronto amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report from the Associated Press.

The Toronto Star has reported the Blue Jays will now play their home games in Buffalo at Sahlen Field, the home of their triple-A affiliate Buffalo Bisons, or in Dunedin, Florida at the team's spring training facility.

The team released a statement on Twitter, saying it "is in the process of finalizing the best home location for the remainder of the 2020 season and will share an update as soon as it is available."

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown and Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz have both welcomed the idea of the Blue Jays coming to Buffalo.

Rich Baseball Operations president Mike Buczkowski issued the following statement on behalf of the Bisons:

"The Bisons organization has been in discussion with the Blue Jays for several days about the possibility of hosting Major League games at Sahlen Field this summer. We are continuing to explore the best ways to adapt the available spaces in our ballpark to meet the needs of the Blue Jays," Buczkowski said.

The Blue Jays are set to open their season the road against the Tampa Bay Rays on July 24 and their first home game is slated for July 29 against the defending World Series champion Washington Nationals.