Why fans are packing the Rogers Centre for Blue Jays road games

Blue Jays fan Sachi Vyas watches an away Blue Jays game at the Rogers Centre on Monday, Oct. 27. (Courtesy of Sachi Vyas)

Many die-hard Blue Jays fans have had to sit out from watching the World Series home games at the Rogers Centre due to the high cost of tickets.

But that hasn’t stopped tens of thousands of them from descending upon the ballpark this week to watch the team’s road games in Los Angeles on the videoboard at centre field.

Tickets only cost $15, inclusive, with all proceeds going to the Jays Care Foundation. The concession stands are open, as well as the Jays stadium stores, so fans can feel like they’re watching the game live, even when it’s on the screen. There’s even free popcorn.

For Isaac Work, a Chicago native who moved to Toronto in July, watching the game at Rogers Centre surrounded by Blue Jays fans was a perfect way to acclimatize with his new hometown. Especially since the Jays haven’t been to the World Series since 1993.

“We thought what a cool opportunity to experience the city, and the excitement around the World Series, without having to shell out $10,000 for good tickets,” he told CTVNews.ca.

He’s attended both away games so far, and is planning to attend the watch party on Wednesday as well. He even made it to the end of Monday’s event, which lasted 18 innings and finished just before 3 a.m. eastern time.

The Blue Jays previously told CTV News that 27,000 fans packed the stadium for that watch party, though only about 1,000 of them were still in their seats at the end of the game just before 3 a.m.

“It’s accessible to all and the energy in there has been electric, which is funny because we’re all just watching it on the TV,” Work said.

He added that the event’s entertainment, which includes cheerleaders and the mascot on the field, adds to the wild energy.

For Bronwen Eadie, who came all the way from Hamilton, watching the away games at the Rogers Centre was a “good alternative” to scoring pricy game seats which have regularly been listed for a minimum of $1,500 on resale sites.

She attended Monday’s 18-inning game and stayed until the end.

“The energy in the building was unbelievable,” she said. “So many people willing to stay until the end. Even though they lost, it was absolutely electric in there. From the beginning to the end.”

Eadie said getting back to Hamilton after the game ended was long but “not as long as it would have been had it been a home game.”

“It was definitely worth it, especially that game in particular, it’s going to be in history forever,” she said.

For Sachi Vyas, getting a ticket to the viewing party meant waiting online for a while.

While Ticketmaster kept crashing out, she eventually ended up getting seats in the TD Lounge area, which offers cushioned seats a couple of rows behind home base. She had a blast, especially since the energy was so palpable.

“It felt like they may as well have been playing right in front of us,” she said.

While she admits that her boyfriend is more of a die-hard Blue Jays fan, during the World Series “everyone is obviously a die-hard Jays fan.”