Toronto Blue Jays Stadium

The Toronto Blue Jays are the only Canada based baseball team in Major League Baseball (MLB) as of now. A member of the American League (AL), they are two time World Series Champions. They have also won the AL East Division championship four times so far and have received the AL pennants two times. They are serious rivals of the Seattle Mariners and the Detroit Tigers. They also had rivalry with the Montreal Expos before they relocated and became Washington Nationals.

The Toronto Blue Jays are under the ownership of Rogers Communication Inc. The president of the team is Mark Shapiro. Ross Atkins serves as the General Manager for the team while John Schneider is the manager. Throughout the 2023 MLB season, the team has ranked #3 in AL East Division with a win-loss-draw record of 89-73-0. Unfortunately, in the postseason, they lost the AL Wild Card series to the Minnesota Twins.

What is the name of the Toronto Blue Jays’ Stadium?

Rogers Center, formerly known as SkyDome is the official stadium of the Toronto Blue Jays in Major League Baseball (MLB). It is a multipurpose stadium located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Toronto Blue Jays played in this stadium from 1989 between 2019 and again have been using this stadium since 2021. It is the only stadium that hosts both baseball and football leagues.

Rogers Center Stadium History/ Rogers Center Stadium Construction and Cost

The demand for a new stadium in Toronto started when Montreal won against Toronto to host the 1976 Olympics in 1968. The formation of the Toronto Blue Jays in 1977 further increased the demand for a new stadium. The Railway Lands at the base of the CN Tower was chosen as the location for the new stadium. Despite difficult challenges, the construction of the stadium started in October 1986 and concluded in May 1989. The team was originally named as “SkyDome” and was opened to the fans on June 3, 1989 with a huge celebration with 50,000 spectators. The stadium was renamed as Rogers Center after Rogers Communication Inc. became its owner (except the hotel) on February 2, 2005. This led to several renovations of the stadium.

One of the most important attractions in the stadium is the fully retractable roof. It has three sliding panels and one fixed panel, which is 31 storeyed and is spread over 345,000 sq.feet. Electric powered train engines are used to completely open and close the stadium in around 20 minutes. There is also a walkway of 500 meters that serves as a connection between the stadium and Union Station.

The field surface of the stadium is made up of AstroTurf 3D Xtreme with dirt infield. The left field line is 328 feet, the left center field is 368 feet and the left center power alley is 381 feet. The center field is 400 feet, the right center power alley is 372 feet, the right center field is 359 feet and the right field line is 328 feet. The backstop is 60 feet. As part of the renovations, new features include a Daktronicks video display board, indoor and outdoor monitors, luxury boxes and a 100 level concourse. The Toronto Blue Jays also introduced a retail shop in 2007.

The construction cost of the stadium was $570 million, which was equal to $1.04 million as of 2020. It was constructed by Rodd Robbie and Michael Allen.

Rogers Center Stadium’s Capacity

The Rogers Center stadium currently has a capacity to support 41,500 when it comes to baseball games. This is a look at the capacity of the stadium from its inception till now.

Notably, the stadium capacity has been reduced to 41,500 since 2023 compared to 2013-22, when it supported 49,282 fans for baseball games.

Rogers Center Stadium Seating Chart

The following is the seating chart available for the Toronto Blue Jays’ fans at Rogers Center stadium for baseball games.

What is the parking coast at Rogers Center Stadium?/ Parking Map

The following is the parking map available for fans of the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Center stadium.

The above map allows the fans to reserve parking spaces for them through a phone call to Rogers Center parking. There are limited reserved parking spaces available for fans. The Rogers Center stadium has also made limited underground parking facilities for the fans. However, underground parkings is not allowed on game days.

There are also outdoor parking features available for fans at Rees & Queens Quay, Convention Centre (Simcoe/Station St., south of Front St.), Underground parking (Lower Simcoe St., south of Bremner Blvd), York St. & Bremner Blvd., Front & Blue Jays Way and finally Blue Jays Way & Navy Wharf Ct.

The access to parking and the parking cost varies according to the games or other events. As per online sources, the underground parking lots at Rogers Center can cost $30. In other areas, prices may vary from $15 to $40 on game days.

Rogers Center Stadium Notable Events

These are the notable events at Rogers Center stadium in relation to baseball:

Other Notable Sports events

Other sports in Rogers Center included the NBA, as the Toronto Raptors used the stadium from 1995 to 1999. Notably, their game against the Chicago Bulls (which had Michael Jordan) was attended by 36,000 fans.

The Canadian football games were hosted in this stadium till 2015. The Grey Cup, the Interuniversity Vanier Cup and the International Bowl in 2007 between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the Michigan Broncos was hosted at the stadium. The stadium also served as the home for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL) until 2016. The Buffalo Bills of the National Football Federation (NFL) also played in this stadium in 2008.

Various international soccer teams like Manchester United, Liverpool and Juventus among others have played in this stadium. Motorsports events like the Toronto Supercross, the FIM World Supercross GM series, the USAC National Midget Car Grand Prix, Monster Jam Truck our and NASCAR night race have also been organized by the stadium.

The 2015 Pan American games started and concluded at Rogers Centre Stadium. The 1993 IAAF World Indoor Track and Field Championships were hosted by the organization.

Pro Wrestling (WWE)

The Rogers Center stadium has been home to two Wrestlemanias. The first was Wrestlemania VI on April 1, 1990, where in the main event, WWF Intercontinental Champion The Ultimate Warrior defeated WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan.

The second was Wrestlemania X8 on March 17, 2002 where in the main event, Triple H defeated Chris Jericho for the Undisputed WWF Championship.

Music Concerts

The Rogers Center stadium has also been home to notable music concerts by Bruce Springsteen (2009, 2012), U2 (2009 & 2011), Bon Jovi (2010), The Rolling Stones (1989 & 2005), Madonna (1990), Guns N’ Roses (2016), Metallica (2017) and Shawn Mendes (2019). There is an upcoming concert by Taylor Swift from November 14, 2023- November 23, 2024 as part of The Eras Tour.