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Blue Jays denied permission to play 'home' games at PNC Park in Pittsburgh


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The Toronto Blue Jays truly believed they would be able to play their home games at Rogers Centre in Toronto this summer, only for the Canadian government to step in and stop them.

They turned out and made an agreement with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Major League Baseball to play their home games at PNC Park late Tuesday night, only for the Pennsylvania Department of Health to stop it Wednesday afternoon.

Now, they are back at Square 1.

They could play their home games in Baltimore at Camden Yards, at their Triple-A ballpark in Buffalo, at their spring-training site in Dunedin, Florda, share Tropicana Field with the Tampa Bay Rays, or simply be nomads all year and play every single game on the road.

“Most guys don’t want to play in a AAA ballpark,’’ Blue Jays outfielder Randal Grichuk said on a teleconference call Tuesday. “Training room, weight room, those aren’t really up to big-league standards.”

Stay tuned, but certainly no team will face a greater challenge this year than the Blue Jays.

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