Blue Jays announce Grapefruit League slate
TORONTO -- Plans for Spring Training are officially underway, as the Blue Jays released their 2014 Grapefruit League season schedule on Wednesday morning.
The 31-game schedule includes 14 home dates at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. All American League East rivals will make at least one trip to Dunedin, Fla., and as expected, the Blue Jays will wrap up their exhibition schedule by playing two exhibition games against the Mets in Montreal.
The Grapefruit League season begins in nearby Clearwater, Fla., with a 1:05 p.m. ET game on Feb. 26 against the Phillies. The Blue Jays will then open their home schedule the following day with a rematch against Philadelphia.
The biggest highlight for a lot of fans north of the border will come at the very end of camp when the Blue Jays and Mets travel to Montreal. The two sides will play a pair of games on March 28-29 before the Blue Jays open the regular season on April 1 in St. Petersburg against the Rays.
It marks the first time Toronto has made a trip to Montreal since 2004. The games are scheduled to take place at Olympic Stadium and will likely include appearances from all of the Opening Day position players considering how late the games take place in camp.
Another highlight for Canadian baseball fans will come on March 11, when the Blue Jays play an exhibition game against the Canadian Junior team. This has become an annual event and will take place in St. Petersburg, which is just a short drive from Dunedin.
Toronto will face Philadelphia seven times in Grapefruit League action. There are three games against the Yankees, two against the Orioles, just one vs. the Red Sox and four against the Rays. Other key matchups include four games vs. the Pirates, three against the Tigers and two vs. the Twins.
Spring Training season tickets are already available for purchase on bluejays.com and three-game Flex Packs go on sale Thursday morning at 9 a.m. Single-game tickets will become available in a 36-hour window starting on Dec. 5 at 9 a.m. and will later go on sale full time on Jan. 9 at 9 a.m.