“A lot of people” from the Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays organizations continue to discuss and work through the logistics of PNC Park hosting Blue Jays “home” games this season, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Tuesday, and a final decision for Blue Jays’ home base is expected within the next two days.
“I don’t think (PNC Park) is the only alternative being considered,” Cherington said as a site for 2020 Blue Jays games, “but it is one we are actively working on.”
Speaking as part of a virual roundtable with other prominent members of the MLB community hosted by state Sen. Pat Toomey, Cherington echoed what Pirates president Travis Williams said in a statement released by the team Monday: the Pirates are willing to help MLB find a solution to their Blue Jays conundrum.
The Canadian federal government last week denied the Blue Jays a waiver to allow for U.S.-based teams to enter the country to play at Toronto’s Rogers Centre. Canada has, for the most part, closed its border to the U.S. out of concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic.
That’s left the Blue Jays — and MLB — scrambling to find a place for them to play. Toronto’s team is scheduled to open its season on the road Friday. The first scheduled home game is July 29.
“The reality is that we need the Blue Jays to play in order for all of us to play,” Cherington said. “It’s a league full of 30 teams, and we need 30 teams in order to start the season. So right now, we have an issue. We have a problem that we need to solve, and that is helping the Blue Jays find a place to play.
“We are just hoping to be part of that solution. We don’t know exactly where that will end up.”
Take 5 with @KevinGormanPGH: It’s a noble gesture by the #Pirates, whose hands are as big as their hearts. https://t.co/CFBC61ixLp
— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) July 21, 2020
Cherington cited Pittsburgh’s relative proximity to Toronto and a favorable schedule that has relatively few of the two teams’ “home” games overlapping as reasons why PNC Park is a preferable solution.
The Blue Jays prefer to play at a major-league stadium because they want access to major league-caliber facilities.
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