Major renovation of the Blue Jays’ Rogers Centre has begun

Major renovations of the Rogers Centre are well underway. (Getty)

Major renovations to the Rogers Centre are in progress. (Getty)

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

Rogers Centre, the home of the Jays from 1989 to 1989, has been long criticized for not having the feel of a major league ballpark. The retractable stadium’s latest makeover aims to address that issue.

The club announced a $300 million private-funded multi-year renovation of Rogers Centre in July 2022. It will involve several projects that “focus on modernizing fan experiences 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.

Bullpens and outfield walls raised

To enhance the viewing experience, fans must be closer to the action. The bullpens raised in left and right fields accomplish that goal.

Fans are now able to see the warm-up mounds from the new setup. There won’t be any seats lost on the 200 level, either. Instead, there will be two levels to the bullpen. The top section is for pitchers to warm up and the bottom section is for bullpen catchers and relievers to relax during games.

These changes will have an effect on players for better or worse as they warm up in 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. Because of the new outfield curves and juts, the park will play differently. This will make it much harder to get caroms off the walls. Toronto added Kevin Kiermaier to its outfield defense and Daulton Varsho to help 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 and slightly lower capacity

The seats will also be changed. The outfield seats, which were originally light blue, have been removed and replaced with wider, darker blue seats. 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. Each space has a Toronto-based theme and offers fans a new way of experiencing the game. You can view from viewing perches or bars at the corners of left and right fields, which are 100 feet high.

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.

Non-ticketed social spaces will be available for all, so fans from all walks of the community can visit. 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.

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