The Toronto Blue Jays delayed Saturday’s 3:07 p.m. ET first pitch in opposition to the Seattle Mariners at Rogers Centre, and climate had nothing to do with it.
In truth, the dome is open at Rogers Centre.
Toronto constructed its Saturday matinee across the opening of a brand new Corridor of Excellence, based on The Canadian Press, as a part of the franchise’s Fiftieth-anniversary season. The house sits on the concourse behind proper area and replaces the outdated Stage of Excellence, with 11 earlier honorees — José Bautista, Paul Beeston, George Bell, Joe Carter, Tom Cheek, Carlos Delgado, Tony Fernandez, Cito Gaston,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 forward of the sport.
At 3:38 p.m. ET, honoree Buck Martinez threw out the ceremonial first pitch, which means that the precise first pitch was minutes away. Earlier, George Springer and Ernie Clement offered Martinez with a customized Blue Jays golf cart and customized golf equipment for retirement,” based on Roundtable Sports activities‘ Brady Farkas.
The sport lastly bought underway at 3:49 p.m.
The Ceremony Behind the Blue Jays’ Delayed First Pitch
Buck Martinez, 77, is that this yr’s inductee. The previous catcher, supervisor and longtime Blue Jays broadcaster retired final fall after calling greater than 4,000 video games, together with final October’s World Sequence loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers alongside longtime accomplice Dan Shulman. His managerial run in Toronto lasted from 2001 into the 2002 season, and he later added the Canadian Baseball Corridor of Fame’s Jack Graney Award to his résumé.
Stieb, one in all Saturday’s honorees, described what made Martinez matter behind the plate.
“He was particularly particular for me as a result of as , I used to be fairly a battler on the market. I might lose my feelings at occasions, and Buck simply had a knack for calming me down and conserving me centered on the duty at hand,” Stieb mentioned, based on The Canadian Press.
The delay issues for ticket holders, since a delay merely pushes the same-day begin, whereas a postponement strikes the sport to a different date completely, usually forcing a doubleheader later within the schedule. Nothing about Saturday’s ceremony pointed towards that final result. Although some followers expressed frustration that the Blue Jays scheduled the ceremony concurrently first pitch, relatively than earlier than the sport, which might forestall a delay.
| TORONTO BLUE JAYS STARTING LINEUP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP: José Soriano (RHP) • 10-7, 3.43 ERA | ||||
| August 29, 2026 • Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON • 3:07 PM EDT • Mariners at Blue Jays | ||||
| # | Participant | Pos | AVG | SLG |
| 1 | Brett Bateman | RF | .329 | .397 |
| 2 | Alejandro Kirk | C | .274 | .408 |
| 3 | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | 1B | .260 | .352 |
| 4 | George Springer | DH | .251 | .415 |
| 5 | Kazuma Okamoto | 3B | .231 | .443 |
| 6 | Charles McAdoo | 2B | .250 | .368 |
| 7 | Ernie Clement | SS | .279 | .394 |
| 8 | Daz Cameron | LF | .238 | .429 |
| 9 | Myles Straw | CF | .222 | .339 |
| Lineups confirmed. Season stats proven (AVG / SLG). | ||||
What the Delay Means for the Blue Jays and Mariners
Toronto enters at 66-70, sitting fifth within the American League East and trying to construct on a Friday win that snapped a tough stretch capped by a blowout loss to Kansas Metropolis. Seattle sits at 64-71, third within the American League West, and has dropped two straight whereas nursing a 27-40 highway report on an already troublesome six-game journey.
Each golf equipment are chasing a crowded American League wild-card image, and a brief delay carries totally different penalties for either side. For Toronto at house, the priority is minor — a late begin barely dents a rotation already constructed round Sunday’s flip. For Seattle on the highway, timing issues extra, since any bullpen pressure from a compressed outing follows the Mariners into their subsequent metropolis.
José Soriano takes the mound for Toronto, carrying a 10-7 report and three.43 ERA into the beginning. Kade Anderson will get simply his second big-league outing for Seattle, and the rookie left-hander enters with a 4.76 ERA in restricted work. Sunday traces up as Logan Gilbert in opposition to Max Scherzer, with Toronto hoping to maintain Soriano and fellow starter Dylan Stop on common relaxation heading into subsequent week’s journey to Cleveland.
Each rotations are already skinny. Toronto is working round accidents to Shane Bieber, Jameson Taillon and Trey Yesavage, whereas Seattle is lacking Brendan Donovan to the concussion listing. Neither group can simply take up an prolonged layoff earlier than Saturday’s first pitch, ceremony or not.
| SEATTLE MARINERS STARTING LINEUP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP: Kade Anderson (LHP) • 0-0, 4.76 ERA | ||||
| August 29, 2026 • Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON • 3:07 PM EDT • Mariners at Blue Jays | ||||
| # | Participant | Pos | AVG | SLG |
| 1 | Randy Arozarena | LF | .273 | .461 |
| 2 | Dominic Canzone | RF | .259 | .485 |
| 3 | Julio Rodríguez | CF | .247 | .407 |
| 4 | Josh Naylor | 1B | .269 | .368 |
| 5 | Cal Raleigh | C | .165 | .339 |
| 6 | Cole Younger | 2B | .248 | .391 |
| 7 | Taylor Ward | DH | .230 | .322 |
| 8 | J.P. Crawford | SS | .209 | .339 |
| 9 | Brock Rodden | 3B | .171 | .286 |
| Lineups confirmed. Season stats proven (AVG / SLG). | ||||
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