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Toronto Blue Jays to Play Home Games in Buffalo, New York

Toronto Blue Jays to Play Home Games in Buffalo, New York

The Toronto Blue Jays will play their home games at Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York, this season, Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

Cuomo said he spoke to Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred Friday morning about the team, which has been trying to find a U.S. location since the Canadian government rejected a plan to play in its home stadium in downtown Toronto.

The decision ends a weekslong saga about where the team would call home during baseball’s truncated 60-game season.

Last weekend, Canadian Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said having major league teams travel to Toronto wouldn’t be safe given the spread of Covid-19. The U.S.-Canada border has been closed to most non-essential travel since March 21. “Based on the best-available public health advice, we have concluded the cross-border travel required for MLB regular season play would not adequately protect Canadians’ health and safety,” Mendocino said.

That set off a frantic search to find a home in the U.S. The team believed it had a deal with the city of Pittsburgh, only to be denied permission Wednesday by Pennsylvania’s secretary of health.

Speculation then turned to playing games at Camden Yards in Baltimore, the home of the division rival Orioles, after Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said there were discussions with the team, according to the Associated Press.

Sahlen Field is the home of the Buffalo Bisons, the Blue Jays’ Triple-A affiliate. Opened in 1988, the stadium will be the seventh-oldest facility in use across the majors this season.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.