Which of the 10 Never Before Seen Facts on Rogers Centre Toronto Will Impress You the Most? Those 10 Facts on Rogers Centre are…
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10 Never Before Seen Facts on Rogers Centre
Rogers Centre is one of Canada’s most visited sports stadiums every baseball fan has on their bucket list. In fact, the Blue Jays ballpark opened in 1989 and last hosted the All-Star Game in 1991. Any Toronto fan that bleeds Blue Jays blue will know every information possible, from the team winning back-to-back World Series (1992 & 1993) to Josh Donaldson claiming the MVP Award in 2015. However, there are new Rogers Centre facts that many baseball supporters never knew or never heard of in their lives. For details on what facts baseball fans rarely knew about, please refer to 10 Never Before Seen Facts on Rogers Centre below!
10: Blue Jays Stadium Used to Have a McDonald’s® in the Concourse
Normally, fans that go to sporting events would grab a bite to eat at the concourses. More specifically, stadiums and arenas alike have concession stands where spectators can mobile order and pick up food. On a traditional side, ballparks serve hand-held food choices like hot dogs, burgers, pizzas, chicken fingers, and fries. Sometimes, sports teams collaborate with fast food chains in order to provide the best culinary experience possible. But did you know that the Blue Jays stadium used to have a McDonald’s restaurant in the concourse?
Opened in 1989, the two-level McDonalds® store was located in the outfield concourse. The fast food stand served some of its famous offerings like the Big Mac® burger and fries. There was also a possibility that the store sold fried chicken nuggets and soft drinks during its run. Unfortunately, the McDonald’s® stand at the then-SkyDome closed permanently at some point in the 1990s. Neither the team nor the fast food chain gave a reason for why the stand closed.
9: At One Time, Rogers Centre Had its Own Mascot: Domer the Turtle
Whenever a fan sees a mascot on the field, the latter is usually represented by the team. In fact, a mascot is mainly spotted during games only at the stadium. If anyone wants a mascot to appear at his or her event, he or she would have to contact the club first. But in rare situations, sports stadiums would actually have their own mascots. Well, for the then-SkyDome, the Blue Jays ballpark had Domer the Turtle.
When the venue first opened in the late 1980s, Domer made his debut. He was a green turtle that wore a blue t-shirt with SkyDome’s logo on it. Domer would appear at Blue Jays along with the baseball team’s mascot (Ace the Blue Bird). However, the turtle was no longer anywhere to be seen since the 1990s. Fortunately, Domer has made a couple rare appearances since then: Roger Center’s 25th Year Anniversary in 2014 and Blue Jays Winter Fest in 2019.
8: Several Fans were Hit by Falling Panel Tiles at Blue Jays Ballpark in 1995
Over the last decade, there have been some unfortunate fan injuries at baseball stadiums. Fans and children were hit by foul balls, either by line-drive or by falling. Since then, ballparks across North America have installed expanded netting to prevent further foul ball injuries. However, the then-SkyDome had a series of fan injuries that appear to be unheard of to this day. During the Blue Jays/Brewers series in summer 1995, several fans were hit by falling panel tiles.
During the 7th inning, a couple wooden-like panel tiles fell from the top level all the way to the second deck. To make matters worse, each of those panel tiles weighed nearly 30 pounds each. Also, there was no stoppage of play since the incident did not take place on the field. The several fans who were injured ended up in a nearby hospital. Eventually, the Blue Jays investigated the situation and the ballpark has not had a similar accident since then.
7: A 1700s Ship Cannon was Discovered at the Construction Site for Then-SkyDome
Sometimes, sports venues can have interesting construction stories. For instance, workers found dinosaur fossils during the building of Coors Field in Denver. Another example was that a couple construction employees were dismissed after a noose was found on the Nationals Park site. Discovering something out-of-the-ordinary at construction sites is pretty much a rare occurrence. But did you know that a 1700s ship cannon was found at the construction site for the then-SkyDome? Well, that’s what happened in the late 1980s when land clearing began.
During a random land inspection, one of the workers found something on the ground he thought was a metal pipe. But as he dug deeper, that metal pipe turned out to be a ship cannon from the 1700s. Luckily, the construction worker didn’t have to worry about cannon balls shooting out because the cannon was filled with cement at the time of discovery. Also, the ship’s cannon weighed close to ten pounds thanks to the interior’s dried-up cement. Today, the 1700s cannon is on display at the Rogers Centre as part of the ballpark tours.
6: Rogers Centre was the Home for Hard Rock Café® for over Two Decades
The McDonalds® concession stand from the 1990s wasn’t the only big name restaurant that held residence at the Blue Jays stadium. Even though the fast food chain didn’t last as long as many fans wanted, there’s another restaurant that had been a staple for the Rogers Centre. In addition, this unique food service allows fans to rock-and-roll and cheer for the Blue Jays. Believe it or not, the then-SkyDome opened Hard Rock Café® in 1989.
The fast casual chain was connected to the stadium’s outfield concourse. Unlike the McDonalds® stand that ceased operations, Hard Rock Café® was a waiter-style service where fans had views of the baseball field. The restaurant served many food selections like cheeseburgers, sandwiches, fries, salads, and desserts. Unfortunately, the Rogers Centre closed forever in 2019 due to lease expiration and low fan attendance in recent years.
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5: During the 2000s, Blue Jays Stadium Hosted Regular Season NFL Games
The Rogers Centre is not a secret when it comes to hosting football games. One notable example was the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. Argonauts played at the Blue Jays ballpark from 1989 until they moved to BMO Field in 2016. During their time at the then-SkyDome, the Toronto football club won five Grey Cups: 1991, 1996, 1997, 2004, and 2012. But here’s what many fans don’t remember! For over five years, the NFL’s Buffalo Bills played home games as part of the Bills Toronto Series.
The strategy was created in the first place since Toronto is about a 2.0-hour drive from Buffalo. Anyway, the Bills made their regular-season debut at Rogers Centre in December 2008 vs. Dolphins. The Buffalo football club played at the Blue Jays venue once a year until 2013. Following the 2013 season, the Bills Toronto Series never returned due to declining attendance. Perhaps another reason why the experience was discontinued was that the Bills struggled at the Rogers Centre with a 1-5 regular-season record. Also keeping that in mind was that Buffalo was in a playoff drought (1999-2017) during the series’ run.
4: A Fan Died in 2012 after Collapsing from Cardiac Arrest at Rogers Centre
Accidents and injuries can happen to anyone everywhere, especially at sports stadiums. Those accidents do not limit from slipping on a wet floor to spilling food on the floor. However, injuries resulting from those accidents can sometimes be fatal or even life-threatening. Unfortunately, that was the case at Rogers Centre on a normal ballpark day. In August 2012, a spectator passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest at the Blue Jays Stadium.
In the 7th inning of a Blue Jays/White Sox contest, an unnamed fan collapsed near the 3rd base side seats. Play was halted briefly as other spectators looked to see what was going on. The fan had gone into cardiac arrest and he soon received CPR. Later, medical officials arrived in the seating area and took him away via an ambulance. Sadly, that fan eventually passed away in a local hospital a day later. Players from both teams responded to the tragedy, sending condolences to the spectator’s family and friends.
3: The Then-SkyDome was the 1st Ever Home for the Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors have been perhaps the most beloved basketball team from north of the border. In 2019, the Raptors won their first NBA championship when they defeated the heavily-favored Golden State Warriors in six games. At one time, Toronto had a Canadian rivalry with the Vancouver Grizzlies (who now plays in Memphis). But did you know that the Toronto Raptors played their first ever home games at the then-SkyDome?
In 1995, the Raptors made their NBA debut at the Blue Bays ballpark. The home turf plan was pretty much temporary as the then-Air Canada Centre was under construction at the time. Since the Raptors were playing in a baseball stadium, changes had to be made to accommodate basketball play. For instance, the court and the surrounding seats were placed near the home plate/infield area. Eventually, the basketball team moved to their new facility (now Scotiabank Centre) along with the Maple Leafs in 1999.
2: In 2018, a Blue Jays Game was Postponed Due to Roof Damage from Snow
Traditionally, baseball games get postponed as a result of uncontrollable weather conditions. Those circumstances range from a large band of thunderstorms to a major hurricane. But sometimes, even the rarest of rares can force a game to be rescheduled. For example, a Rockies contest at Coors Field was postponed due to a water main break near the stadium. Believe it or not, in Toronto’s case, a Blue Jays game was actually postponed due to roof damage.
During the early parts of the 2018 season, the Blue Jays were set to take on the Kansas City Royals. Then all a sudden, there was falling ice from the nearby CN Tower. All that ice from the wintery season fell downwards, including Rogers Centre. The worst part of the scenario was that the ice made a significant hole in the retractable roof. So the Blue Jays postponed the game due to safety concerns regarding the fallen ice as well as a damaged roof. The contest was later made up the next day as a doubleheader.
1: Fans Can Actually Spend a Night or Two at the Rogers Centre
In normal times, fans who visit stadiums on a road trip would need a place to stay within the city center. They might spend a couple of nights in either a high-rated hotel or even a low quality motel. Also, fans would stay at a family or friend’s house to cut back on hotel costs. In recent years, they rent houses at a local Airbnb® in order to give them that just-like-home feeling. But for the Blue Jays, fans can actually spend a night or two at the Rogers Centre.
That’s right! There’s a hotel connected to the ballpark’s outfield called the Toronto Marriott® City Centre Hotel. The unique hotel has some things fans can enjoy, like restaurants, a swimming pool, and a workout gym. Perhaps the main attraction to the hotel is the bedrooms with views of the stadium. Fans won’t miss any of the Blue Jays action from their hotel rooms, ranging from batting practice to post-game. They can even get takeout to eat and watch the baseball contest from the comfort of their room.
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