Done Deal: Phillies get three more home games
UPDATED 12:10 PM MST: Interesting dispatch from esteemed Toronto columnist Jeff Blair, who has a couple of interesting points. One, Jays CEO Paul Beeston says the club will probably emerge "revenue neutral" from the gate split with the Phillies. Sounds like the Phils have the potential to make at least a little extra scratch from their home series. Although, again, we have yet to receive any word at all from the Phillies even acknowledging a series change. Maybe they'll make some loot out of this to put toward their Rainy Day -- AKA Jayson Werth -- fund.
More interesting, Blair says the Jays have asked MLB to include a series between the Phillies and Jays in Toronto next season so that the Jays can "properly honour Roy Halladay."
And by "properly," we can only assume Beeston means spelling the word in the Queen's English.
UPDATED: 11:59 AM MST: The Phillies have sent out an email to season ticket holders that reads as follows:
Phillies season ticket holders will be notified of their options within the next 3-7 days. Individual Tickets will be on sale in approximately 10-14 days. Please continue to check phillies.com for the most up-to-date information.
Updated: 11:32 AM MST. . .
The series switch has been announced by Major League Baseball, although plenty of details remain unanswered. We have yet to receive anything concrete from the Phillies pertaining to some of these questions:
What happens to the tickets Phillies fans purchased from the Blue Jays while planning what seemed to be an ideal summer weekend getaway? Will they have first dibs at tickets at CBP?
How will the gate receipts be split? This was obviously a huge attendance weekend for the Blue Jays, given the return of Roy Halladay and an interleague series against a Phillies team whose fans are known to travel in droves. But the Phillies also need to pay for operating costs. . .
Will this cause much of an uproar among NL East competitors, with the three-time defending champs getting an extra home series? Even though the Phillies will technically be the visiting team, they will presumably be using their own clubhouse, and be playing in front of their home fans.
Keep in mind this will also be the first time in its history that Citizens Bank Park sees the use of the designated hitter.
The nuts and bolts:
The Phillies and Jays will play three games at Citizens Bank Park from June 25-27. Friday's game is set for 7:35 p.m. Sunday's game is set for 1:35 p.m. Saturday's game time remain unannounced.
The Phillies will be considered the visiting team. The Blue Jays will bat last, and the games will count as road games for the Phillies in the standings.
More to come. . .
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In reality, Major League Baseball had little choice. Some of the most powerful leaders in the world were going to be in Toronto the same weekend the Blue Jays were scheduled to host the Phillies, and the resulting secuirty complications were impossible to navigate.
Later today, the league will announce that the series between the Blue Jays and the Phillies from June 25-27 has been moved out of Toronto, according to several people with knowledge of the situation, with it's likely destination now Citizens Bank Park.
The series, provided it lands at Citizens Bank Park as expected, will make for an interesting set of circumstances. First, the Phillies will technically be the visiting team in their own ballpark. They will play this interleague series using American League rules, with a designated hitter and Toronto batting in the home half of the inning.
The move also spoils the homecoming of Phillies ace Roy Halladay, who was traded from the Blue Jays in December for a package of prospects.
Officials from Major League Baseball and the Phillies declined to comment.