The Blue Jays announced on Sunday that they will play their opening homestand against the Nationals and Phillies on the road in Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia, respectively. Their home opener has been pushed back to August 11, when the club will begin a two-game series against the Marlins.
The Jays are in the process of planting their home base for the 2020 season in Buffalo, New York, the home of their Triple-A affiliate. However, Sahlen Field needs some infrastructure adjustments in order to pass major league muster and those improvements won’t be finished for a couple of weeks.
The Canadian government recently denied the Blue Jays permission to play in Canada, so the club scrambled to find a new temporary home. They were believed to be sharing PNC Park with the Pirates, but the state of Pennsylvania denied the team permission as well.
The Jays will essentially be barnstorming for the first two and a half weeks of the 2020 regular season. They lost two of three games to the Rays to open up the regular season, including a 6-5, 10-inning loss on Sunday afternoon. They’ll travel to D.C. for their originally scheduled two-game road series against the Nationals on Monday and Tuesday before remaining there to open up their “homestand.” After the Nats and Phillies, the Blue Jays travel to Atlanta and Boston ahead of their home opener in Buffalo on August 11.