WASHINGTON – Buffalo's bid to host the Toronto Blue Jays this summer got a high-powered boost this week as Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer pushed Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred to bring the team to Sahlen Field.
Schumer, a New York Democrat, made his case in a phone call late Wednesday and a letter Thursday to the baseball boss.
"Since it is Opening Day, there is little time for continued deliberation – now is the time to act – and Buffalo is ready to roll out the red carpet and welcome Major League Baseball to Sahlen Field and Western New York," Schumer said in the letter.
The senator's effort is the latest curveball in the Blue Jays' seemingly cursed effort to find a place to play their home games in the pandemic-shortened Major League Baseball season.
The Canadian government ruled that the team cannot play in Toronto because all nonessential travel between the U.S. and Canada is banned in hopes of slowing the spread of Covid-19.
After considering Buffalo and their spring training base in Dunedin, Fla., the Blue Jays settled this week on a plan to play their home games in Pittsburgh. But that plan got scuttled Wednesday when the state of Pennsylvania barred the move.
"In recent weeks, we have seen a significant increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in southwestern Pennsylvania," Dr. Rachel Levine, Pennsylvania's secretary of health, said in a statement. "To add travelers to this region for any reason, including for professional sports events, risks residents, visitors and members of both teams."
Meantime, Florida is among the states hardest hit by the pandemic's summertime surge, casting doubt on whether the team would want to be based in Dunedin.
That leaves the Toronto franchise scrambling again – and considering playing all its games on the road.
While Buffalo has not seen the big summertime spike in Covid-19 infections that other locales have seen, the Blue Jays have indicated that Sahlen Field could not be brought up to major league standards in time for the team's' first "home" game next Wednesday. But Blue Jays General Manager Ross Atkins has said the Buffalo ballpark could serve as a fallback if the team can't find an acceptable major league site.
To hear Schumer tell it, Sahlen Field is more than acceptable.
“Buffalo is the natural place for the Blue Jays to play the 2020 season – it is near Toronto, Sahlen Field is top notch, and the Buffalo fan base is major league quality," Schumer said. “I told my friend Commissioner Manfred that not only is the city ready to welcome the team with wide-open arms, the partnership between Buffalo and the Blue Jays would be a home run for the city, the team, MLB and the local economy.”
Major League Baseball is returning to action Thursday. Each team will play 60 games, down from the usual 162. And except for the Blue Jays, every team will play in its home park, but with no fans in the stands.
