Momentum appears to be growing for the city of Buffalo to host MLB games this summer.
The Canadian government announced Saturday that it has denied the Blue Jays permission to play home games in Toronto, leaving the team deciding on a new home days before the 2020 season is due to start. The team’s spring training home in Dunedin has been listed as a possibility, but there are concerns about the number of COVID-19 cases in the state of Florida.
The other option frequently mentioned is Buffalo, and the city’s mayor, Byron Brown, made clear Saturday that the Jays would be welcome there.
As Mayor of Buffalo, I would love to see the @BlueJays play at Sahlen Field.
— Byron W. Brown (@MayorByronBrown) July 18, 2020
As recently as this week, the Jays were still exploring Buffalo as a possibility. The city boasts a large Triple-A stadium in Sahlen Field, which has a capacity of 16,600. Stadium lighting would have to be upgraded to MLB quality, and on-site replay capability would also be required.
We do know the mayor is definitely in tune with his city’s sports fans. Fans in Buffalo wouldn’t be allowed to attend games, but they probably wouldn’t mind having an MLB team in town for a little while.
