What Blue Jays fans can expect at the renovated Rogers Centre in the 2023 season

Open this photo in gallery:

The Toronto Blue Jays returned to the Rogers Centre Tuesday for a homestand against the Tampa Bay Rays and Detroit Tigers.

This six-game set, which wraps up Sunday, is the first time fans will get to experience the SkyDome since undergoing the first phase of its $300-million renovation.

Tickets are available for the remainder of the homestand, starting at $26 (including processing fees). To make baseball games even more accessible, the Blue Jays are introducing new $20 general admission tickets for outfield areas of Rogers Centre.

All games will be broadcast on Sportsnet.

Cathal Kelly: The stadium – and team – is better at Blue Jays home opener

From management changes to new rules and concession foods, here’s what fans can expect this season.

Blue Jays manager and coaching staff

John Schneider is in his first full season as Blue Jays manager after replacing Charlie Montoyo, who was fired last summer. Schneider was promoted to the Jays coaching staff in 2019 after managing in the organization’s minor league system since 2008. A former catcher, he became interim manager on July 13, 2022, and led the team to a 46-28 finish that secured the top wild-card spot.

Schneider’s first full season as manager will feature a familiar coaching staff, with Jeff Ware and David Howell stepping into the roles of assistant pitching coaches. Both were already with the organization. Meanwhile, former Dodgers and Marlins manager Don Mattingly has joined the team as the new bench coach.

Rogers Centre renovations and new spaces for fans

The Rogers Centre is undergoing its biggest transformation since opening in 1989. The first phase of the $300-million makeover involved building half-a-dozen new bars, restaurants and social spaces for fans to hang out. The 500-level chairs were all replaced with slightly wider seats and the bullpens were raised to bring fans closer to the players.

Open this photo in gallery:

The new areas include Park Social, a two-storey family-friendly zone featuring Muskoka chairs, picnic tables, swings, lawn games and fake grass; The Catch, a 100-level bar overlooking the visitors’ bullpen in right field; Corona Rooftop Patio, a 500-level lounge with plush couches, an Instagram-ready backdrop and spaces for live music. These outfield areas are accessible to patrons who have paid for seats, but fans can also buy new general admission tickets for $20 to hang out in the new outfield spaces.

The first phase of the renovation reduced crowd capacity by about 7 per cent, from approximately 44,750 to roughly 41,500. But that shouldn’t be a problem for the club: last year the team only sold out 23 of its 81 home games.

Next off-season, the club will start the second phase of the renovation, gutting the lower bowl of the stadium, introducing VIP areas, and widening all 100- and 200-level seats.

New concession foods at Rogers Centre

Aramark Sports and Entertainment, the hospitality provider for Rogers Centre, has announced a number of new food and drink items now available to spectators. The company says the menu, called Seasons Inning Stretch, “will bring new dishes to ballpark menus in the spring, summer, and fall.”

For spring, fans can enjoy banh mi chicken sandwiches, with halal ginger chicken, kimchi mayo, cucumber, pickled carrot and cilantro on a baguette. That is available at The Stop, located in centre field on the 100 level. The Stop, one of several new outfield “districts” at the stadium, also offers cocktails.

Other food-themed districts include The Catch (section 106), which serves cocktails alongside mac ‘n’ cheese, Montreal smoked meat and Cuban sandwiches; Schneiders Porch (section 209), a new hot-dog stand; Park Social (left field at the 500 level), where fans can find food truck-style eats like bacon-pepper grilled cheese and milkshakes; and the Corona Rooftop Patio (right field at the 500 level), which offers ballpark classics and peameal bacon sandwiches.

Other new creations that are available elsewhere in the stadium include:

• Jerk chicken nachos, with white corn tortilla chips and plantains covered in jerk chicken, pineapple pico, pineapple sour cream, green onions and cheese sauce (available at The Stop and WestJet Flight Deck on the 200 level)
• Poutine hot-dog, a classic Schneiders hot dog topped with hash-brown potato, cheese curds and gravy (available in sections 109, 209, 215, 220, 228, 233, 514, 520, 523, 529 and 533)
• Peanut-butter-and-jelly churro, which includes three churros tossed in cinnamon sugar and topped with peanut butter, strawberry jam, fresh strawberries and nuts (available at Park Social on the 500 level)

Fans will be able to use self-checkout kiosks powered by artificial intelligence at 13 new Mashgin units in sections 125 and 518. These will allow spectators to quickly scan food items and beer, with the goal of reducing wait times.

New rules to make the game more exciting

Baseball games are notoriously boring and long, but a slew of new rules is designed to change that. Here’s a look at the changes.

• Pitch clock: Pitchers now have 15 seconds to begin their delivery if the bases are empty, and 20 seconds with runners on, while batters have to be in the batter’s box by the eight-second mark. A pitching infraction results in an automatic ball, while an infringement by the batter is a strike.
• Pickoffs: Pitchers are limited to two pickoff attempts or steps off the rubber, which the MLB calls disengagements, per plate appearance. The umpire will call a balk for a third attempt, unless the pickoffs attempt nabs the runner. The disengagement rule resets if a runner advances.
• Defensive shift bans: All four infielders must be in front of the outfield grass when a pitch is thrown, with two on either side of second base. Players can move as soon as the ball leaves the pitcher’s hand. This change was introduced to increase the likelihood of singles, which have been on the decline.
• Bigger bases: The size of the bases are three inches larger this season, an increase from 15-inch squares to 18. The league hopes the change will boost stolen base attempts, and reduce injuries.

– With files from Mark Colley