My first game of 2026!

Firstly, happy 49th birthday to the Toronto Blue Jays! The franchise's first game was played on April 7th, 1977, where they defeated the Chicago White Sox by a score of 9-5 at snowy Exhibition Stadium.

I attended my first (of hopefully many) game of the season last night, watching the Blue Jays take on the Dodgers for the first time since I got my heart ripped out of my chest on November 1st of last year. I had been looking forward to the game for months, and luckily managed to get tickets for $20 — a great price for any Major League Baseball game, much less a World Series rematch!

As for the game, it was brutal. I started to get jealous of infamous MLB umpire CB Bucknor, wishing that I was also blind and didn't have to witness that awful performance with my own eyes. After starter Max Scherzer left with forearm tightness after two innings, the Blue Jays seeminly waved the white flag, eventually losing 14-2 with pitching appearances from Tyler Heineman and Miguel Rojas, who after his game-tying 9th inning homer in Game 7 against Jeff Hoffman, I hoped to never see on a baseball field ever again.

With that being said, it's only early April, and contrary to the feelings of most people at the ballpark last night, the season is far from over. The Blue Jays were under .500 (27-28) on May 28th last season, and their luck with injuries so far this year has been unbelievably bad. Once some of the key pieces return from injury, I expect the team to get hot once again.

I got my first in-person look at the new ABS system, which was hilariously sponsored by the optomotrist

I was also excited to check out some of the new additions around the ballpark, especially the historical tributes newly added for the club's 50th season. Rogers Centre has improved exponentially over the last few seasons, and the new additions, similar to some of my favourite features of other ballparks I have visited, have made the stadium even better!

1. Joe Carter's bat from his legendary Game 6 home run to win the 1993 WS

2. Jerseys for every Cy Young Award winner in Blue Jays history

3. 2025 American League and ALCS MVP trophies (still covered in fingerprints!)

4. Base and helmet from the 2025 WS

5. My friend Evan and I with the 1992 and 1993 WS trophies

Best of all, and something I plan on writing about, I got to meet Domer! For anyone unaware, Domer was the mascot of SkyDome from its opening in 1989, and he hasn't been seen in years. I had always assumed that the Blue Jays had either forgotten about Domer, or intentionaly didn't bring him back because of the stadium name.

Overall, a very fun night at the dome despite the Blue Jays' horrible performance. I'm looking forward to attending more games throughout the season, especially after the new 'Hall of Excellence' opens up in August!