After sitting dormant since last September, PNC Park may wind up having two tenants for the upcoming shortened 2020 Major League Baseball season.
After the Canadian government did not grant approval for home games to be played at Rogers Centre in Toronto, the Toronto Blue Jays are considering using PNC Park as their home stadium for the upcoming campaign, per Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
According to Mackey, only seven of the Blue Jays' scheduled home games conflict with the Pirates', with six of the seven coming after September 8. The Blue Jays would host the Washington Nationals, Philadelphia Phillies, Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles. New York Yankees and New York Mets.
Sitting 317 miles away from PNC Park, the only closer Major League stadiums are Comerica Park in Detroit (234 miles) and Progressive Field in Cleveland (292 miles).
The Blue Jays are reportedly also considering using Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York, home of their AAA-affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons. While the stadium is just under 100 miles from Toronto, there are questions about if the stadium is up to Major League standards in terms of lightning and locker rooms.
Another potential option for the Blue Jays is TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Florida. The park, home to the A-affiliate Dunedin Blue Jays and the Toronto Blue Jays during Spring Training, is Major-League capable, but high coronavirus cases in Florida have reportedly made Dunedin a skeptical choice as well.
The Pirates and Blue Jays were set to meet in Pittsburgh this past June for the first time since 2014 and the first time overall since 2017. They will likely now have to wait until 2023.
The Blue Jays begin their season with five road games before hosting the Washington Nationals on July 29 at 6:37 PM. The Pirates are scheduled to host the Milwaukee Brewers that same day at 7:05 PM.
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