Toronto to Move Its Class-A Team to St. Catharines

The Toronto Blue Jays have selected St. Catharines, Ontario, to be the site of their recently acquired baseball franchise in the New York-Pennsylvania League.

The Class A team, which played last season in Niagara Falls, N.Y., will play its home games beginning June 20 at Merritton Community Park, Bob Nicholson, the Blue Jays’ vice president of finance, said.

Nicholson said the park would have to undergo renovations to bring it up to league standards.

“There are no lights now and the fences are a little short but that’s a problem we had with all the locations,” said Nicholson, who added that St. Catharines had been the Jays first choice. Hamilton, Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Welland, Ontario, also had been considered.

“The dugouts are small and we will have to add bleacher seats,” Nicholson added. “But we will have a new facility commencing the third season.”

Although final estimates are not completed, Nicholson said the new facility should cost in the neighborhood of $500,000--a cost which will be shared by the Jays, private interests and the St. Catharines community.

To break even Nicholson estimated the St. Catharines Blue Jays would have to draw 40,000 fans for the 35 home dates.