Major overhaul of Blue Jays Rogers Centre is underway

The Toronto Blue Jays’ fan experience is getting a big overhaul in 2023.

Rogers Centre has been the home of Jays since 1989. However, it has been criticised for lacking the authentic feel of a major-league stadium. The retractable stadium’s latest makeover aims to address that issue.

The club announced in July 2022 that it would be investing $300 million privately to renovate Rogers Centre. This will include several projects that “focus on modernizing the fan experience” and “building world-class player facilities.”

Renovations will be done in two stages and should be complete before the 2024 season. Here’s what the club has renovated in its ‘Stage 1’ process, with changes taking effect on Opening Day this year.

Outfield walls and raised bullpens

Fans need to be close to the action to improve their viewing experience. The raised bullpens in left- and right-field accomplish this goal.

Fans will be amazed at how close the new setup is to the warm up mounds. There won’t be any seats lost on the 200 level, either. Instead, the bullpen will have two levels. The top section will be used by pitchers for warming up, while the bottom section will be used by bullpen catchers and relievers for relaxation during games.

These modifications will undoubtedly have an impact on the players as they warm up inside the bullpens.

“It’s going to create a unique opportunity for our fans to encourage our relievers and potentially discourage — the kindest way you can say it — opposing relief pitchers,” Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro said in July.

Fans will be a bit more aggressive when rivals from the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox arrive in town. Rogers Centre already had a league-wide reputation as one of the rowdiest buildings in baseball, and now that’ll be amplified (think of Jays fans heckling Gerrit Cole or Chris Sale as they warm up before a game).

With the bullpens now elevated, the outfield wall height has increased dramatically, and the fence’s dimensions have changed. As there are new curves and juts in the outfield that will make it more difficult to carom off the wall, the park will be different. Toronto’s outfield defense was upgraded this offseason with Kevin Kiermaier, Daulton Varsho, and who will navigate the new dimensions.

The Blue Jays have not provided any specific details regarding the new dimensions of their outfield. These measurements will be made public at a later time.

New seats, slightly smaller capacity

The seats themselves will be changing. The old, lighter blue outfield seats were removed and replaced by newer, wider seats in a deeper blue color. Additionally, a chunk of seats near the visitor’s bullpen (right field) have been converted into bleacher-style benches.

The stadium’s overall capacity has been reduced due to the renovations, with 3,000 seats — mostly from the 200 and 500 levels — being removed to accommodate the new social spaces. New Rogers Centre capacity is estimated to be approximately 42,000 During the next round of renovations, the number of seats will drop further.

Social spaces and new food options

Rogers Centre’s food and beverage offerings will be greatly improved in the first phase of renovations.

There will be four “outfield communities” by Opening Day. Fans will find a new way to enjoy the game through these social spaces. Each one is themed around Toronto. There will be bars and viewing perches at the 100-level corners in right and left field.

The renovations are more expansive in the 500 level, where the left field section features the Jays’ “Park Social” area, an open-air space with artificial turf, video games and other entertainment options for younger fans. If grabbing a drink and hanging out is more your style, the right field ‘Corona Rooftop Patio’ features live music and a lounge-style restaurant.

Fans from all sections of society can access the social spaces without needing tickets. A variety of new food options will be available, including Jamaican beef patties, banh mi sandwich, and food-truck-style food like bacon-pepper barbecue cheese.

Also of note, the batter’s eye, previously an empty section of seats with a black sheet over top, will be changed. The physical batter’s-eye seats in centre field are now gone, and the 100-level concourse in that area will be extended towards the infield. Fans won’t be able to see the field from this area, but there will be lights, televisions, and graphics to make up for it.

More on Sports