Copyright 2018 Spokane Spokesman-Review
Spokesman Review (Spokane, WA)
Even moving indoors couldn't get the Blue Jays back on the field.
Toronto postponed Monday's series opener against Kansas City after chunks of ice crashed down from the nearby CN Tower following a weekend of freezing rain, including one that punctured a hole in the Rogers Centre roof.
Andrew Miller, Toronto's executive vice president of business operations, was standing in the infield with two colleagues around 10 a.m., examining existing damage, when a falling piece of ice tore a hole about three feet by five feet in the PVC roof over right field, sending ice and pieces of insulation crashing onto the turf.
"We saw it happen," Miller said. "It was pretty frightening. It was really loud. It sounded like fireworks or some kind of explosion going off."
It's the first postponement at Rogers Centre since a game against the Royals was called off following a collision between two panels of the stadium's moving roof on April 12, 2001. The teams will play a doubleheader on Tuesday.
"If you come to a dome and get banged, something ain't right," Royals manager Ned Yost said about an hour before the game was called.
Monday's starters, Kansas City left-hander Eric Skoglund and Blue Jays lefty Jaime Garcia, will start Game 1 on Tuesday. Game 2 will also feature a pair of lefties, with Kansas City's Danny Duffy going against Toronto's J.A. Happ.
The Blue Jays completed a two-year, $10 million mechanical upgrade of the retractable roof before the 2017 season, and this year are looking at replacing the roof cover, which dates from the stadium opening in 1989.
Clearing the bases
Tampa Bay CF Kevin Kiermaier has a torn ligament in his right thumb that requires surgery and could be sidelined for two to three months. The Rays placed him on the 10-day disabled list Monday, a day after he was injured sliding head-first into second base. ... Jacoby Ellsbury's latest ailment is plantar fasciitis, preventing the Yankees outfielder from fully resuming baseball activities. Ellsbury has been on the disabled list since the start of the season. ... Yankees infielder Brandon Drury says he has batted in big league games with blurred vision caused by migraines. Drury has not played since April 6 and has been undergoing tests for the cause of the migraines. He resumed baseball activities while he awaits test results. ... Pirates 2B Josh Harrison is out six weeks with a broken bone in his left hand. Harrison fractured his pinkie finger Sunday when he was hit with a pitch by Miami's Jose Urena.
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