DH coming to the NL for Phillies/Jays series

[Rabbethan]

It's been out for a couple days but I was wondering what most people think about this.

 

Series against Jays moved to Philadelphia

Interleague set from June 25-27 shifted due to G20 Summit

 

By Todd Zolecki / MLB.com

DENVER -- Shane Victorino actually wanted to be in the middle of the G20 Summit in Toronto in June.

 

He is one of the few.

 

Major League Baseball announced Tuesday that the Toronto Blue Jays have moved their June 25-27 series against the Phillies from Rogers Centre in Toronto to Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia because of the G20 Summit. The Summit is June 26-27 at the Metro Convention Center, and there are major security issues with Rogers Centre just feet away.

 

"Good for us," Victorino said of the extra three games at Citizens Bank Park. "We get to play at home. But I actually wanted to go there because I wanted to be around all that. I thought it would be pretty interesting. When I heard we were there at the same time, I was like, 'Oh, sick! We get to be in the city while every single high-powered political figure is there.' But playing at home is nice."

 

The Phillies will have 84 regular-season games in Philadelphia, although these three games are technically home games for Toronto. The designated hitter will be used, and the Blue Jays will hit last.

 

But will the Phillies wear their road grays in front of their hometown fans? That is up in the air. The Blue Jays might pack their road grays anyway because they travel to Cleveland and New York after the series, and it would be extra clothing to pack and carry.

 

Of course, the decision was not an easy one. The Blue Jays were looking forward to a series against the Phillies, and possibly hosting Roy Halladay.

 

Maybe some other time.

 

"It's particularly disappointing, for very obvious reasons with Roy Halladay coming back," said Blue Jays president and CEO Paul Beeston. "Roy, who had been with the organization for as long as he'd been here, it was our opportunity for the fans and for ourselves to give him the appreciation for what he had done and what he had meant to this team.

 

"It was a big weekend for us. So not having them here, not having the Phillies here, is difficult. It's not something that you sit back and say, 'Well, so what?' There is a big deal to this. It's a big deal. I mean, the fact of the matter is the Phillies won't be here."

 

Beeston said he will request the Phillies play the Blue Jays in Toronto in 2011.

 

Besides making the difficult decision of moving three home games simply out of Toronto, the Blue Jays also had to decide where to play.

 

They said they never considered a neutral site.

 

"I guess that was an option, whether we'd go to Cleveland or whether we'd go to Detroit or whether we'd go up to Ottawa and play in one of those places," Beeston said. "At the very conclusion of all our deliberations, the easiest was just to go to Philadelphia."

 

Beeston said they worked out a financial agreement with the Phillies.

 

"The goal was that we would end up to be revenue neutral," he said. "This wasn't a negotiation. The Phillies are terrific people to deal with. We were fortunate that we were playing the Phillies at this time, so we could sit down with [Phillies president] Dave Montgomery. I've had a number of conversations with him, starting back when it was first announced.

 

"As it became a little bit more definitive that it was happening, we kept him informed as to what was happening. He's got costs of putting on the games, so we've worked out an arrangement that hopefully will make us both revenue neutral."

 

The change gives the Phillies a nine-game homestand June 18-27 against Minnesota, Cleveland and Toronto, and shortens a road trip from June 28 through July 4 against the Reds and Pirates to just seven games.

 

Phillies vice president of sales and ticket operations John Weber said the Phillies will contact season ticket holders within the next three to seven days. Full-season ticket holders get the first opportunity to purchase tickets. Sunday-season ticket holders will have a shot at tickets for the June 27 game. The Phillies also will have presale opportunities for their 17-game season ticket holders.

 

"Hopefully, we'll be on sale for individual tickets to the public in about 10 to 14 days," Weber said. "Hopefully our fans will see this as a great opportunity for another weekend series."

 

Weber said they are working with the Blue Jays because these, technically, are their home games.

 

"We're going to help them out as much as possible," he said. "If their fans are trying to come out, we're going to help them out as much as we can. It is their home game."

 

The attendance figures from the series will be added to the Blue Jays' home attendance totals, which means at the end of the season, the Phillies technically will have played 81 home games.

 

But everybody knows it won't be a road game.

 

"I think it's ridiculous," said Mets right fielder Jeff Francoeur. "It's not fair. If we got to go to Toronto next year, we're not going to go."

 

"I definitely don't think it's fair, regardless of if they're hitting first or hitting second," said Mets catcher Rod Barajas. "They still have their whole crowd there."

 

It remains to be seen how many tickets will be sold, but the Phillies have sold out 58 consecutive regular-season games at Citizens Bank Park.

 

"It will be very interesting," Victorino said. "It'll be a little unusual. DH. Hit first. It's going to be very interesting."

 

Todd Zolecki is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

[mystikol87]

It's annoying to us that the Phillies get extra home games. We played at the neutral field in Chicago, I believe. Maybe that would have been preferable?

[Out of the Past]

It's annoying to us that the Phillies get extra home games. We played at the neutral field in Chicago, I believe. Maybe that would have been preferable?

 

 

They'll sell more tickets in Philadelphia than in a neutral field so it's Philadelphia.

[MrMarlinPride]

Not really a problem since Toronto is technically the 1st team but i find it unfair that there playing in Philly. They should just play in a neutral stadium like Camden Yards, Yankee Stadium, Citi Field or Target Field.

[fanofthefish]

Is the stadium still standing in Montreal? I wonder if those folks would come out to see baseball?

[Admin]

It's still standing and not getting much use, but I highly doubt it is still equipped for baseball. Probably the amount of time and money necessary to get it baseball ready would prove to be a waste, especially considering that three games in Philadelphia are guaranteed sell-outs.

 

Personally I would rather see them play in Olympic Stadium again. Montreal is a fantastic city.

[Dr Beinfest]

Not really a problem since Toronto is technically the 1st team but i find it unfair that there playing in Philly. They should just play in a neutral stadium like Camden Yards, Yankee Stadium, Citi Field or Target Field.

 

 

Im sure the Blue Jays looked around everywhere for a second option... and I'm sure they probably got the best offer from Philly... if I'm not mistaken they had the option to get the game wherever they want/could get it. Which team is going to offer the most to the Jays to make up for the missing sales? The same team that knows they can make a wad of cash by having 3 road games hosted as home games.

[enterthemadness]

Is the stadium still standing in Montreal? I wonder if those folks would come out to see baseball?

 

 

I believe so. I'm sure the Big O would get about 20,000 a game if not more. MLB should never have screwed over Montreal. Major League Bitches.