Follow along here for updates, pictures & reviews from the games attended:
Game #1 - NY Yankees 3, Toronto 2
April 12th, 2016
Attendance: 28,019
The Ticket
Secured a single $30 USD ($37 CAD) ticket in Section 113A, Row 27, well below the $60 CAD single-game face value.
The Menu Item Tried
Went with the Jerk Chicken Nachos, for $11.50. Overall, certainly tasty although they were a little light on the chicken. Would have again.
The Seat
I was set up in Row 27, right next to a family with a couple of young children. As a result, I hopped back a couple of rows (everything from 28 and up was essentially empty). As with some of the Rogers Centre seats, the multi-purpose design of the stadium means that the seats do not directly face home plate, which some may find annoying. Overall, certainly good value for a lower-level seat against a division rival.
The Game
It was a pitching duel for the most part, with the Blue Jays managing just three hits in the game.
Jose Bautista had one of them, a 2-run double in the third inning which gave the Jays a 2-1 lead. However, Brian McCann hit a 2-out solo home run in the 6th inning before Jacoby Ellsbury gave the Yanks the lead in the 7th on a single.
The "lights out" Yankee bullpen combo of Betances & Miller was just that, striking out 5 of the final 7 batters.
Game #2 - Toronto 9, Oakland 3
April 23, 2016
Attendance: 46,334
The Ticket
Saw a $50 USD (plus fees = $60 USD, $75 CAD) ticket on Stubhub a couple of days before, so I snatched it up as there weren't too many deals for this Saturday game. Still, the ticket was a savings of about $25-30 off of face value for the section (127, Row 20).
The Menu Item Tried
Buffalo Cauliflower Poutine. Don't laugh -- it was actually exceptional. Fried cauliflower (battered) and smeared with cheese curds and buffalo sauce. Pretty good eats for $10.50, and extremely filling; dinner was a little later for me on Saturday and I don't think I would have wanted it any earlier!
The Seat
Certainly great views, as you'd expect (will upload photos below) -- although I'm not sure if I'd sit in this section at face value.
The Game
Oakland's Mark Canha, the second batter of the game, homered to get the visitors off to a solid start. However, Toronto used a bit of "small ball" to take the lead in the bottom of the first, scoring runs off of a ground out and an infield single.
Reigning MVP Josh Donaldson opened things up for the Jays in the bottom of the second, belting a 413-foot three-run HR to right-centre.
Troy Tulowitzki hit lead-off homers in the 5th and 7th innings, and the Jays ended up cruising to victory.
As you'd expect with a game that had many offensive fireworks, there were some players that joined my single-game leaders (rank in brackets):
Troy Tulowitzki - 2 HR (T1)
Ezequiel Carrera - 4 Hits (T2)
Ezequiel Carrera - 3 Runs (T3)
Josh Donaldson - 3 Hits (T5)
Josh Donaldson - 4 RBI (T5)
Troy Tulowitzki - 3 Hits (T5)
Game #3 - Chicago White Sox 10, Toronto 1
April 26th, 2016
Attendance:
The Ticket
Saw a Stubhub option in Section 220, Row 5 (200 Level Infield). At $28 USD including fees ($35 CAD), it was about half of face value ($71.50).
The Menu Item Tried
There aren't as many "unique" options in the 200 Level, so it might be worth grabbing something in the lower level of the Rogers Centre before heading up. As it was, I went with the foot-long hot dog, which is served with sauteed peppers and your choice of a wide variety of add-them-yourself toppings ($10.75).
The Seat
Excellent views from Section 220, which is just to the right of the TD Comfort Zone. I actually was the only one sitting in the first 8-10 seats of the row, so I had plenty of space! The crowd in and around me was a little bit older, and quite knowledgeable. There were two guys in front of me who were streaming the Raptors playoff game, which I appreciated!
The Game
With Chris Sale pitching for Chicago, I knew going in that runs would be at a premium for the Blue Jays. It was a slow start offensively for both teams, before Avisail Garcia hit a home run off of RA Dickey in the third inning.
Austin Jackson's two-run double in the 5th inning would provide all of the necessary runs for the Sox, who later received home runs from former Jay Dioner Navarro and Adam Eaton in their 10-run outburst.
All 9 White Sox starters recorded at least one hit, while Sale held the Jays to just 4 hits and 1 runs while striking out six over 8 IP.
Game #4 - Toronto 5, LA Dodgers 2
May 6th, 2016
Attendance:
The Ticket
I went for an outfield ticket in the 200 level on this evening (second row, on the aisle), which cost about $1 on Stubhub after I used a fan gift code that I had earned. Even had I not had that to use, still would have been well below face value of $52.50.
The Menu Item Tried
After a filling pre-game dinner, I wasn't much in the mood for food on this evening. However, I did try a "Bacardi Oakheart and Ginger" cocktail from the Bacardi Bar in the 200 Level ($11.50). Quite good and served in an insulating glass.
The Seat
I hadn't sat out in the 200 level outfield for a while, and was pleasantly surprised with the sight line. An added bonus (and arguably one of the best features of Rogers Centre these days) is the fact that they have opened up the area that used to house the "Windows Restaurant" within the past couple of years --- nowadays, this area is the "WestJet Flight Deck". With a couple of beer serving stations nearby, it's one of the few places in the stadium where you can be in a concourse line waiting for a beer and view the action at the same time (perhaps the only one, as the 100 level serving stations face away from the action).
The Game
It was a pitcher's duel early on between Marcus Stroman (TOR) and Kenta Maeda (LA) --- scoreless through 5 innings. Jose Bautista hit a two-run home run to break the scoreless tie, before the Dodgers rallied in the 7th to tie things up. Kevin Pillar would hit a clutch three-run home-run in the bottom of the 8th inning to provide the winning runs and account for the final margin of victory.
Game #5 - Tampa Bay 6, Toronto 3 (May 18th)
Game #6 - Toronto 7, NY Yankees 0 (June 1st)
Game #7 - Toronto 11, Philadelphia 3 (June 14th)
Game #8 - Toronto 5, Arizona 2 (June 22nd)
Game #9 - Cleveland 4, Toronto 1 (June 30th)
Game #10 - Toronto 5, Detroit 4 (July 7th)
Game #11 - Detroit 3, Toronto 2 (July 9th)
Game #12 - Seattle 2, Toronto 1 (July 22nd)
Game #13 - San Diego 8, Toronto 4 (July 27th)
Game #14 - LA Angels 6, Toronto 3 (August 25th)
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