A swing ... and a foul tapper to the third-base side.
And Major League Baseball is back in Buffalo is back for the first time in more than a century.
The Blue Jays and Miami Marlins got their game underway in Sahlen Field Tuesday night – with no fans in attendance – as the first pitch by Toronto ace Hyun-Jin Ryu was harmlessly fouled off by Marlins shortstop Jonathan Villar. The historic pitch came at 6:41 p.m.
Ryu went on to strike out Villar on a 72-mph curveball and pitch a hitless first inning around a walk to Jesus Aguilar.
Historic! pic.twitter.com/kADp09css8
— Buffalo Bisons (@BuffaloBisons) August 11, 2020
The Blue Jays' first batter in Buffalo was second baseman Cavan Biggio, one of 18 former Bisons on the Toronto roster. The son of Houston Hall of Fame second baseman Craig Biggio, Cavan Biggio struck out against Miami starter Elieser Hernandez. The Blue Jays' got the game's first hit, a two-out single by Travis Shaw, but were also held scoreless in the first.
It's Buffalo's first game in a major league since the Buffalo Blues of the Federal League swept a doubleheader from Baltimore on Sept. 9, 1915. Under the current setup of Major League Baseball, the Bisons were actually members of the National League from 1879-1885.
The matchup was the opener of a two-game series and the first of 27 scheduled Blue Jays games here that run through Sept. 27. The team, of course, could not play in Toronto after Canadian federal officials declined to give them permission to use Rogers Centre out of an abundance of caution due to coronavirus fears from traveling visiting teams.
Cardboard cutouts of fans were positioned on the lower level of the ballpark behind home plate, stretching from Section 108 on the first-base side to Section 107 on the third-base side. There were numerous friends and family members of players represented. Many cutouts were common fans. Many were not.
Bisons operators Bob and Mindy Rich had a cutout. So did late Mayor Jimmy Griffin. And Buster Bison. Legendary Bisons fan Mark Aichinger was in his customary spot in Section 102 right behind the plate – but visitors were probably happy his renowned heckling was silenced.
Play Ball!!! pic.twitter.com/nKRDnSt1lv
— Buffalo Bisons (@BuffaloBisons) August 11, 2020
The opening ceremonies included a thank-you to Buffalo from the Jays for serving as their home and a video reviewing what got the team here, all the way back to the outbreak of the coronavirus in March.
There were moments of silence for victims of Covid-19, former Blue Jays front office employee Heather Connolly and ex-Toronto players Damaso Garcia and Tony Fernandez, who died in recent months. Fernandez, the team's all-time hit leader and a member of its Level of Excellence club in Rogers Centre, has his No. 1 in a black circle on the center field fence here and the players are wearing patches on their jerseys in his honor.
Ceremonies to honor those lost including Tony Fernandez and Damaso Garcia and Black Lives Matter movement . #Bluejays pic.twitter.com/jpnE9HGQug
— Mike Harrington (@ByMHarrington) August 11, 2020
The national anthems were performed on tape by collections of Blue Jays fans. In deference to the pandemic preventing extra individuals on the field, there was no ceremonial first pitch.
The game marked the first one that saw the Jays wear their new powder blue alternate jerseys, a throwback to their 1970s uniforms. With no fans allowed in, a few fans lined up across Oak Street in deep left-center field trying to get a look at the game from beyond the ramps leading to the I-190.
