Toronto Blue Jays will officially play 2020 home games in Buffalo

Introducing…the Buffalo Blue Jays.

The Toronto Blue Jays, who were not allowed to return to Canada amid the coronavirus pandemic as America’s neighbors to the north look to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus, have finally picked a home for the 60-game 2020 season. Rather than sharing space with the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park or the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards, the Blue Jays opted for an option that doesn’t require them to transplant the entire franchise and move several hours away.

Per Dan Connolly of The Athletic, Toronto will stay a bit closer to the border, as Sahlen Field in Buffalo will serve as their home stadium in 2020.

The Toronto Blue Jays will play in Buffalo in 2020.

Buffalo is home to the Buffalo Bisons, Toronto’s Triple-A affiliate. The proximity to Toronto makes choosing to play here a much more practical option than playing in Pittsburgh or Baltimore. Sahlen Field is one of the largest minor league ballparks in the country, which should help alleviate concerns about the nomadic team not being provided adequate facilities in this shortened 60-game season.

Now that the messy home stadium situation is all fixed up, fans can finally see if a young lineup led by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and a promising pitching staff led by Hyun-Jin Ryu can actually make some noise in the AL East. With some luck, Charlie Montoyo and his young bunch could grab one of the eight playoff spots in the AL.

This is the best possible scenario for the Blue Jays, as playing close to home in Buffalo puts them in an area without a ton of COVID-19 cases. Now that the Blue Jays have a hone, they can focus solely on trying to pull off an upset or two in their competitive division.