How to Buy Tickets for a Baseball Game in Toronto

Toronto's sporting fame is mainly due to its ice hockey and basketball teams, but also to baseball. The Blue Jays, who were great World Series entertainers in the 1990s, are Canada's only team in the MLB, which is considered the best baseball league in the world, and they play their games at the legendary Rogers Centre.

If you plan to visit Toronto from March to September, you can catch a Blue Jays MLB game, but unlike the NBA or NHL, you'll have opportunities to catch a game almost year-round, as the franchises also play spring training and post-season games, so you'll have plenty of opportunity to take part in one of the best things to do in Toronto.

Baseball is one of the most popular sports in Toronto, but since the Blue Jays' MLB and playoff schedule is longer than that of the NBA and NHL teams, the chances of buying tickets to see a game live will be greater than in other sports.

Getting tickets on the official Blue Jays website

Like all other organised league sports, baseball franchises, including the Blue Jays, offer full season tickets for sale at the start of the season. As team activity begins in February with spring training and ends in November with post-season games, most seats are sold out as early as January, although vacant seats are offered for sale on the franchise's official website.

Getting tickets from online ticketing platforms

If you can't get tickets on the Blue Jays' official website or you want different seats, the best alternative is to use online ticketing platforms, which usually centralise the marketing of all available tickets. There you can find tickets for the different sections of the Rogers Centre stadium and you can even combine this experience with the best tours of Toronto.

Get tickets from authorised ticket reseller sites.

This is a riskier option and is often used as a last resort, as it tends to offer more expensive rates and also requires a reputation check of the seller and the use of a secure purchasing channel. However, it is an ideal alternative for last-minute purchases, for finding seats for a specific match or for getting adjacent seats, which is necessary if you plan to visit Toronto with children or a family.

Getting tickets at the stadium box office

In MLB, unlike the NBA and NHL, it's easier to get tickets at the stadium box office before games start, but that doesn't mean it's a convenient option. Generally, you will have to wait in long lines, which will waste your time and you will not get the best seats. In addition, prices tend to increase due to last-minute purchases and dynamic pricing.

As with all sports, the price of tickets for games will largely depend on the stadium locations chosen, the opponent the franchise is playing against and the level of competition being played, with second round games being priced higher than first round games. However, at the Roger Centre you can find tickets to watch the Blue Jays live from as little as 80 Euros.

These tickets, which are the cheapest, are available for the furthest away sectors of the diamond, the name given to the playing field in baseball. However, in locations closer to the batters, prices can reach 750 euros or even more, especially in the VIP sections of the Roger Centre.

An alternative to save money and get better seats at the best price is to buy tickets in advance, even within one season for the next, as it is normal for Major League Baseball seats for the following year to go on sale from October onwards.

The different types of tickets depend on the location in the stadium. Inside the Roger Centre there are 5 sectors, called Cloud, Star, Hotel, Moon and Sun, with the most expensive tickets belonging to the first sector and the cheapest to the last. However, the organisation is complex, as the baseball diamond has a very particular format that generates price jumps in nearby sectors.

The only tickets that include queue-free access to the stadium are those belonging to the VIP sector, in all other cases you will have to locate the corresponding grandstand ticket and queue. The peak tourist season usually coincides with the full occupancy of the Roger Centre, so if you plan to visit Toronto in July or during the summer months, you'll have to deal with the crowds at Blue Jays games.

Keep in mind that it is advisable to be at the stadium at least an hour before kick-off to avoid any inconvenience at the gate and, most importantly, to deal with the massive crowds that attend these events, especially during the peak season.

As with other stadiums in the city, the Roger Centre is closed to the general public on Blue Jays game days. However, you can find other ways to get an inside look at the stadium, including taking a guided tour of the stadium for an initial cost of approximately 20 euros per person.

This tour will include a tour of the grandstand, the locker rooms and the playing field, as well as a look at the history of the stadium, which is located next to the CN Tower on the shores of Lake Ontario and is famous for having hosted the 1992 and 1993 World Series.

You can also see the inside of the stadium during the conventions that are frequently held at the site or even during a game of the Argonauts, the city's Canadian football team. Occasionally, you can also catch an NBA game when the Raptors move their home arena from the Air Canada Centre.

As a general rule, MLB does not offer discounted tickets and game tickets are not included in Toronto CityPASS activities, but you can still follow a few strategies to capture cheap tickets.

Get tickets in upper or side seats

Roger Centre Stadium, with a capacity of more than 40,000, offers a variety of seating options, so if you're happy to follow the ballgame away from the diamond, you can find seats in the upper or side seats at bargain prices. In addition, you may also be able to get tickets in the reduced-view locations, such as the areas near the stadium's columns.

Get tickets for lower demand matches

If you want to discover the spirit of a baseball game and its cheering crowd and are not interested in attending a defining game, you can get cheaper tickets by choosing games that pit the Blue Jays against non-direct second-round playoff contenders. These lower-demand games often free up cheap seats.

Getting tickets for games during the week

The biggest games are usually played on Saturdays and Sundays, which is when the biggest crowds attend, especially if you're visiting Toronto in the summer. However, if you have the time and can attend weekday games, you'll get better prices at locations close to the diamond.

Get tickets for public holidays

Games don't always coincide with holiday dates, but if they coincide with Thanksgiving, Christmas, Labour Day or national holidays, you'll be able to find better prices, as they tend to coincide with a drop in attendance and people tend to opt for out-of-town activities.

MLB franchises, including the Blue Jays, have established that children under the age of 3 can enter stadiums for free, as long as they are accompanied by a responsible adult. Otherwise, there is no discount for those over that age, and seats are at a flat rate.

However, some tour operators, understanding that attending a baseball game is one of the best things to do with children in Toronto, offer discounted family packages, which, in addition to better prices, often include adjoining seats and even, in some cases, meal packages.

Some agencies also combine tickets to baseball games with discounts on other popular activities in the city, such as cruises on Lake Ontario or helicopter flights over Toronto's skies.

While unlike the Raptors in the NBA and the Maple Leafs in the NHL, it is possible to get tickets at the box office before the games for the Blue Jays and MLB, this is a time-consuming alternative that will force you to get more expensive tickets because they are last minute bookings.

This is why I advise you to book tickets in advance online, which will save you both money and time. This is ideal if you are planning a short stay in the city and want to make the most of your visit. If that's your case, here's a list of things you can do to get to know Toronto in 3 days.

Due to the dynamics of the game, baseball games do not have a set duration, although, on average, an MLB game lasts approximately 3 hours. However, this time can vary significantly depending on several factors, such as the number of runs scored, the speed of the game, and the presence of extra innings.

During the course of the game, there are times that contribute to the overall length. Time-outs between innings, when teams change positions, can add several minutes to the clock. In addition, strategic time-outs allow players and coaches to discuss tactics and strategy, extending the overall duration of the event.

Fans also enjoy the in-between shows, such as performances between innings, which add a tinge of entertainment to the sporting experience. These brief moments often feature contests and musical performances, especially when games take place at night in Toronto.

The MLB regular season runs from March or April to October, although franchises usually also have spring training games, which is the equivalent of a pre-season, and post-season games. Thus, in Toronto you can catch a baseball game from February through November.

If you plan to visit Toronto in July, you can also attend the popular All Star Game, a game that brings together the best players of the year and is a huge draw for fans.

The world of MLB has its own set of rules and to fully enjoy the show you need to be familiar with a few concepts, so here are a few tips to help you maximise your experience:

• Don't go to a game without understanding the rules of the game! The object of the sport is to score runs by hitting a ball thrown by the opposing team's pitcher and running around the bases in a counter-clockwise direction. The defending team seeks to prevent batters from advancing and scoring by making outs through catches, strikeouts or forcing players off the bases. An inning consists of at-bats for both teams, and the game consists of 9 innings. The winner is the team that scores the most runs at the end of the innings.
• Enjoy the baseball atmosphere: Baseball is one of the most popular sports in North America and therefore attracts many fans who bring a special warmth to every game. If you want to soak up the sporting spirit, you can contribute to the chants, wear the colours of the franchise and celebrate every inning.
• Take your time getting to the stadium: Baseball games tend to be very crowded events, so it can be a bad idea to arrive at the last minute. This will take away your margin for error if you get the wrong gate at a stadium as big as the Roger Centre and could lead to unforgivable delays - no one wants to miss the pregame entertainment!