The Great Ballpark Chase: Rogers and Out for this Chaser

Author Tim Russell Visited his 30th Active MLB Ballpark — **^{Author Tim Russell notes his accomplishment at Rogers Centre, his 30th active MLB ballpark visited. The}**
**^{glow emanating from above is no doubt shining from his late brother who started the journey with him 11}**
**^{seasons ago. (Photo courtesy of Tim Russell)}**

(Contributing writer Timothy Russell returns with another set of entries in his Chasing Ballparks series. Leading off this year is Toronto’s Rogers Centre.)

Baseball was meant to be played outdoors.

The fresh air, the sounds and smells of the environment around you just add to the ballpark experience.

So after pulling up to Toronto’s Rogers Centre and seeing the roof closed, it was a little disappointing, especially since I was finishing up the Chase for 30. It was part of the “Niagara Baseball Tour” with Coast 2 Coast Sports Tours this past summer.

The stadium marked the 30^th Major League ballpark that I’ve visited to complete the circuit of active ballparks. The Chase started in 2015, when I went to the Tigers’ spring training in Lakeland, FL, with my brother. The next year, we spent a week in Baltimore and Washington, following the Tigers against the Orioles and Nationals.

While my brother wasn’t able to finish The Chase in body, he was there in spirit. And our mother took over for him and ended up finishing The Chase during this trip. She joined me during our Pittsburgh stop.

I’ll give a cap tip to my brother, though, because as we got settled in our seats, the Rogers Centre roof started to open, and we were able to enjoy a beautiful night at the ballpark with a great view of the CN Tower, which sits at the base of Rogers Centre.

^{Clockwise from upper left, the full expanse of Rogers Centre prior to the game starting; as the roof opened the CN Tower became visible from our seats; despite only being 50 years old, the Blue Jays have plenty of banners hanging in the rafters; I was able to capture the roof in mid-opening; the exterior of Rogers Centre.}

Rogers Centre is the first stadium in the world that has a fully functional motorized retractable roof. It is also the first one with a hotel attached to the stadium. There are currently six other active stadiums with retractable roofs: Arizona, Houston, Miami, Milwaukee, Seattle, and Texas.

The stadium opened in 1989 as SkyDome, but Rogers Communications later bought it in 2004. The sale did not, however, include the hotel.

A unique thing about the stadium is that some of the hotel rooms overlook the field.

Early in the existence of the facility, the stadium earned nicknames such as “SexDome” and “Exhibitionist Stadium.” The Blue Jays used to play at Exhibition Stadium.

When SkyDome first opened, there were several instances when people were caught in various sex acts. Since then, the hotel guests have to sign contracts stipulating they will not perform any lewd acts in view of the stadium.

Recently, the Blue Jays started a major $400 million renovation of the stadium, which was completed in two phases. The objective of the renovations was to extend the ballpark’s shelf life by another 10–15 years, while continuing to plan for a new stadium or a more significant rebuild of the Rogers Centre within the next 10 to 12 years.

In 2022-23, they reoriented the outfield seats to face home plate, raised the bullpens, and adjusted the outfield dimensions. They also added social spaces, which helped enliven the atmosphere around the ballpark.

The following year, the Blue Jays reoriented the infield seats to face home plate and added cup holders in the 100-level seats. They also reduced the size of foul territory and improved the dugouts.

Those renovations lowered the seating capacity from 41,500 to 39,150.

The renovations also made the field dimensions more symmetrical. The left-field and right-field lines are 328 feet from home plate. It is 368 feet to left-center and 381 feet to the left-center power alley. Right-center is 359 feet away, while the right-center power alley is 372 feet. Center field is 400 feet from the plate.

^{Clockwise from left, the CN Tower by night; the sculpture entitled “The Audience;” and Vlad Jr. on the big screen getting ready to bat.}

Around the stadium are various forms of artwork, but the most recognizable would be the ones above the northeast and northwest entrances. It is a larger-than-life depiction of fans in all kinds of celebration and is entitled, “The Audience,” by Michael Snow.

The Game: The Houston Astros were in Toronto for the final night of a 3-game set. Toronto youngster Trey Yesavage, who burst upon the scene in September last year and was a post-season mainstay for the team, was on the hill for the Blue Jays, facing Houston’s Mike Burrows. Both teams scored single runs in the first inning before seven innings of relative silence (each team managed just four hits). Houston scored a run in the eighth on an errant pickoff attempt by reliever Jeff Hoffman, and then added an insurance run in the ninth on an infield single.