Once the Blue Jays decided they would stage their home season in Buffalo, the directive Marnie Starkman and her team received from leadership, including general manager Ross Atkins and field manager Charlie Montoyo, was to make Sahlen Field look and feel as close to home as possible.
“It’s not going to look like home exactly,” said Starkman, the club’s senior vice president of marketing and business operations. “But anything you can do to make it look like home.”
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The message was certainly received. Over the last three weeks, team staff, led by Starkman, completed a remarkable HGTV-worthy makeover of the Triple-A facility, transforming it to look like a near replica Rogers Centre inside the home team’s quarters, including the clubhouse and weight room, complete with team colours, branding and unique homey touches.
Moreover, the facility, which was built for minor-league baseball, can now host major-league games this season, thanks to upgrades to the stadium lighting, the field of play and the many amenities needed for big-league players to prepare and recover. The accommodations for both the home and visiting side are all also in line with MLB-wide COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
It was certainly a time crunch to get it done in the two-and-a-half-week window, but up to 25 Blue Jays staff members worked closely with MLB and BaAM Productions, a Canadian company specializing in high-profile and large-scale entertainment, culture and sports experiences, to make the upgrades happen in time for the what the club has dubbed their home away from home opener on Tuesday against the Miami Marlins.
“I don’t think we ever had a moment that we said this wasn’t going to get done,” said Starkman, who added the Boston Red Sox were also consulted. “I think we were comfortable once we moved to the Aug. 11 date on delivering, I think it’s just been those last-minute things that are always going to happen and will probably continue to happen over this first homestand.”
Back on July 18, when the Canadian federal government denied the Blue Jays’ request to play at the Rogers Centre, the team had to look into alternatives for staging their home games this season. Buffalo’s Sahlen Field, where the team’s Triple-A affiliate, the Bisons play, was always a possible solution, with plans drawn up weeks ago.
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But the team decided to explore major-league options first, at the request of players. But when plans for sharing a major-league facility with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles were not realized, the team opted to push ahead with Buffalo, incurring what Starkman called a “significant investment” in terms of finances to get the job done. Team president Mark Shapiro previously said the Blue Jays are paying for most if not all, the majority of the expenses for the renovations.
The primary obstacle of the renovation, according to Starkman, was the existing infrastructure, meaning the facility was simply not equipped to stage Major League Baseball; a lack of space, which is problematic during a pandemic, where physical distancing is a necessity; and the last hurdle was time — or lack thereof.
But with the team arriving in Buffalo on Monday, they got the job done. As for the finished product, the entire service level of the stadium was repurposed into the home clubhouse, where players have ample room to move around with at least six feet of distance between their locker stalls. The area is also complete with signage, such as reminders to wear masks, which is in accordance with safety protocols. Meanwhile, the décor was inspired by their clubhouse in Toronto, including colours, branding and the inspirational messaging painted on walls in both English and Spanish. A new air conditioning system was installed to allow for improved air circulation.
The lower concourse level, typically where fans can grab concessions and team merchandise, was transformed into a training area for the Blue Jays, with their weight room and batting cages. The equipment in both the home and visitors’ weight room is borrowed from the Rogers Centre and was shipped across the border. In total, the team packed up four moving trucks filled with furniture, equipment and other team-related items. Whatever could not be shipped was bought new.
Meanwhile, the Bisons original home clubhouse is now the coaches’ locker room. The trainers’ room and areas for players to stretch were also upgraded, after consulting with team staff, including head trainer Jose Ministral. The existing manager’s office was also redesigned to look as familiar to Montoyo as possible, complete with photos of his two sons, Tyson and Alex.
“It was kind of a cool moment, just watching him walk in last night,” Starkman said. “Just to make it feel a bit like home. It had the pictures of Alex and Tyson on his desk and we had put his instruments out.”
As for the visitors’ facilities, the team set up large-scale event tents in the site’s parking lot. Inside, the visitors can access a spaced-out clubhouse, training room, portable showers and washroom facilities. Outside, there is a covered weight room and batting cages.
The playing surface also received an upgrade. The grass behind the home plate, the infield and 20-feet back from the infield was replaced. The club decided to install new grass after consulting with Pat Skunda, who handles field maintenance at the club’s Dunedin facility. According to Starkman, Skunda said he felt the lip between the dirt and the field was just too deep.
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“We didn’t have time to do the entire field and actually, they didn’t feel like outfield needed it,” Starkman said. “But it was just sort of a decision that had multiple people involved and I think once Pat got here from Florida and looked at it, it was just sort of we might as well do this because we had to wait on the lights.”
Speaking of the lighting, the existing stadium lights did not meet MLB standards for broadcasting nor were they suitable from a player safety standpoint. The Blue Jays, working alongside, Musco Lighting, an MLB partner, replaced all the bulbs in the existing posts. It will be supplemented further with two lighting trucks supplied by Musco.
The dugouts have also received a restyling to resemble the Blue Jays’ Toronto digs. They’ve also been expanded both dugouts with a covering, so players can sit behind in the stands to allow for physical distancing.
One common complaint from hitters who have played in the ballpark in the past — and one that Bo Bichette brought to the club’s attention — was about the scoreboard in centre field. It is in the batters’ line of sight and can interfere with hitters at the plate. To fix that, the club will blackout the bottom 15 feet of the screen during at-bats. Meanwhile, the ballpark has also been equipped with Hawk-Eye cameras and the necessary technology to collect Statcast data.
Of course, it’s not a perfect situation for MLB clubs. The bullpens, for example, are located on the field in foul territory. The Blue Jays looked into moving them, but there was simply nowhere else to put them. The existing bullpens don’t have enough space to allow for physical distancing between relievers, so there are auxiliary areas in the stands and concourse where they can sit and stretch before warming up.
“We looked at it with MLB as well and made the decision that we were going to keep them where they are,” Starkman said. “Not ideal but it is what it is.”
All in all, however, Blue Jays are pleased with the finished product.
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“I’m crazy proud of what we were able to put together for our guys and trying to make Buffalo the best home possible for hopefully 27 plus games,” Starkman said.
Players were set to arrive on Monday afternoon to check out the facility before Tuesday’s first game. Starkman was looking forward to seeing the players’ reactions.
“I think the ones that will be cool are the guys that have played here and more recently been here,” said Starkman, referring to many of the team’s young players who played for the Bisons as recently as last year.
While the temporary structures will come down at the end of the season, many of the upgrades will benefit the Bisons club for years to come.
“The Bisons have been so great to work with, to brand all of this space. The painting, the carpeting, the lighting, the field, a lot of that stuff is going to be left. Although there are temporary structures that you see and that will all go away, we still feel like a lot of the work that we’ve done here will be beneficial for the guys that show up here next year and play for the Bisons.”
(All photos courtesy of Toronto Blue Jays)
