Blue Jays Bid Farewell to Buffalo Home

The Blue Jays closed out Major League Baseball at Buffalo's Sahlen Field with a loss to the Red Sox

Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo doesn't find out if his team is playing a home game until hours before first pitch.

He goes on a run around the stadium before most games, and the apparel of fans entering Sahlen Field inform him what kind of crowd the Blue Jays will have in attendance. Most games the Buffalo crowd is decked in blue, rocking Jays hats and cheering for Jays hits. Series against the Yankees and Red Sox, not so much.

“This year, the fans have been really good," Montoyo said before Wednesday's game. "Other than those four games, it feels like a home game.”

The Blue Jays closed out Major League Baseball at Sahlen Field, Wednesday. On July 30th, the club moves back to their real home, playing their first real home game in over 650 days. Though Toronto started the Western New York finale with a $25,000 donation to Bisons Foundation and included a salute to Buffalo fans, the Red Sox spoiled the going away party.

The crowd roared as George Springer came to a stop near the outfield warning track. He watched as a Rafael Devers solo shot bounced off a tarp feet behind the wall. Sahlen Field released a smattering of Blue Jays chants, but “Let’s Go Red Sox” was the predominant cheer Wednesday.

Toronto gave their outnumbered fans opportunities to celebrate, with a Guerrero Jr. flying liner that plummeted into Boston's bullpen and back-to-back homers in the sixth. But they couldn't find one final gasp of success in their 2020 and 2021 home.

In 2021 home games, the Blue Jays lead baseball in batting average and on-base percentage. They averaged 5.9 runs per game and allowed just 4.26. On Wednesday, Toronto's Sahlen Field luck expired. Starter Robbie Ray (who had a 2.1 ERA at Sahlen coming into tonight) allowed three home runs and lasted just five innings.  

As Ray left Wednesday's game, trucks were packing the Blue Jays gear for the trip to Toronto. Ray has never stepped foot in the home clubhouse in Toronto, he said, and he's one of 14 active Blue Jays who will play their first Rogers Centre home game next week.

"We're definitely looking forward to getting up to Toronto," Ray said with a smile.

The Jays have played 92 games this season, but there's a sense of renewal for Toronto's season. The minor league ballpark home, makeshift facilities, and unknown future is over for the Blue Jays. Buffalo was good to them, but to make the playoffs, Canada will need to prove better.

Sahlen housed the Jays when they were shut out of their own country and witnessed Toronto clinch a playoff birth for this core's first time. Even ending on a loss like Wednesday's, each Blue Jay expressed gratitude for Buffalo's hospitality.

“I thought it was a good idea for the Blue Jays to come out and thank the fans," Montoyo said. "Because it's been a good ride here."

But now, it's time to go home.