The Toronto Blue Jays got their 2023 season underway on March 30 against the Cardinals in St. Louis and play their first home game on Tuesday, April 11.
Fans returning to the Rogers Centre for the sold-out home opener can expect to see changes around the stadium.
Here is everything you need to know if you’re heading downtown on Tuesday.
Free transit
Fans heading to the waterfront by train, bus or streetcar all have options for a free ride as a result of a couple of partnerships.
The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) announced that trips on its 501 Spadina Avenue streetcar will be free between 5 p.m. and 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday to help fans get to the game. Presto card scanners on the streetcars will be covered and no fares will be collected.
The free rides come as a result of a partnership between Polar Ice Vodka and the TTC.
Trips home from the game via Metrolinx’s GO trains and buses will also be free on Tuesday. A partnership between the provincial transit agency and Budweiser Canada means free trips on GO trains and the UP Express between 9 p.m. and 3:30 a.m. the next day.
New menu options
Blue Jays fans can also expect a raft of changes at the Rogers Centre for the upcoming season to include an adventurous new menu at some stands featuring a poutine hot dog, among other items.
A new stand in Section 106 called The Catch will sell craft cocktails as well as mac and cheese, Montreal smoked meat and Cuban sandwiches. In Section 100, The Stop will sell banh mi sandwiches.
A hot dog centre will operate in Section 209, while bacon-pepper grilled cheese and milkshakes will be sold at Park Social on Level 500.
Other new menu options include Jerk Chicken Nachos and poutine hot dogs. A peanut butter and jelly churro will also be for sale in the 500s.
New tickets
The 2023 season will see the introduction of general admission tickets to outfield areas of the Rogers Centre.
Blue Jays single-game tickets provide fans with a reserved bowl seat but the new $20 outfield district tickets will give them access to the new outfield areas.
The tickets will not give fans a seat, but instead allow them to roam around a series of new and existing areas in the park.
Those new sections include Park Social, a space on the 500 level overlooking left field.
At the same level but above right field is the Corona Rooftop Patio. Directly below that is The Catch, a bar space perched above the visitors’ bullpen, while a bar next to that called The Stop overlooks centre field.
Stadium renovations
The Blue Jays home opener will be the first chance for fans to experience major renovations at the ballpark that have been taking place throughout the off-season.
The changes were officially unveiled at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 6, building excitement ahead of Tuesday’s game.
All 500-level seats have been replaced largely to make room for open social spaces, including the family-oriented Park Social over left field, a colourful and childlike area designed to replicate sitting in one of the city’s many parks.
The stadium’s outfield walls and bullpens have been raised, meaning relief pitchers will be warming up within metres of fans.
Warm weather
The return of baseball to Toronto will coincide with particularly warm weather.
A “major pattern change” happening this weekend will bring dry conditions and warmer temperatures to most of Canada outside of British Columbia, Global News meteorologist Anthony Farnell says.
Looking into next week, southern Ontario temperatures are expected to warm up significantly and reach into the 20s.
“The jet stream across central and eastern Canada will be unusually far north next week, which will allow milder air into areas that have been cool and wet so far this spring,” Farnell said.
“For southern Ontario, it means a dry and mostly sunny Easter Sunday but the real warmth arrives as the next week progresses.”
Toronto’s five-day forecast puts Tuesday at 20C and cloudy, dropping to 12 C at night with a chance of showers. Wednesday, when the Jays play again, is set to be 25 C, according to Environment Canada
— with files from Global News’ Ryan Rocca and The Canadian Press
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