Bo Bichette, Travis Shaw, and the rest of the nomadic Blue Jays all felt good in their new nest.
In the first major league game in Buffalo since 1915, Shaw hit an RBI single in the 10th and Toronto beat the Miami Marlins 5-4 on Tuesday night.
The Canadian government has banned the Blue Jays from playing in Toronto, amid concerns about the coronavirus. Thus, the team spent almost three weeks on the road, before moving to the park of its Triple A affiliate, which will be its temporary home this year.
“We are still staying in a hotel, but this almost felt like the first game of the year. Going out and saying, ‘Well this will be our place,’ I think it did us good, ”said Bichette, who hit a three-run home run.
And in a city famous for chicken wings and steak sandwiches, the Blue Jays made a triumphant debut, on the ground at Sahlen Field. The central park, a couple of blocks from Lake Erie and with a capacity for 17,000 people, was empty, due to restrictions due to the pandemic.
A three-run homer by Francisco Cervelli, with two outs in the ninth inning, allowed Miami to tie 4-4. Logan Forsythe appeared to give the Marlins the lead, hitting a four-corner club in the 10th inning.
Originally, a two-run home run was scored, but the decision was changed to foul after reviewing the video replay. The cameras were among the improvements that had to be made to the park to bring it up to major league standards.
The Blue Jays loaded the bases with one out in the 10th, and Shaw singled to right field for his first RBI in 25 at-bats for Toronto.
The victory went to AJ Cole (1-0) and the defeat to Stephen Tarpley (2-1).
For the Marlins, Jonathan Villar 4-1. Venezuelans Jesús Aguilar 3-0, Cervelli 4-1 with one run scored and three produced.
For the Blue Jays, the Dominicans Teoscar Hernández 4-0, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 4-0. Cuban Lourdes Gurriel Jr. 3-0. AP (HN)