Why is the Mariners-Blue Jays Game Delayed Today? When Will it Start?

Getty

Why is the Mariners-Blue Jays game delayed today? Here’s the reason for the delay at Rogers Centre and the latest on when the game will start.

The Toronto Blue Jays delayed Saturday’s 3:07 p.m. ET first pitch against the Seattle Mariners at Rogers Centre, and weather had nothing to do with it.

In fact, the dome is open at Rogers Centre.

Toronto built its Saturday matinee around the opening of a new Hall of Excellence, according to The Canadian Press, as part of the franchise’s 50th-anniversary season. The space sits on the concourse behind right field and replaces the old Level of Excellence, with 11 previous honorees — José Bautista, Paul Beeston, George Bell, Joe Carter, Tom Cheek, Carlos Delgado, Tony Fernandez, Cito Gaston, Pat Gillick, Roy Halladay and Dave Stieb — enshrined there ahead of the game.

At 3:38 p.m. ET, honoree Buck Martinez threw out the ceremonial first pitch, meaning that the actual first pitch was minutes away. Earlier, George Springer and Ernie Clement presented Martinez with a custom Blue Jays golf cart and custom clubs for retirement,” according to Roundtable Sports‘ Brady Farkas.

The game finally got underway at 3:49 p.m.

The Ceremony Behind the Blue Jays’ Delayed First Pitch

Buck Martinez, 77, is this year’s inductee. The former catcher, manager and longtime Blue Jays broadcaster retired last fall after calling more than 4,000 games, including last October’s World Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers alongside longtime partner Dan Shulman. His managerial run in Toronto lasted from 2001 into the 2002 season, and he later added the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s Jack Graney Award to his résumé.

Stieb, one of Saturday’s honorees, described what made Martinez matter behind the plate.

“He was especially special for me because as you know, I was quite a battler out there. I would lose my emotions at times, and Buck just had a knack for calming me down and keeping me focused on the task at hand,” Stieb said, according to The Canadian Press.

The delay matters for ticket holders, since a delay simply pushes the same-day start, while a postponement moves the game to another date entirely, often forcing a doubleheader later in the schedule. Nothing about Saturday’s ceremony pointed toward that outcome. Though some fans expressed frustration that the Blue Jays scheduled the ceremony at the same time as first pitch, rather than before the game, which would prevent a delay.

What the Delay Means for the Blue Jays and Mariners

Toronto enters at 66-70, sitting fifth in the American League East and looking to build on a Friday win that snapped a rough stretch capped by a blowout loss to Kansas City. Seattle sits at 64-71, third in the American League West, and has dropped two straight while nursing a 27-40 road record on an already difficult six-game trip.

Both clubs are chasing a crowded American League wild-card picture, and a short delay carries different consequences for each side. For Toronto at home, the concern is minor — a late start barely dents a rotation already built around Sunday’s turn. For Seattle on the road, timing matters more, since any bullpen strain from a compressed outing follows the Mariners into their next city.

José Soriano takes the mound for Toronto, carrying a 10-7 record and 3.43 ERA into the start. Kade Anderson gets just his second big-league outing for Seattle, and the rookie left-hander enters with a 4.76 ERA in limited work. Sunday lines up as Logan Gilbert against Max Scherzer, with Toronto hoping to keep Soriano and fellow starter Dylan Cease on regular rest heading into next week’s trip to Cleveland.

Both rotations are already thin. Toronto is working around injuries to Shane Bieber, Jameson Taillon and Trey Yesavage, while Seattle is missing Brendan Donovan to the concussion list. Neither team can easily absorb an extended layoff before Saturday’s first pitch, ceremony or not.