TORONTO – Marnie Starkman remembers Rogers Centre right from the very beginning, when it was a technological marvel back in 1989 and its multipurpose utility was a selling feature rather than a liability. Growing up in Vancouver, Anuk Karunaratne’s connection to the dome didn’t begin until he moved across the country after the century’s turn, when he and his friends seized on the old Toonie Tuesdays ticket promotions to hang out in the 500-level’s cheap seats.
Both made plenty of fond memories at the place long before they became executive vice-presidents, business operations for the Toronto Blue Jays and were tasked with overseeing a $300-million renovation of the facility. The challenge for them was update the dome to ensure a new generation of fans enjoys the type of lasting experiences they had back in the day.
And as the Blue Jays unveiled the first stage of that refurbishment Thursday – a redone outfield that will play completely different on the field and alter how fans are hosted in the stands – the duo believes the set of five new areas and elevated bullpens will accomplish exactly that.
“I’m excited for fans,” Starkman said after a ribbon-cutting ceremony. “As someone who grew up with the game, it was ingrained in me. But one of our biggest objectives here was to make this feel like a ballpark and bring in some social spaces, so you don’t have to be an avid baseball fan to come here. You can come have a couple of drinks, experience the game, hang out with your friends, bring your family up to Park Social. That’s probably where I feel the most pride.”
Added Karunaratne: “Even last season, Rogers Centre was 50,000 blue seats, all the same except for how far you were from home plate. … It’s really about a ballpark experience and it’s new for Toronto, being able to walk in an unstructured way, to experience the game, or not experience the game and just experience the food and beverage amenities and other things. There’s something that’s very baseball about that.”
The renovation is, by far, the most significant set of upgrades to the building since its opening and is a precursor to a second phase that will cover the area from foul pole to foul pole around home plate.
Like the initial phase, construction will begin once the season ends, with plans to rip out the lower bowl, add premium seating likely to include field-level boxes and redo both the player clubhouses.
Until then, the Rogers Centre will have a bit of a Frankenstein feel, with half the park essentially dating back to 1989, with a modern outfield attached to it. The first glance is somewhat jarring with an asymmetrical fence – after cookie-cutter dimensions in Toronto dating back to when the Blue Jays began play in the American League, in 1977 – elevated bullpens, patios and bars in each corner and a pair of rooftop patios, one a bar, the other for families, in the upper deck.
Starkman and Karunaratne toured most of the ballparks around the majors and drew inspiration from several, including the outfield patio in Denver’s Coors Field, a centre-field bar at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park known as The ‘Pen, the bullpens at Cleveland’s Progressive Field, finer-point details such as higher drink rails that prevent spills and match other décor at Atlanta’s Truist Park, the outfield walkways at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park and San Francisco’s Oracle Park, and destinations with stories like at Chicago’s Wrigley Field.
“We had a lot of lessons from a bunch of the ballparks. We obviously leaned on the newer ones,” said Starkman, who noted that there are nods to the team’s and city’s history along with recognition of popular local foods in the new areas with more upcoming.
“In the end, it was: this needs to be authentic to Toronto for it to be successful,” added Karunartane. “And we’re working within the infrastructure limitations that we have. Those two things ultimately shaped what we did here.”
Beyond the new outfield walls and dimensions, players will have a new 5,000-square-foot weight room to use while relievers for both the Blue Jays and opposition will find themselves in two-level bullpens that will completely remake the warmup process.
An expanded family room for players is also ready and Starkman said, “it was a big thing as we were talking to free agents, like, ‘Where are my kids every night?’”
The next stage is in advanced planning, with details expected in the summer.
“We’ve gone foul pole to foul pole one way, we now need to go inwards,” said Starkman. “That’s really the second part of it.”
Editor’s Note: One of the 30 MLB teams, the Toronto Blue Jays, is owned by Rogers Communications Inc., which also owns Sportsnet.
