Newly-upgraded Rogers Centre is looking ready for Toronto Blue Jays opener
The MLB regular season is just over one week away, but Toronto Blue Jays will have to wait just a bit longer to check out the upcoming upgrades and features that will be introduced by the largest renovation project across the Rogers Centre/SkyDome's 34-year history.
The Jays will finally return for their April 11 home opener versus the Detroit Tigers in what will be a similar-looking, but very different-feeling facility, packed with new spaces, amenities, and food/beverage options designed to enhance the fan experience at ball games.
Hot on the heels of a previous round of off-season renovation, work on the much more expansive $300 million renovation launched almost immediately after the Jays suffered a devastating defeat against the Seattle Mariners in the 2022 American League Wild Card Series.
Though the long-term renovation is far from complete and will continue through future off-seasons, the first phase of construction appears to be nearing the finish line based on a recent photo update.
Twitter account TBJ Live has been painstakingly tracking construction inside the Rogers Centre, capturing photos of the stadium's late 2022 gutting all the way through their most recent update.
Photos show the familiar-looking stadium with some notable new changes, offering up a preview of what fans can expect to see in three weeks.
It’s beginning to look a lot like baseball #TBJLive pic.twitter.com/FGWTIC8ybM
— TBJ Live (@TBJLive) March 15, 2023
Replaced seating in the dome's upper decks means more legroom for fans, though the darkened shade of blue is quite the visual departure from the established look.
Many of the replaced seats in the 500 level actually dated back to the facility's 1989 opening under the long-gone-but-still-beloved SkyDome branding.
The field surface is now mostly in place once again, but fans will also notice new areas of warning track and artificial turf beyond relocated outfield walls, where new bullpens are now in full view of fans.
There is indeed still much work to do in the final weeks before the home opener, and photos show patches of outfield stands still awaiting seat installation.
Some views today at breakfast from @sportsnetgrill of the construction going on at @RogersCentre Can't wait to get back inside watching @BlueJays play! And timing is everything! They were testing the Jumbotron while we were there!!😁#bonus pic.twitter.com/jk6VracTK2
— Tracey 🇨🇦⚾️#WeAreBlueJays 🏀#WeTheNorth (@VivasMum) March 13, 2023
A lengthy road trip will kick off the 2023 Toronto Blue Jays season on March 30 versus the St. Louis Cardinals, before the team returns for its home opener, the first in a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers.
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