TORONTO – With summer-like weather conditions in the Toronto area, the roof was open at Rogers Centre on Wednesday night for the Blue Jays’ home game against the Detroit Tigers.
It was the earliest date that the retractable roof has been open in franchise history, the team said.
Bright sunshine beamed on the field under crisp blue skies as players took late-afternoon batting practice ahead of Toronto’s second home game of the season.
“I love the roof open,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said before the game. “I love the (CN) tower here. I think it’s a great ballpark setting. I’m a big roof open guy.”
The mercury hovered in the mid-20s for most of the day and dipped into the teens in the evening. It was 16 C and breezy at the 7:08 p.m. first pitch.
Average high temperatures in Toronto are usually around 11 C in mid-April.
The Blue Jays opened the 2023 regular season with a 10-game road trip as renovations were completed at the downtown ballpark.
Toronto kicked off its home schedule on Tuesday night with a 9-3 victory over the Tigers. Roof safety testing was completed Wednesday after being pushed back due to renos, field prep and poor weather conditions last week.
The first game with the roof open last season came on May 16, when Toronto beat the Seattle Mariners 6-2. The previous mark for earliest roof opening was April 16, 2002, when Boston thumped the Blue Jays 14-3.
The Blue Jays made their debut at Rogers Centre (then SkyDome) in June 1989.
Toronto played its first 12-plus seasons at Exhibition Stadium. Snow had to be cleared off the field for the April 7 season opener in the team’s inaugural 1977 campaign.
The Blue Jays entered play Wednesday with an all-time record of 768-570 with the roof open at Rogers Centre.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 12, 2023.
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