Mayor John Tory, centre, and Toronto Blue Jays' mascot Ace raised the flag on the Jays Nest at Nathan Phillips Square last October for local baseball fans watch the team's playoff run. This year's baseball season officiallly open for the Jays on Sunday in Tampa Bay. - Staff file photo/DAVID NICKLE
Blue Jays fans gather at Nathan Phillips Square, the BirdsNest, in this file photo form last October. Will the Jays pack them again this October for playoff action? The answer to that question will begin to be answered with their season opener April 3 in Tampa Bay. - Staff file photo/DAVID NICKLE
Toronto Blue Jays open season in Tampa Bay; hoping for more playoff magic in the fall
The Toronto Blue Jays didn’t get to close out the Major League Baseball season last fall – falling one playoff series short of the World Series – but they will help usher in the new season this Sunday, April 3.
Mayor John Tory, centre, and Toronto Blue Jays' mascot Ace raised the flag on the Jays Nest at Nathan Phillips Square last October for local baseball fans watch the team's playoff run. This year's baseball season officiallly open for the Jays on Sunday in Tampa Bay. - Staff file photo/DAVID NICKLE
Mayor John Tory, centre, and Toronto Blue Jays' mascot Ace raised the flag on the Jays Nest at Nathan Phillips Square last October for local baseball fans watch the team's playoff run. This year's baseball season officiallly open for the Jays on Sunday in Tampa Bay. - Staff file photo/DAVID NICKLE
Blue Jays fans gather at Nathan Phillips Square, the BirdsNest, in this file photo form last October. Will the Jays pack them again this October for playoff action? The answer to that question will begin to be answered with their season opener April 3 in Tampa Bay. - Staff file photo/DAVID NICKLE
The Toronto Blue Jays didn’t get to close out the Major League Baseball season last fall – falling one playoff series short of the World Series – but they will help usher in the new season this Sunday, April 3.
Opening day this year features three games, including the Jays at Tampa Bay Rays, for their home opener, at 4:05 p.m.
The other two games have: St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates at 1:05 p.m.; and (in a rematch of last fall’s World Series) the New York Mets at defending World Series champion Kansas City Royals at 8:37 p.m.
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It was the Royals that knocked out the Blue Jays in six games in last October’s best-of-seven American League Championship Series after the Jays had won their best-of-five divisional series 3-2 over the Texas Rangers.
It was the Jays first playoff series win since they had won back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993. And what a series it was with the Jays clawing back from a 2-0 deficit to win the series-clinching fifth game 6-3. A key play was Jose Bautista’s three-run home run in the seventh inning with his now famous bat flip.
Following their four game series in Tampa Bay (Sunday to Wednesday) the Jays will then hold their own home opener Friday, April 8 against the Boston Red Sox who come in for the three-game series with free agent ace David Price whom they snatched away from the Jays.
The Jays then host the New York Yankees for three games (April 12, 13, 14).
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Not that you can ever read too much into spring training results, but the Jays will wrap up with one of the top records in Major League Baseball.
They close out their so-called ‘Grapefruit League’ on Canadian soil, bringing back baseball to Montreal’s Olympic Stadium for a two-game stand against the Boston Red Sox Friday, April 1, 7:05 p.m. and the final tune-up game Saturday, April 2, 1:05 p.m.
For their 40th season the Jays will have Rogers Stadium to themselves, at least as far as sports teams go, with the Argos packing up and moving over to BMO Field.
And the Jays will only have to share the city’s sports spotlight with the Toronto Raptors who will wrap up their best ever regular season (already over 50 wins – a first for the NBA franchise) on Wednesday, April 13 in Brooklyn. The Maple Leafs, of course, have once again missed the playoffs and will be out of the picture after wrapping up their final regular season game Saturday, April 9 in New Jersey.
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