Before the last two MLB seasons, the Toronto Blue Jays participated in some exhibition games at Montreal's Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Canada. This past offseason they faced the Cincinnati Reds and the year before they squared off against the New York Mets.
Their opponent prior to the 2016 season will be the Boston Red Sox.
Exhibition baseball is back on Montreal for the third consecutive year as Mayor Denis Coderre continues to lobby for an MLB team to return to the city. The Expos left Montreal back in 2004 and became the Washington Nationals, but Coderre is confident there is a robust market for the sport in his city - the ninth-largest in North America.
"The movement supporting the return of Major League Baseball in Montreal is stronger than ever before," Montreal mayor Denis Coderre said, via Joey Nowak of MLB.com. "To that extent, it is of utmost importance that Montrealers and baseball aficionados from across the province of Quebec gather at Olympic Stadium for these two preseason matchups in April. This amazing event will serve as a tangible proof that baseball remains very popular and thus send a non-equivocal message to MLB management."
Coderre met with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred earlier this season to discuss the initial steps to get a franchise back in Montreal.
Last year, according to Evenko - the biggest independent promoting and producing company in Canada - there was an estimated total of over 96,000 fans that attended exhibition games between the Blue Jays in each of the past two offseasons.
"We are very pleased to return to Montreal for the third time and especially pleased to bring our rivals from the American League East, the Boston Red Sox," Blue Jays president and CEO Paul Beeston added. "The excitement created by the fans the last two years was overwhelming. The passion of the Quebec fans will be greatly increased by the influx of fans from the New England area."
Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com reported earlier this week that the two clubs will meet on Friday night, April 1, and on Saturday, April 2, after both teams depart from spring training in Florida. The games will take place at 7 p.m. ET on Friday and 1 p.m. ET on Saturday.
