It looks like Roy Halladay won’t be returning to Toronto this season as originally planned.
No, the Phillies weren’t planning to send their ace back to where he came from but he was due to be in Canada as a member of the Phightins when the Phillies take on the Blue Jays.
The Phils-Jays interleague battled scheduled for June 25 to 27 won't be taking place at the Rogers Centre, formerly the SkyDome, in Toronto as originally planned. Instead fans at Citizens Bank Park right here in South Philly will get three more chances to see their team, Major League Baseball announced Tuesday.
World leaders deserve an assist (or at least a hold) for making this move happen. The games were moved from North of the Border because Canada will be hosting the G-20 Summit in Toronto that same weekend.
The guys over at Crossing Broad were all over the rumor already on Monday.
It looks like MLB was forced to make the move after discussing options with security officials, Toronto officials and each of the teams.
“After reviewing all of the options with the parties and taking all of the security considerations into account, it was determined that the best course of action is to play the series in Philadelphia,” Commissioner Bud Selig said. “I appreciate the cooperation of the Blue Jays, the Phillies and all of the parties who have helped resolve this challenging situation.”
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The whole thing is a raw deal for the Blue Jays who likely would have seen a big crowd especially if former Jays ace Halladay was going to take the hill.
“This was an extremely difficult decision and one which we did not take lightly," said Rogers Sports Entertainment President and CEO Paul Beeston. "By moving our games to Philadelphia, we are acting in the best interests of our fans, our employees, the players and the game of baseball. We did not want to move the games but in looking at the realities of this situation, we felt that relocation was the most prudent course of action.”
The move gives the Phillies 84 regular season games at Citizens Bank Park. But, officially the Jays will be the home team -- they will bat last and the designated hitter will be used.
The Toronto series was supposed to kickoff a 10-game road trip for the Phillies. Instead the Phightins will now enjoy a nine-game homestand.
There was no info yet on ticket sales. The Friday game will be played at 7:05, Sunday 1:35 and Saturday was TBD.
No word if one of these added games will be a Dollar Dog Night. But that sure would be a tasty idea.
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